Companion animals shut out
Official says landlords often go against law
Many Idaho landlords are breaking federal housing laws that involve renters with doctor-prescribed companion animals, an official with the Intermountain Fair Housing Council says.
Richard Mabbutt said he receives calls daily about landlords violating the rights of renters with service animals.
“Property owners will tell you they’ve got to think about property value, that pets will surely ruin them over time,” Mabbutt said.
The federal Fair Housing Act makes it illegal for the owner of a complex of four or more units, including apartments, hotels and motels, to refuse someone a room because of animals prescribed to help cope with a mental or physical condition.
Mabbutt said testing by the fair housing council has found 80 percent noncompliance by landlords in Idaho concerning companion or service animals.
“Some landlords are operating by what I call arrogance – ‘This is my property. I can do what I want. I will set the rules,’ ” he said.
“Some claim they don’t know anything.”
Companion animals are designated by a letter or prescription from any health professional, such as doctors, registered nurses, psychologists and physical therapists.
“If your physical therapist says, ‘Look, get Rover to take you for walks, the animal will make you get up, make you get out,’ ” Mabbutt said.
“It keeps you ambulatory, and it’s somebody who needs you, somebody that you care for. And that can make all the difference.”
Mabbutt said it’s also illegal for landlords to require a pet deposit for companion animals or ask about an applicant’s medical condition.
He said about 40 administrative complaints have been filed this year in Idaho, and that a lawsuit was settled in June for $20,000 involving a Sandpoint apartment complex.