Step 1
A free screening, no card needed. You answer questions about your housing, your animal and what you hope the letter will do. It is not an assessment and it decides nothing; it only tells you whether booking a consultation makes sense.
Illinois · IL
ESA letter Illinois: no waiting period, pet fees barred by statute, and what your landlord may ask for
Yes, and Illinois sets no waiting period. The Assistance Animal Integrity Act (310 ILCS 120/10) lets a landlord ask for a written letter from a provider you have a therapeutic relationship with, describing your disability-related need. It bars any pet deposit, pet fee or special insurance for the animal (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). Your clinician must be licensed in Illinois (225 ILCS 150/10). If you qualify, your signed PDF usually arrives in 24 to 48 hours. The price is $99.
0dollars
in pet deposits, pet fees or pet assessments a housing provider may require for an assistance animal
310 ILCS 120/10(f)1year
to file a housing charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the state's only HUD partner agency
775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)2years
to sue in circuit court, paused while an IDHR charge is pending, with punitive damages available
775 ILCS 5/10-102300days
for a renter inside Chicago to file with the city's Commission on Human Relations
CCHR Fair Housing FAQIllinois, with the capital marked
Illinois at a glance
The 7 things a renter in Illinois needs to know.
Each answer is one line, with the section of Illinois law it comes from. The detail is further down the page.
- 01
Does Illinois have an emotional support animal law?
Yes, and it is a stand-alone statute. The Assistance Animal Integrity Act defines an assistance animal as "an emotional support or service animal" (310 ILCS 120/5). It tells a housing provider what documentation it may ask for, when it may refuse, and that it may not charge pet fees (310 ILCS 120/10). It took effect on 1 January 2020 and has never been amended. The Human Rights Act adds the duty to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services (775 ILCS 5/3-102.1(C)(2)).
310 ILCS 120/5, /10; 775 ILCS 5/3-102.1(C)(2) - 02
Is there a waiting period, session rule or in-person rule before an ESA letter?
No. The statute asks for a "therapeutic relationship" and defines it by what the provider does (310 ILCS 120/5). That means care given in good faith, with actual knowledge of your disability and your need for the animal (310 ILCS 120/5). It sets no minimum length, no number of sessions, no in-person visit and no expiry date. What it excludes is a certificate issued "without conducting a meaningful assessment" (310 ILCS 120/5). One live assessment that reaches actual knowledge fits those words; a questionnaire with a rubber stamp does not.
310 ILCS 120/5, /10(b) - 03
Who can write it, and does the clinician need an Illinois licence?
The Act accepts a physician or other medical professional, a mental health service provider, or a reliable third party in a position to know, provided a therapeutic relationship exists (310 ILCS 120/5). The licence rule sits in a different statute: a professional treating a patient located in this state by telehealth "must be licensed or authorized to practice in Illinois" (225 ILCS 150/10). The practice acts say the same for the work and the title (225 ILCS 20/10(b)). A psychologist with PSYPACT authority counts as authorised (225 ILCS 15/11.11); no counselling or social-work compact issues privileges here.
310 ILCS 120/5; 225 ILCS 150/10; 225 ILCS 20/10(b); 225 ILCS 15/11.11 - 04
Can my landlord charge pet rent, a pet deposit or pet insurance for my emotional support animal?
No. A housing provider "may not require a resident to pay a pet-related deposit, pet fee, or related pet assessment" for an assistance animal, even where pet owners in the building pay them (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). Special liability insurance is barred too (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). What stays chargeable is actual damage the animal causes, "reasonable wear and tear excepted", on the same terms as any other resident (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). Monthly pet rent is a pet assessment on the statute's words, though no ruling has yet said so.
310 ILCS 120/10(f) - 05
What can my landlord ask for, and what is off limits?
If your disability or need is not already apparent or known, the provider may ask for reliable documentation: in writing, from your therapeutic-relationship provider, describing your disability-related need (310 ILCS 120/10(a)–(b)). It may hand you a form but cannot refuse because you sent your own letter instead (310 ILCS 120/10(a)). It may ask once for more detail about the professional relationship if the first letter does not show one, and may check that the letter is authentic (310 ILCS 120/10(d), (h)). It may not require a diagnosis (310 ILCS 120/10(g)).
310 ILCS 120/10(a), (b), (d), (g), (h) - 06
Can my landlord refuse my emotional support animal?
Only on the grounds listed in 310 ILCS 120/10(c). A provider may deny or rescind where the request would impose an undue financial and administrative burden or a fundamental alteration (310 ILCS 120/10(c)). It may also act on reliable objective evidence, after an individualised assessment, that your specific animal is a direct threat, causes substantial damage or has a pattern of uncontrolled behaviour you have not corrected (310 ILCS 120/10(c)). Another resident's allergies cannot be the sole reason (310 ILCS 120/10(e)). The Act binds "any owner" with no size exemption (310 ILCS 120/5).
310 ILCS 120/5, /10(c), (e) - 07
Where do I complain, and how long do I have?
File a housing charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights within one year of the act (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)). It is the state's only HUD partner agency and cross-files housing charges with HUD. A circuit-court suit is open for two years, with or without a charge, and the clock pauses while a charge is pending; actual and punitive damages and fees are available (775 ILCS 5/10-102). Renters inside Chicago also have 300 days to file with the city's Commission on Human Relations.
775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1), 10-102; CCHR Fair Housing FAQ
Illinois law
Illinois statute tells your landlord what to ask for and bars any pet fee, deposit or special insurance for an assistance animal
Illinois wrote its assistance-animal rules into a single statute, the Assistance Animal Integrity Act, in force since 1 January 2020 (310 ILCS 120/1–20). It defines an assistance animal as "an emotional support or service animal" that qualifies as a reasonable accommodation (310 ILCS 120/5). If your disability or your need is not readily apparent or known, a housing provider may ask for reliable documentation (310 ILCS 120/10(a)). The Act says what that means: writing, a provider you have a therapeutic relationship with, and a description of your disability-related need (310 ILCS 120/10(b)). No diagnosis may be required (310 ILCS 120/10(g)). A provider may offer its own form but cannot refuse because you did not use it (310 ILCS 120/10(a)). It may deny or rescind only for undue burden, fundamental alteration, or reliable objective evidence about your specific animal (310 ILCS 120/10(c)). It may not charge a pet-related deposit, pet fee or pet assessment, or demand special insurance; actual damage remains chargeable (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). The housing duty itself comes from the Human Rights Act, which makes refusing a needed accommodation a civil rights violation (775 ILCS 5/3-102.1(C)(2)). The Illinois Department of Human Rights enforces it on a one-year charge (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)).
Source: Assistance Animal Integrity Act, 310 ILCS 120/5, /10 (P.A. 101-518, eff. 1 Jan 2020). This is general information, not legal advice.
ComplaintsIllinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), Housing Intake, Chicago · 312-814-6229 (main 312-814-6200) · housing charge within one year of the act (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)); circuit court within two years (775 ILCS 5/10-102)PenaltyNo Illinois offence covers a false emotional-support-animal claim, and the Assistance Animal Integrity Act has no penalty section (310 ILCS 120). The Class C misdemeanour vendors quote, 720 ILCS 5/48-8(b), punishes knowingly denying a trained service animal entry to a public place
The federal Fair Housing Act still recognises the accommodation, and you can still enforce it in court. Since May 2026, HUD itself has stopped pursuing complaints about untrained emotional support animals, so in practice your protection comes from Illinois law and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
“may not require a resident to pay a pet-related deposit, pet fee, or related pet assessment”
Federal vs Illinois
Where the federal Fair Housing Act stops and Illinois law takes over.
| Topic | Federal (Fair Housing Act) | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Fees and deposits | Neither 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B) nor 24 C.F.R. § 100.204 mentions pet charges, and HUD's no-fee guidance was withdrawn on 17 September 2025. Under federal law alone, a fee waiver is something you ask for inside the accommodation request. | A statutory ban. A housing provider may not require a pet-related deposit, pet fee or related pet assessment, or special liability insurance, for an assistance animal, even where pet owners pay them (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). Damage beyond reasonable wear and tear stays chargeable (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). No small-landlord carve-out. |
| Documentation | The accommodation must be necessary for equal use of the dwelling (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)); no federal statute sets a letter format, licence rule or expiry date. | Only when the disability or need is not apparent or known: a written letter from a therapeutic-relationship provider describing the disability-related need (310 ILCS 120/10(a)–(b)). No diagnosis (310 ILCS 120/10(g)); the landlord's form is optional (310 ILCS 120/10(a)); certificate mills are excluded by definition (310 ILCS 120/5). |
| Timing | No federal waiting period before a letter and no federal deadline for the landlord's reply. | No waiting period, session count or in-person rule for the clinician (310 ILCS 120/5, /10(b)). No response deadline in days either; IDHR guidance says an undue delay may be treated as a denial and that the provider should give a response date (IDHR Reasonable Accommodations Guide, section 7). |
| Who may write | Federal law does not say who writes the letter. | A physician or other medical professional, a mental health service provider, or a reliable third party in a position to know, with a therapeutic relationship (310 ILCS 120/5). A clinician treating you by telehealth while you are in the state must be licensed or authorised here (225 ILCS 150/10). |
| Exemptions | A building of four or fewer units with a resident owner, and some single-family houses an owner rents out directly (42 U.S.C. § 3603(b)). | None in the Assistance Animal Integrity Act, which binds "any owner" (310 ILCS 120/5). The Human Rights Act exempts rentals in an owner-occupied building of up to four families, and rooms in the owner's home, from its general rental section (775 ILCS 5/3-106(B)–(C)). Whether that reaches an accommodation claim is untested. |
| Where to file | HUD, which since its May 2026 memo pursues only trained-animal cases, or federal court. | The Illinois Department of Human Rights, the state's only HUD partner agency, which cross-files with HUD. Circuit court directly, no charge needed first (775 ILCS 5/10-102(A)(3)). The Chicago Commission on Human Relations for city renters, or the Cook County Commission on Human Rights for suburban Cook County. |
| Deadline | One year to complain to HUD (42 U.S.C. § 3610); two years to sue in federal court (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)). | One year to IDHR (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)); two years to circuit court, paused while a charge is pending (775 ILCS 5/10-102(A)); 300 days to the Chicago Commission; 180 days to the Cook County Commission. |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
Your timeline in Illinois
What actually happens, and when.
No Illinois rule makes you wait. The statute cares about substance, not elapsed time: a meaningful assessment by a provider who then has actual knowledge of your disability and your need for the animal (310 ILCS 120/5). The screening is free with no card; you pay at checkout before the consultation.
Step 2
A live video or phone consultation with a clinician licensed in Illinois, as the Telehealth Act requires for anyone treating a patient located in this state (225 ILCS 150/10). This is the meaningful assessment the statute demands (310 ILCS 120/5): the clinician asks about your disability and about what the animal does for you, and decides whether a disability-related need exists. Not everyone qualifies.
Step 3
If you qualify, the signed PDF usually reaches you within 24 to 48 hours of the consultation. It is written in the clinician's own name and states the date and mode of the assessment. It describes your disability-related need without a diagnosis (310 ILCS 120/10(b), (g)). It shows the licence details a landlord may use to confirm it is authentic (310 ILCS 120/10(h)). If you do not qualify, request a refund within 7 days.
Housing
What your Illinois landlord may and may not do.
Under the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)) and Illinois's own fair-housing law, a housing provider must consider a reasonable-accommodation request for an assistance animal, including where pets are prohibited. Each line below carries the section it comes from.
What they may do
Your landlord may
- Ask for reliable documentation of your disability and your disability-related need, but only when neither is readily apparent or already known to them. 310 ILCS 120/10(a)
- Hand you a standardised request form, and where you ask for more than one animal, ask for documentation of the need for each unless that need is apparent. 310 ILCS 120/10(a)
- Ask for more information describing the professional relationship if your first letter does not show one, and check that the letter is authentic. 310 ILCS 120/10(d), (h)
- Deny or rescind for undue financial and administrative burden or fundamental alteration. Or act on reliable objective evidence, after an individualised assessment, that your specific animal is a direct threat, causes substantial damage or shows uncontrolled behaviour you have not corrected. 310 ILCS 120/10(c)
- Bill you for actual damage the animal causes, reasonable wear and tear excepted, exactly as it would any other resident, and ask for proof of vaccination and that the animal is housebroken. 310 ILCS 120/10(f); IDHR Reasonable Accommodations Guide, section 7
What they may not do
Your landlord may not
- Require a pet-related deposit, pet fee or related pet assessment, or special liability insurance, for an assistance animal, even if every pet owner in the building pays them. 310 ILCS 120/10(f)
- Turn you down because you sent your own letter rather than their form, or require documentation of a specific diagnosis. 310 ILCS 120/10(a), (g)
- Demand extra paperwork once your first letter already meets the three statutory requirements, or refuse the animal solely because of another resident's disability-related needs. 310 ILCS 120/10(d), (e)
- Impose breed, size or weight limits, require a special collar or harness, or demand certification or training, which IDHR's guidance says an assistance animal does not need. IDHR Reasonable Accommodations Guide, section 7
- Punish you for exercising a legal right by ending your tenancy, raising rent or refusing renewal. An act within a year of protected activity is presumed retaliatory, and the remedy is at least two months' rent. Whether an accommodation request counts is untested, but the words fit. 765 ILCS 721/5, /10, /20
Illustrative exchange
What a lawful conversation looks like.
Most refusals are not a flat no. They are a question the housing provider is not allowed to ask, or a fee they are not allowed to charge. Here is the shape of a typical exchange in Illinois, with the rule beside each reply.
A made-up exchange to show the rules, not a real tenant or landlord.
Pet fees and deposits
Illinois law is explicit, and it is a statute rather than withdrawn federal guidance. A housing provider "may not require a resident to pay a pet-related deposit, pet fee, or related pet assessment" for an assistance animal (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). That holds "even if the housing provider allows pets and requires pet owners to pay such costs" (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). Special liability insurance or coverage for the animal is barred by the same subsection (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). Two honest qualifications. First, you can still be charged for actual damage the animal causes, "reasonable wear and tear excepted", in the same manner as any other resident (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). Second, monthly pet rent is a "related pet assessment" on the ordinary meaning of those words, but no IDHR decision or court ruling has applied 310 ILCS 120/10(f) to pet rent yet. The ban has no small-landlord or owner-occupied exception: it binds "any owner" and every manager, board and agent (310 ILCS 120/5). The ordinary security deposit is a different matter. The state sets no cap on it. Since 1 January 2024, though, the Security Deposit Return Act covers every residential landlord (765 ILCS 710/1). The landlord must send an itemised damage statement with receipts within 30 days of move-out, or return the deposit in full within 45 days (765 ILCS 710/1). Bad-faith withholding costs twice the deposit plus fees (765 ILCS 710/1). From 1 January 2027, a non-optional fee missing from page one of your lease is not owed, except in owner-occupied buildings of six units or fewer (765 ILCS 705/35).
Small landlords
The statute that governs documentation and fees has no size threshold at all. Its definition of housing provider covers "any owner, housing provider, property management company, property manager, government entity", condominium boards, cooperatives and their agents (310 ILCS 120/5). The Human Rights Act does carry exemptions, but they are written as exceptions to its general rental section, 775 ILCS 5/3-102, and not to the accommodation section, 775 ILCS 5/3-102.1. They cover three cases (775 ILCS 5/3-106(A)–(C)). One is a rental in a building for up to four families where the owner lives in one unit. Another is a room in a private home where the owner or the owner's family lives. The third is a single-family house an owner sells, not rents, without a broker. No ruling has decided whether the owner-occupied exemption limits an accommodation claim, and IDHR says only that some very small owner-occupied properties "may be exempt from certain provisions". So a resident owner of a four-family building may have a defence under the Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5/3-106(B)). The no-fee and documentation rules apply regardless (310 ILCS 120/5, /10). A single-family rental is not exempt.
If your landlord says no
Illinois Department of Human Rights
Phone: 312-814-6229 (TTY 866-740-3953 · main 312-814-6200 · Springfield 217-785-5100) · File a complaint
Deadline: One year from the act (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)). There is no online portal for housing charges. Download the Housing Complainant Information Sheet from the filing page and email it to IDHR's fair-housing intake address. Or mail it to the Chicago office at 555 West Monroe Street, 7th Floor. IDHR serves the respondent within 10 days and aims to finish its investigation within 100 days (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(B)(1), (C)). Housing charges are cross-filed with HUD.
Court: A circuit-court suit is open for two years, whether or not you filed a charge, and the two years do not include time an IDHR charge was pending (775 ILCS 5/10-102(A)). The court can award actual and punitive damages, an injunction, attorney fees and costs, and can appoint counsel for a party who cannot afford one (775 ILCS 5/10-102(B)–(C)). A federal suit is open for two years (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).
Retaliation: A landlord may not end a tenancy, raise rent or refuse renewal because you exercised a legal right (765 ILCS 721/5). An act within a year of protected activity is presumed retaliatory (765 ILCS 721/20). The remedy is two months' rent or twice your damages, whichever is greater, plus fees (765 ILCS 721/10). No ruling has yet applied 765 ILCS 721/5 to an accommodation request or an IDHR charge, but its words fit.
Two local forums run alongside the state route. Renters inside Chicago may file with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations within 300 days; renters in suburban Cook County may file with the Cook County Commission on Human Rights within 180 days. Neither is a HUD partner agency; IDHR is the only Illinois agency on HUD's list. Since HUD's May 2026 memo, how HUD treats its copy of a cross-filed untrained-ESA charge is unknown, which is why the state statute and the IDHR route matter.
Your envelope, item by item
- A written request
- The clinician's letter
- What the statute does not require
- What to expect back
Keep a dated copy of everything you send.
What to send your landlord
The request, the letter, and what happens next.
- 1
A written request
A short dated note. Say you have a disability, that your animal is an assistance animal under the Assistance Animal Integrity Act (310 ILCS 120/5), and that you want an exception to the no-pets or pet-fee policy. Name the animal and its species. You may use the landlord's form or your own letter; the Act says you cannot be refused for skipping the form (310 ILCS 120/10(a)).
- 2
The clinician's letter
A signed letter from a clinician licensed in Illinois, written in the clinician's own name. It meets the three statutory tests: in writing, from a therapeutic-relationship provider, describing your disability-related need (310 ILCS 120/10(b)). It also adds what the statute lets a landlord check, namely the licence type and number, the date and mode of the assessment, and a contact for verification (310 ILCS 120/10(d), (h)). No diagnosis appears (310 ILCS 120/10(g)).
- 3
What the statute does not require
A registry entry, an ID card, a vest, a diagnosis, a letter dated within the last 12 months, a licence number in a set format. None of these is in the Act (310 ILCS 120/10). If a landlord asks for medical records, point to the three-part rule in 310 ILCS 120/10(b) and the no-diagnosis clause in 310 ILCS 120/10(g), and offer the clinician's verification contact instead.
- 4
What to expect back
No Illinois statute sets a reply deadline in days, so ask for a written answer by a stated date. IDHR guidance tells providers to give a response timeline and warns that undue delay may be treated as a denial (IDHR Reasonable Accommodations Guide, section 7). One follow-up request about the professional relationship is allowed (310 ILCS 120/10(d)). If the answer is no, or a pet fee appears, note the date: your one-year clock to IDHR starts there (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)).
If your housing provider questions the letter, your clinician responds directly at no extra cost.
Illinois renters by city
The same rules from Chicago to Champaign.
The rules are the same in Chicago, Aurora, Naperville, Joliet, Rockford, Springfield, Peoria and Champaign. The documentation rule and the fee ban are both state statute (310 ILCS 120/10), and one state agency enforces the housing right. A renter in any of the eight files a housing charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights within one year (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)). Its housing intake sits at 555 West Monroe Street in Chicago and answers on 312-814-6229. The Springfield office is on 217-785-5100. Chicago adds a second route, the city's Commission on Human Relations, with a 300-day window. Suburban Cook County renters have a third, the Cook County Commission on Human Rights, with 180 days. Aurora, Naperville and Joliet sit outside Cook County and use the state route alone, as do Rockford, Springfield, Peoria and Champaign. Our clinicians licensed in Illinois consult by video or phone, so Rockford and Champaign run on the same clock: a free screening, one live assessment, and, if you qualify, a signed PDF that usually lands within 24 to 48 hours. Campus housing: a student in Champaign or any other college town asks through the campus accessibility office, which may hand out its own form. A housing provider cannot deny a request solely because you did not use its form (310 ILCS 120/10(a)). No city rewrites the statute; Chicago's local layer is an extra complaint forum, not a different rule.
- Chicago
- Aurora
- Naperville
- Joliet
- Rockford
- Springfield
- Peoria
- Champaign
- Chicago Renters inside the city limits have a second, local route: the Chicago Commission on Human Relations takes housing-discrimination complaints, disability included, where the conduct occurred within the previous 300 days. You can file in person with an investigator's help, or self-file by mail, email, fax or hand delivery, with no fee. The office is at 740 North Sedgwick Street, Suite 400; the phone is 312-744-4111 and TTY 312-744-1088. The Commission can order a fine of up to 500 dollars per incident. It is not a HUD partner agency, so the IDHR one-year window (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)) and the two-year court window (775 ILCS 5/10-102) still run alongside it. Suburban Cook County outside the city uses the Cook County Commission on Human Rights instead, within 180 days.
Myths in Illinois
Three things you will read elsewhere that are not Illinois law.
Faking an emotional support animal in Illinois is a Class C misdemeanour, with up to 30 days in jail and a fine of 1,500 dollars.
FactNo Illinois statute penalises misrepresenting an emotional support animal or a service animal, and the Assistance Animal Integrity Act has no penalty section at all (310 ILCS 120). The Class C misdemeanour vendors quote is 720 ILCS 5/48-8(b), which punishes a business that knowingly denies entry to a trained service animal. Bills to create a misrepresentation offence, such as HB1645 in the 101st General Assembly and HB3226 in the 102nd, were filed and never passed. A letter written without a real assessment fails the statute's definition instead, which is a different problem (310 ILCS 120/5).
An Illinois ESA letter expires after 12 months and must come from a mental-health professional with an active Illinois licence, or the landlord can ignore it.
FactThe statute sets no validity period and no licence rule for the letter. It requires three things: writing, a therapeutic-relationship author, and a description of the disability-related need (310 ILCS 120/10(b)). The author may be a physician, another medical professional, a mental health service provider or a reliable third party (310 ILCS 120/5). The Illinois-licence requirement is real but lands on the clinician, who must be licensed or authorised here to treat you by telehealth (225 ILCS 150/10). A dated letter with a verification contact is sensible because the landlord may check authenticity (310 ILCS 120/10(h)), not because a clock is running.
Illinois keeps an emotional support animal registry, and a registration certificate or ID card is what a landlord needs to see.
FactThere is no state registry and no certificate has legal effect. The statute goes further than silence. A therapeutic relationship "does not include an entity that issues a certificate, license, or similar document" confirming a disability or need "without conducting a meaningful assessment" (310 ILCS 120/5). A registry card therefore gives a landlord nothing to act on, while a clinician's written assessment is exactly the documentation the Act names (310 ILCS 120/10(b)).
Task-trained dogs are a different document. If your dog performs trained tasks for a psychiatric disability, read about the psychiatric service dog (PSD) letter online, written after a real consultation.
Same price in every state
ESA letter for housing
$99 one time
Typical competitor price $159 — you save up to $60
The reasonable-accommodation letter you give your landlord, after a live clinical evaluation.
- Live video or phone consultation
- Signed PDF on clinician letterhead
- License type, number and jurisdiction shown
- Landlord verification support included
ESA + PSD combination
$149 one time
Both letters from one course of care, including the consultations for each.
- Everything in the housing letter
- Psychiatric service dog letter included
- Both consultations with a licensed clinician
- One clinical record, two documents
PSD letter & consultation
$79 one time
For people who already have housing sorted and need psychiatric service dog documentation only.
- Live consultation with a licensed clinician
- Psychiatric service dog letter
- Disability-related task documented
- No housing letter included
Signed PDF within 24 to 48 hours of your consultation. Same-day evaluations are often available for early bookings. Read the guarantee and refund terms.
Why this letter holds up
Written to Illinois's rules, by a clinician a landlord can check.
- The clinician. A clinician licensed in Illinois evaluates you in a live video or phone consultation. Clinical review of this page: Darren Rafel, LCSW.
- What the letter contains. Confirmation of a disability-related need for your animal, the animal it covers, and the clinician's licence type, number, jurisdiction and effective date, signed on letterhead. No diagnosis.
- How a landlord verifies it. The licence number is checked against the state licensing board; if they ask us, the clinician confirms the letter is genuine without disclosing anything else.
The refund terms, in full
- If you do not qualify. If the licensed clinician determines after your assessment that you do not meet the clinical criteria for an ESA or PSD letter, the assessment and letter fee is refunded in full. Requests must be made within 7 days of being notified that you did not qualify. The clinician's clinical determination is final.
- If your housing provider refuses the letter. If your landlord, property manager or housing authority refuses to accept the letter, you get a full refund. Contact us within 30 days of receiving your letter with the written denial (or reasonable evidence of the refusal), your full name and the letter's issue date. We first apply complimentary landlord verification support and contact the housing provider on your behalf; if the refusal stands, the refund is issued.
Read the exact terms. Money-back guarantee: full refund if you do not qualify, and a full refund if your housing provider refuses the letter.
What clients say
★★★★★I had a really positive experience from start to finish. The process was smooth, and I felt comfortable sharing everything without feeling rushed or judged. The questions were straightforward and easy to answer, and I really appreciated how respectful and understanding everyone was throughout the process. Having the opportunity to speak with a licensed professional afterward was also very helpful and added a lot of value to the experience. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the service
Hamza Khalid · Trustpilot, 2026-09
★★★★★Great service!! 5 stars hands down!
Jen Khan · Trustpilot, 2026-09
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Illinois FAQ
Illinois questions, answered from the statute.
What are the laws regarding ESAs in Illinois?
Three layers. The Assistance Animal Integrity Act governs documentation, denial grounds and the ban on pet fees and special insurance (310 ILCS 120/10). The Human Rights Act makes refusing a needed accommodation a civil rights violation, enforced by IDHR within one year or in court within two (775 ILCS 5/3-102.1(C)(2), 7B-102, 10-102). Chicago and Cook County add local commissions. No statute penalises a false ESA claim; 720 ILCS 5/48-8 punishes denying a trained service animal entry.
What qualifies for an ESA letter?
A disability, which the Act ties to the federal or state definition, and a disability-related need the clinician finds (310 ILCS 120/5). The state definition is wide, "a determinable physical or mental characteristic" (775 ILCS 5/1-103(I)), but a diagnosis label alone does not create a need. Only a clinician can make that finding, and not everyone qualifies. The assessment costs $99, paid before the consultation. If you do not qualify, request a full refund within 7 days.
Can a landlord deny an ESA in Illinois?
Yes, on listed grounds only. A request may be denied or rescinded for undue financial and administrative burden or fundamental alteration (310 ILCS 120/10(c)). It may also be refused on reliable objective evidence, after an individualised assessment, that your specific animal is a direct threat, causes substantial damage or is uncontrolled (310 ILCS 120/10(c)). Not lawful grounds: a no-pets policy, breed, declining to state a diagnosis, or your own letter in place of their form (310 ILCS 120/10(a), (g)).
Is it illegal to charge rent for an emotional support animal?
In Illinois, yes, by statute. A housing provider may not require a "pet-related deposit, pet fee, or related pet assessment" for an assistance animal, even where pet owners pay (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). Pet rent is a pet assessment on those words, though no ruling has tested it. You still owe for actual damage beyond reasonable wear and tear (310 ILCS 120/10(f)). A pet charge is a ground to file with IDHR within one year (775 ILCS 5/7B-102(A)(1)).
Do landlords actually verify ESA letters?
Some do, and the statute allows it. A provider may verify the authenticity of the documentation (310 ILCS 120/10(h)). It may ask for more information describing the professional relationship if the first letter does not show one (310 ILCS 120/10(d)). It may not ask for a diagnosis (310 ILCS 120/10(g)). Our letter shows the clinician's Illinois licence details, the assessment date and a verification contact, and the clinician answers a landlord's check at no extra cost.
Is an ESA letter permanent?
No Illinois statute sets an expiry date, so "valid for 12 months" is a vendor convention, not law. The Act asks only for writing, a therapeutic-relationship author and a described need (310 ILCS 120/10(b)). A letter with a recent assessment date and a working contact is easier to verify under 310 ILCS 120/10(h). A new landlord may also ask whether the relationship still exists (310 ILCS 120/10(d)). Keep the letter dated and the clinician reachable.
How much does an ESA letter cost in Illinois?
$99 for a housing letter, $149 together with a psychiatric service dog letter, or $79 for a PSD letter and consultation on its own. The consultation and landlord verification support are included, and the price is the same across every state.
Nearby states and resources
Moving across a state line changes the rules.
Sources
Every legal statement on this page, and where it comes from.
- 310 ILCS 120, Assistance Animal Integrity Act (§§ 1, 5, 10, 15, 20; P.A. 101-518, eff. 1 Jan 2020) accessed 2026-10-13
- 775 ILCS 5, Illinois Human Rights Act, Article 1 (§ 1-103(I): definition of disability) accessed 2026-10-13
- 775 ILCS 5, Illinois Human Rights Act, Article 3 (§§ 3-102, 3-102.1(C)(2), 3-106) accessed 2026-10-13
- 775 ILCS 5, Illinois Human Rights Act, Article 7B (§ 7B-102: one-year housing charge; 10-day service; 100-day investigation) accessed 2026-10-13
- 775 ILCS 5, Illinois Human Rights Act, Article 10 (§ 10-102: two-year civil action, tolling, punitive damages; § 10-104) accessed 2026-10-13
- 720 ILCS 5/48-8 (Criminal Code: denying a trained service animal entry is a Class C misdemeanor; no misrepresentation offence) accessed 2026-10-13
- 225 ILCS 150, Telehealth Act (§ 10: licensed or authorised to practise in Illinois; § 15(a): standard of care) accessed 2026-10-13
- 225 ILCS 20, Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act (§ 10(b): Illinois licence; § 4(1)(e): non-resident telehealth exemption only) accessed 2026-10-13
- 225 ILCS 15, Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act (§ 3(a); § 11.11: PSYPACT) accessed 2026-10-13
- P.A. 100-1028 (HB1853), Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact Act, eff. 1 Jan 2020 accessed 2026-10-13
- PSYPACT participating-states map (Illinois enacted; effective 1 Jul 2020) accessed 2026-10-13
- 765 ILCS 710, Security Deposit Return Act (30-day itemised statement; 45-day return; double-deposit penalty; all landlords from 1 Jan 2024) accessed 2026-10-13
- 765 ILCS 721, Landlord Retaliation Act (§§ 5, 10, 20: presumption within one year; two months' rent or double damages) accessed 2026-10-13
- HB3564 / P.A. 104-0479, rental fee transparency (new 765 ILCS 705/35, eff. 1 Jan 2027) accessed 2026-10-13
- HB1645, 101st General Assembly (service-animal misrepresentation bill; not enacted) accessed 2026-10-13
- HB3226 "Gander's Law", 102nd General Assembly (service-animal misrepresentation bill; not enacted) accessed 2026-10-13
- Illinois Department of Human Rights, For Filers (housing charge within one year; Housing Complainant Information Sheet) accessed 2026-10-13
- Illinois Department of Human Rights, Charge Process FAQs (one-year housing deadline; cross-filing with HUD; office phones) accessed 2026-10-13
- Illinois Department of Human Rights, Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications Guide, section 7 (assistance animals: no pet fees, no breed or size limits, no special collar, no certification; undue delay) accessed 2026-10-13
- Illinois Department of Human Rights, Housing Rights (owner-occupied small properties "may be exempt from certain provisions") accessed 2026-10-13
- Chicago Commission on Human Relations, Fair Housing FAQ (300-day window; filing methods; fine up to 500 dollars per incident) accessed 2026-10-13
- Cook County Commission on Human Rights, complaint filing and investigation (180-day window) accessed 2026-10-13
- HUD list of Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies (Illinois Department of Human Rights only) accessed 2026-10-13
- HUD FHEO enforcement memorandum, 22 May 2026 accessed 2026-10-13
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 2026-10-13 by Darren Rafel, LCSW. Statutes change; we re-check each state page and record the date above.
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