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I did a lot of research on the best way to get an ESA recommendation, and I’d love to share with you what I’ve found!
Want the bottom line?
I reviewed 7 ESA letter services and the one I chose to move forward with was Pettable. Pettable stood out as being the most trustworthy because of their 100% money back guarantee. Living in the city as a young professional can be expensive, so having this security made me feel comfortable. I also appreciated their fast customer support, kind therapists, and the fact they didn’t try to upsell me on fake registration and ID cards. I didn’t know this until I started researching ESA laws, but all you need is a letter of recommendation from a mental health professional. Some other ESA sites do offer this legitimate letter, but they also try scamming individuals into purchasing unnecessary add-ons.
What I liked:
✅ Will refund you 100% if your ESA letter does not work for you
✅ Great customer service
✅ Does not sell fake registrations and ID cards
✅ Express 24 hour turnaround service available
✅ 3-minute quiz that matches you to a real therapist
✅ Legal team available to support
✅ Approved in 50 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico
✅ Easy to Schedule an appointment
What could be better:
🚫 Too many marketing emails once you subscribe.
My Top ESA Letter Companies
What I Learned Through My Research
There are a lot of options for how to get evaluated for an ESA letter and they are not all equal. Some, I would even consider scammy. To avoid these scams and find the best option for me, I went through the process of evaluating a few companies that provide ESA letter services.
Scams to keep an eye out for:
- Companies that generate a letter without having you speak with an actual mental health professional first are scamming you. Landlords are becoming aware of these sites, and they might not accept a letter from them which would be a huge waste of your money.
- Companies that claim an ESA has travel rights. ESAs are protected by the Fair Housing Act and only have rights in permanent residences. Companies that say you can bring your ESA on planes and into restaurants are scamming you. Only service animals have public access rights.
- Companies that sell ESA certifications, registration numbers, or ID cards are scamming you. There is no official registration system for support animals or service animals. The only thing you need is an official letter from a licensed mental health professional recommending an ESA.
My goal was to find a service that would connect me with a real mental healthcare professional who could write me a legally sound ESA letter to allow me to live with Milo wherever I go. This guide will walk you through my reviews and what I consider the most important "do's and don'ts" when selecting an ESA service.
* I do my best to review this page monthly and keep the information up to date!
Factors That Matter for ESA Letter Services
Besides my eligibility for an ESA, the letter is the most important factor for making sure Milo can live with me wherever I move. The US Department of Housing (HUD) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA) have laid out some guidelines around emotional support animals and their rights. Not every ESA site I researched follows these regulations which makes their letters illegitimate and unenforceable. According to HUD, here some some key factors that ensure a legitimate experience along with some general ESA rights that I found helpful:
- Evaluation by a licensed mental health professional — Ensure that you are being connected with a REAL mental health professional who will actually speak with you via a phone call or zoom call. HUD recognizes telehealth as an acceptable means of obtaining an ESA letter, but also warns against scam companies that generate letters after a brief questionnaire and no actual conversation with a real professional.
- Licensed mental health professional in your state — You can not legally be treated and prescribed an ESA letter if the licensed mental health professional is not licensed in your state. They do not have to live there, but they do have to have an active license. That's why it's key to find a company that has invested in a network of professionals all around the country and has one in your state. If you are moving, you can speak with a professional in the state you currently reside. The letter they write you will be valid in any other state you move to.
- Accepted license types — According to HUD, there is a variety of mental health professionals who can legally write ESA letters, not limited to: physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, or clinical social workers.
- Species/Breed Restrictions — HUD states that there are no breed or species restrictions for emotional support animals: as long as your mental health professional finds the animal to be reasonable and justified. This means that your friendly pitbull can not be discriminated against.
- ESA Quantity — HUD also states that there is no set limit to the amount of emotional support animals one person can have: as long as your mental health professional finds all animals to be reasonable and justified. The more animals you have, the more challenging it can be for your therapist to communicate each of their specific benefits for your mental health. Due to this, many companies charge an additional fee if you have 3 or more animals being evaluated. The approval of multiple ESAs is at the sole discretion of your mental health professional.
- Public Access Rights — Since emotional support animals are only protected by HUD within your permanent residence, they have no public access rights. If the ESA service you are using advertises that you can take your ESA into hotels, restaurants, or airports they are misinforming you.
- PSDs — Psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) have public access rights along with the same housing rights as ESAs since they are legally service animals and protected by the ADA. PSDs have to be trained to perform a task directly related to your mental disability which is different from ESAs who do not have to be trained at all.
- Legal and therapist support — I have researched and found tons of nightmarish stories of landlords harassing pet owners even though they have ESA letters. I need a service I could trust to defend me regardless of the situation. As a result, a strong legal team was key.
- Experience with landlord and university forms — It was super important that the service could support me with additional forms. Some landlords will ask you to have your mental health professional fill out specific documentation. According to HUD, specific forms are not legally required. If you choose to accommodate your landlord’s request and have your clinician fill out these forms, most ESA sites will be able to offer this service at an additional fee.
My Top ESA Letter Companies Reviewed
What I liked:
✅ Will refund you 100% if your ESA letter does not work for you
✅ Great customer service
✅ Does not sell fake registrations and ID cards
✅ Express 24 hour turnaround service available
✅ 3-minute quiz that matches you to a real therapist
✅ Legal team available to support
✅ Approved in 50 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico
✅ Easy to Schedule an appointment
What could be better:
🚫 Too many marketing emails once you subscribe.
How I felt using Pettable
I don't know about you all, but getting an ESA letter was uncharted waters for me. The team at Pettable made it feel like I was in good hands and took the time to answer ALL the questions I had. By the end of the process I felt confident I was making the right choice buying from them... And the satisfaction guarantee didn't hurt! I also loved that I was able to schedule an appointment time during the checkout process.
Still, you always hear about those terrible landlords that harass their tenants with an ESA... Good news, Pettable offers landlord support, meaning your landlord can speak to them directly to learn more about your ESA and what rights you have. All in all, I couldn't think of a single concern I had that Pettable didn't solve. Well worth the peace of mind and great value for the price.
Summary
This is the only provider I found that truly put all my concerns to rest, and when it comes to making sure I have Milo by my side, that's a must. The 100% money back guarantee, great service, and fast turnaround time is a plus, and I could not recommend Pettable more.
What I liked:
✅ Great customer service
✅ Outstanding LMPH professionals
✅ Comprehensive documentation
✅ Quick turnaround time (1 week)
What could be better:
🚫 Sells fake certificates, registrations, and ID cards
🚫 Confusing website
US Service Animals
Their legal support was the next best thing to a guarantee and the turnaround time was only a bit longer than what I experienced with Pettable. The support team was professional, but their wait times could be a bit long. They are a solid service if a satisfaction guarantee isn't a priority for you. Just be aware that US Service Animals sells 2 ESA package options. Their $89 option to ‘register’ your animal as an ESA is a scam, according to a lawyer that I asked. I was tempted to buy that package since it was less expensive, but it ultimately would have been a waste of my money. They do offer a legitimate ESA evaluation through a doctor, but the fact that they offer a fake registration as on option made me uncomfortable, so I ultimately decided not to use their service.
Summary
They offer a legitimate ESA letter through a licensed doctor, but they also offer fake registrations and products that make me feel like they are overall, not trustworthy.
What I liked:
✅ Good customer service
✅ Very good mental health professionals
✅ Cost effective
What could be better:
🚫 No legal support
🚫 Not quick
🚫 No actual conversation with a mental health professional
Emotional Pet Support Felt Supportive
As I'm finishing the initial sign up, I get a call... It's Emotional Pet Support checking in to answer any questions, and providing a white glove experience. They walked me through the whole process and made me feel comfortable with everything before I ever pulled out my credit card. You can tell they care about their customer satisfaction.
Unfortunately, the assessment is completely online, with no live call or video call with a mental health professional. This makes the legitimacy of the letter questionable. Sites like these are what HUD warns about since letters are being generated without an actual conversation with a real, licensed professional.
Last note, I couldn't find anything about legal support and considering my past experience with landlords, this is a non-starter for me.
What I liked:
✅ Incredibly quick
✅ Cost-effective
What could be better:
🚫 Customer service is kind of rude
🚫 No follow up on legal support
🚫 Confusing information around ESA travel rights
🚫 No actual conversation with a mental health professional
Support Pets
If you're looking for a quick fix with no frills, this is the ESA site for you. They'll get you an ESA letter and they'll do it fast. Unfortunately, just like with Emotional Pet Support, the assessment is completely online, with no live call or video call with a mental health professional.
No frills means no frills, they are a small shop and what they gain in speed they lose in experience.They advertise that having an ESA will get you more access to restaurants, hotels, and shops, and we know that according to HUD, this isn’t correct. This along with the fact that they do not offer the option to actually speak with a real therapist makes me question their legitimacy.
What I liked:
✅ Extremely fast
✅ Streamlined process
✅ Great price point
What could be better:
🚫 More care and time with mental health professional
🚫 Incorrect Airline Travel information
My experience with ESA Doctors
After a second look at ESA Doctors, it looks like they do offer the option to hop on a video call with a LMHP, which makes their service more reliable and letter more trustworthy.
As I've said over and over again I'm skeptical of the legitimacy of services that do not offer that. What feels a bit better is you are actually connected with an LMHP and they send you a consent form to sign off on so it feels like the standard is a touch higher, and for $99.99-$129.99 it's a good service for the price.
Their website claims that an ESA letter will be accepted by airlines for air travel, however, this isn’t correct. Airlines are no longer required to accommodate ESAs in the cabin free of charge. They are only required to accomodate service animals. This made me question their legitimacy. However, if you're looking for a good price and quick service, ESA Doctors is a great option.
What I liked:
✅ Easy to schedule an appointment
✅ Qualified mental health professionals
What could be better:
🚫 Not ESA experts
🚫 Claims false ESA travel rights
🚫 Mental Health Professionals not knowledgeable on ESAs
My experience with Mango Clinic
Mango Clinic was the only other site, aside from Pettable, that offers the ability to schedule a consultation during the checkout process. ywhich is really convenient! I loved that.
However, there is not as much info on ESAs on their site and their staff did not feel super accessible to me to answer questions. Their website also claimed that ESAs have travel rights, which we know isn’t correct.
Overall, I would choose mango clinic if you're looking for a straightforward calendaring option that allows you to book pretty easily with a provider, if you are willing to forfeit having access to a knowledgeable staff with up to date ESA information
What I liked:
…I did not like anything about this site
What could be better:
🚫 They try to up-sell you a lot
🚫 Their information around ESAs and Service animals is confusing
🚫 No actual conversation with a mental health professional
My experience with United Service Dog
This is another service that left me a tad skeptical as you don't need to connect with a provider on the phone. I reviewed them because they show up EVERYWHERE so I'm guessing a lot of people interact with this website.
Additionally, I did not like that their website is pretty hard to use. Their information around emotional support animals and service animals was confusing, and incorrect.Lastly, the amount of times they try to sell you additional stuff is pretty wild. It just feels like they're looking to grab your $$$.
The Wrap Up
You've reached the end, thank you for reading my thoughts and approach to choosing the best ESA provider! As you can see, my biggest priorities were peace of mind, great service, and legitimate products. This process wasn't the most fun, but knowing I don't need to worry about taking Milo with me, is well worth the time spent. Hopefully this saves you time and makes selecting an ESA provider an easy decision!
