questions & answers

Question: My tenant lied about having a puppy. My home is a no pets home. She moved the dog in when she moved it. When we found about the dog we gave her a 10 day notice letter that she had no idea was coming. Within 18 hours she went on a website and got a letter saying that the puppy is now an emotional support dog and if we try to evict her she will sue us under Federal Housing Act. What are my protections? Add said no pets, applications said no pets, lease says no pets and she lied. Also advertised in local neighborhood website for a pet sitter. So, it wasn't an emotional support dog then

Answer: You may learn more about what the Fair Housing Act says about assistance animals through this guide from the Arizona Center for Disability Law: https://www.azdisabilitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/FHA2-Assist-Animals-and-FHA-FAQ-112415.pdf. The outcomes of these sorts of cases usually come down to which party’s story the judge determines to be more credible.