Can a landlord contact my therapist?
Answers
They can verify the document. They cannot interview your clinician about you, and the difference is not subtle.
What they may do
Contact the clinician to confirm that they issued the document and that the licence details on it are theirs. That is an authenticity check, it is reasonable, and a clinician can answer it without discussing you at all.
What they may not do
- Ask what your diagnosis is, or how severe it is.
- Ask about your treatment, your medication or your history.
- Ask the clinician to justify their professional judgement to them.
- Require you to authorise a clinical discussion as a condition of the accommodation.
And separately from fair housing law, your clinician cannot discuss your care with a third party without your authorisation. So a landlord who calls asking clinical questions will not get answers even if they ask, and the refusal is not obstruction.
If they ask you to sign a release
You can decline, and declining is not a refusal to cooperate. A release authorising your landlord to discuss your mental health with your clinician goes well beyond the two facts they are entitled to. If you want to be helpful, offer a narrower authorisation limited to confirming the document is genuine.
Common questions
- Is it a red flag if my landlord calls my clinician?
- Not by itself. Verifying is legitimate and it is what a careful provider does. It becomes a problem when the questions move from whether the document is real to what is wrong with you.
- What if my clinician will not take the call?
- Many practices will only confirm in writing, which is normal. A written confirmation serves the same purpose.