Seeing-eye dogs aren't only service animals allowed in no-pets complex

Tenants and condo buyers with emotional problems often can keep a four-legged friend in their home, even if the complex has a strict no-pets policy.

Q. I was interested in your recent column that said seeing-eye dogs for the blind are allowed in a rental unit, even if the landlord has a strict "no pets" policy. My sister, though, has some psychological issues and her doctor has suggested she get either a cat or a rabbit to provide her with emotional support. Are these types of animals exempt from a landlord's no-pets policy, too?

A. Generally, yes. Emotional support animals are typically allowed in a no-pets building, especially if the tenant can provide documentation from a medical professional stating the animal is needed to help with the person's mental-health issues.

Physicians, psychiatrists, therapists and other medical experts often suggest their patients obtain an emotional-support animal to ease a wide variety of problems, from unusually high levels of stress or anxiety to depression or even anti-social behavior.

An emotional support animal, commonly referred to as an ESA or a "companion" animal, can be virtually any type of species - as long as it can be controlled by its owner, provides a legitimate mental-health benefit and poses no health or safety threats to others. Beyond cats or dogs, courts have even OK'd the use of a miniature horse as an ESA in an Ohio community that had previously banned equines in residential areas.

Most landlords I know are good people. If they field a rental application from someone who, say, is blind and needs a seeing-eye dog to get around, they'll treat the prospect like anyone else. Besides, federal law demands it.

It's a little tougher, though, if a prospective tenant says that he or she needs a dog or other animal in a no-pets home or apartment but doesn't show any obvious signs of blindness or other disability. Every landlord can discern if a sightless person needs help from a guide dog, but figuring whether a tenant has a legitimate need for an ESA or is instead simply trying to skirt a no-pets policy is an entirely different proposition.

A letter from a medical professional stating a tenant's need for a companion animal is usually enough to persuade a landlord to acquiesce to the tenant's request. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers a free, easy-to-customize sample letter that medical pros can use: Find it by visiting www.portal.hud on the Internet and typing "Companion Animal" in the results box.

Your regional HUD office can provide additional information. So can the agency's toll-free hotline, (800) 669-9777.

Real estate trivia: The Census Bureau reports about 57 million Americans - roughly one out of every five people - live with a moderate or severe disability.

Q. Where does the word "acre" come from?

A. Most lexicologists, the fancy word for folks who study where modern words come from, say "acre" is likely a derivative of the ancient Latin term "ager," which roughly translates into "district" or "field."

A major seaport in northwest Israel is named Acre, as is a small state in Brazil.

Q. My wife and I canceled a loan application with one lender because we can get a lower interest rate from a second lender. The first bank, though, won't refund the $400 we paid for an appraisal and about $200 more we paid for a credit report and other services. Is this legal?

A. Unfortunately, yes. Lenders are allowed to keep (and usually do) any appraisal or other fees they have already disbursed for an appraisal or to other third-party vendors when a borrower cancels a mortgage application.

If it's any consolation, the first lender must give you a copy of the appraisal that it ordered. But the second lender probably will make you pay for a new one, anyway. That's because all banks are legally responsible for the appraisals they use, and the new lender likely will be loath to accept a report that was ordered by the original bank and prepared by an appraiser it probably doesn't know.

• For the booklet "Straight Talk About Living Trusts," send $4 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to David Myers/Trust, P.O. Box 4405, Culver City, CA 90231-4405.

© 2015, Cowles Syndicate Inc.