Training requirements imposed by a landlord

As a condition of the accommodation, no

Neither the Fair Housing Act nor any state statute requires an assistance animal to be trained, and a provider cannot invent a requirement the law does not impose. Requiring a certificate, a class, or an assessment by a trainer of their choosing is asking for something that does not exist as a legal standard.

After a genuine incident, differently

Where an animal has behaved in a way that engages the direct threat ground, a provider is expected to consider whether another accommodation would reduce the risk rather than going straight to removal. A behaviour plan, with training in it, is exactly the sort of alternative that analysis contemplates, and it is usually being offered in your favour rather than against you.

The distinction

• A blanket rule that accommodated animals must complete a class: not lawful.
• A response to documented conduct, proposed as an alternative to withdrawal: reasonable, and worth engaging with.
• A requirement that you pay for an assessment by their chosen trainer: a charge for the accommodation, and the weaker position.

What to do if it is offered after an incident

Take it seriously and engage in writing. A tenant who proposes a concrete plan and then does it is in a very strong position; one who refuses on principle has declined the alternative the provider was obliged to consider, which tends not to read well afterwards.