Leaving your animal alone
Answers
Yes, and the questions that follow are about conduct rather than about the accommodation.
No constant presence requirement
Nothing in the Fair Housing Act requires an assistance animal to accompany you, and an emotional support animal has no public access rights anyway, so it would be an odd requirement. You work, you go out, and the animal is at home like any other animal in the building.
Where it becomes a problem
- Noise. An animal with separation anxiety that vocalises for hours is the most common route to losing a properly granted accommodation.
- Damage. Destructive behaviour when alone is chargeable and is evidence in a substantial damage argument.
- Welfare. An animal left for very long periods can attract a complaint to animal control, which is a separate and more serious process.
What a provider can reasonably ask
For an emergency contact who can take the animal if you cannot get home, and that the animal not be left unattended in shared areas. Both are sensible and neither is about your disability. What they cannot do is impose a maximum number of hours on you specifically because the animal is an accommodation.
If separation anxiety is the issue, say so and say what you are doing about it. A provider who receives a concrete plan usually wants the problem solved rather than the animal gone.
Common questions
- Someone complained that I am out too much.
- That is not a ground on its own. If it comes with evidence of noise or damage, deal with that directly, because that part is a real tenancy question.