Some renters need emotional support animals. But Missouri landlords say others are just ducking pet fees.

Sara, a 13-year-old nebelung cat, has been a part of Morgan Redell's life since childhood.

When Redell, 22, moved into her first apartment, after living in university residence halls, bringing Sara back into her living space was a no-brainer.

Sara is a senior feline and recently her veterinarian recommended that Redell add another pet to the household, to keep Sara active and comfortable.

Redell lives at the Rosewood Village Apartments on Bennett Street in Springfield. Rosewood allows tenants to own a pet if they agree to pay an extra $10 a month. The apartment complex has a one-pet per unit policy.

In order to have another pet in her apartment, Redell began to consider registering Sara as an emotional support animal.

ESAs are prescribed by medical professionals to provide psychiatric relief to clients. But getting a pet registered is easy to fake, which is putting some Springfield rental properties — who are legally obligated to waive fees and other restrictions for ESAs — in a difficult spot, as they say the practice is becoming more common.

To register an ESA, the owner must receive a letter from a mental health professional or primary care physician, classifying the animal as one providing clinical emotional support. But there are websites that will send pet owners the necessary ESA paperwork without much scrutiny.

ESAs do not need specific training.

When Redell decided to take the veterinarian's advice and add a second cat to her home, she went through the proper channels.

With mental health diagnoses from Missouri State University's Counseling Center, Redell visited her primary care physician at Mercy.

Redell said she told her doctor, "Sara is already a part of my day-to-day life and well-being. She does certainly help keep me on track and keep my diagnoses, to an extent, from interfering with my day-to-day routines."

Within 24 hours of her request, Redell received an electronic ESA letter from her primary care physician. She submitted the letter to Rosewood, who waived the one-pet policy for her because of the Fair Housing Act.

Under the Fair Housing Act, housing providers must make reasonable accommodations in rules and policies to those who need them. ESA owners, who are clinically diagnosed, are protected by this act.

Fake letters, paid online registration

There are many websites that offer ESA registration, both free and paid. Paid sites are typically only legitimate if a medical professional is involved. Pet owners should not have to pay for a letter specifically, Brian Vega, founder of Counseling Solutions of the Ozarks, said. Rather, if payment is involved, it should be for the medical professional providing care.

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"I would worry about an online person who is not in the area because in most cases, the landlord does need follow-up information," Vega said. "Also, if a landlord were to take it to court, you would need somebody to be able to provide documentation that (the ESA owner) truly does qualify for the ESA with a legitimate disability. I would worry how these online, faceless entities would respond to that, how timely it would be or if they even would respond."

Vega began prescribing ESAs five years ago, after experiencing the emotional benefits of his own dogs. Recently, Vega has noticed that more of his patients are turning to natural methods of treating their mental health, like ESAs, before medication.

According to the New York Times, there were about 200,000 ESAs in the United States in 2019, compared to 2,400 in 2014. These statistics are based on the National Service Animal Registry, a company that provides ESA and service dog registration kits, prescription letters and service vests/collars.

Mental health professionals like Vega aren't the only ones noticing the uptick in ESA requests. So are local landlords and property management companies.

Lindsey Schopp, property manager of Springfield Loft Apartments, said prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 5 percent of pets at Springfield Loft Apartments were emotional support animals. Today, she estimates that about 25 percent of tenant pets are emotional support animals.

Springfield Loft Apartments owns 11 properties in Springfield, with nearly 200 total units. The property company has a one-time pet fee, ranging from $300-500 depending on animal size, to account for the additional wear and tear on the property generally caused by pets. The fee is waived when a tenant submits an ESA letter.

Over the last few years, Schopp has experienced her fair share of questionable, and even fake, ESA letters. She said she has a running list of "red flag" websites she does not accept letters from, and she had to deny an ESA letter earlier this year.

“I think it speaks to irresponsible pet ownership," Schopp said. "If you want to own a pet, there are certain things that come with that. If you are a renter, you often have to pay a pet fee, keep up with their vet services, clean up after your pet. I feel like people who actually require these (emotional support) animals are starting to get a lot of scrutiny because of all the people faking it."

Schopp said she understands that some online services provide a low-cost solution for those who may not be able to afford a visit with a primary care physician or mental health professional in person. But this can create a grey area for property management.

As for looking toward the future, Schopp said she hopes Springfield Loft Apartments does not have to change policies in response to pet owners who are just trying to dodge the extra fee, but it may be something they'll have to consider in the future.

"I would hate to see the actions of a few, who are faking it, cause any problems for those who really need them (ESAs)," Schopp said. "I think we just have to wait and see how many of the fake letters we are getting before we start discussing making a change."

The News-Leader contacted The Wooten Company, which manages Rosewood, but didn't hear back by press deadline.

A spokesperson for Coryell Collaborative Group, one of the largest rental property companies in Springfield, said they have not noticed a significant uptick in ESA requests.

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Emotional support vs. service animals

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, ESAs are not service animals. Service animals are trained to practice a specific task in correlation with their owner's disability(s). Types of service animals include:

• Allergy detection

• Autism service

• Diabetic alert

• Guide, who aid blind and low-vision individuals

• Hearing

• Mobility assistance

• Psychiatric service , who help individuals with depression anxiety and PTSD

• Seizure alert

Instead of practicing a specific task, ESAs provide "companionship, relieve loneliness and sometimes help with depression, anxiety and certain phobias." ESAs are also known as comfort or therapy animals.

In addition, only dogs are recognized as service animals by the ADA. ESAs may be any domesticated animal, from dogs and cats to mini-pigs and rats.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ozarks rental properties navigate emotional support animal loophole