Assistance animals and your rental record
Answers
A granted accommodation is not a black mark, and what gets written down still matters.
What a provider may record
That an accommodation was granted, and for which animal. That is ordinary tenancy administration and it is in your interest for it to exist, because it is what protects you when the building changes hands.
What they should not be circulating
- That you have a disability, to anyone who does not need it to administer the accommodation.
- Any clinical information, which they should not hold in the first place if the letter was properly written.
- A characterisation of you as a difficult tenant for having made a lawful request.
Tenant screening reports
These generally carry court records, payment history and previous addresses rather than accommodation history. What can appear is an eviction filing, which is one more reason not to let an animal dispute reach that stage, and a reason to keep paying rent throughout any disagreement.
Landlord references
A previous landlord speaking to a prospective one may mention the animal. They should not be characterising your disability, and a prospective landlord declining you on that basis is refusing on the basis of disability, which is exactly what the Act prohibits.
Common questions
- Can I ask what is on my file?
- You can ask the landlord, and you have rights to see tenant screening reports used against you. A denial based on a screening report comes with an adverse action notice that says which agency produced it.