(Photo not that of the actual client)
“Joel,” a 32-year-old veteran, came to JALA after moving into a new apartment complex. Before moving in, Joel had informed the property manager that he had a service animal and had even provided pictures and immunization records. But once Joel moved into his apartment, the property manager said he would need to obtain a signed letter from a doctor and fill out lengthy, unlawful forms. The forms asked, among other things, about the nature of the client’s disability and whether he would be willing to testify in court about the information provided. The property manager told Joel that if he did not comply with these requests within 21 days of moving in, he would have to pay a $500 pet fee. Attorney Robert Maldonado in JALA’s Fair Housing Unit reviewed Joel’s case and intervened on his behalf, sending a reasonable accommodation request to the property manager’s lawyer asking that Joel be allowed to have his service animal with him without any fees or penalties. The property manager relented, and Joel was able to avoid the pet fees the property manager had tried to obtain unlawfully.
