It's estimated that nearly 57.8 million people in the United States suffer from a mental health condition. While there are a lot of different treatment options out there for people with these conditions, one of the most popular ones in recent years comes in the form of support animals.
While there's no denying that support animals are valuable, they can cause problems in Killeen HOAs. Often this happens when an HOA has strict rules about no pets.
So what are the legal rights of a homeowner in Texas when it comes to a support animal? And what can HOAs do to deal with them? In this guide, we'll be answering these questions so you can keep peace in your community while supporting the rights of disabled individuals.
What Is a Support Animal?
Before we proceed, it's important to know exactly what a support animal is. A support animal is a type of therapy animal that a therapist will approve to give comfort, support, and companionship to an individual.
Emotional support animals are not pets, and as such, traditional HOA pet rules don't necessarily apply to them. It's also important to note that support animals are different from service animals, which require more training.
Can HOAs Deny Support Animals?
Unfortunately, if a member of the HOA has a license for their emotional support animal, then you cannot deny them. This is true even if you have a strict HOA pet policy in your community.
This is due to the Fair Housing Act. The law stipulates that communities and landlords cannot discriminate based on disabilities.
And since support animals help with mental health conditions, prohibiting them would qualify as a form of discrimination.
What Can HOAs Do to Deal With Support Animals?
If you're on an HOA board, you can prohibit emotional support animals. However, you can still put HOA rules in place that the individual with the support animal must follow.
For example, you might say that support animals can't roam in common areas without leashes. You might also set rules that state the owner must clean up after the support animal at all times.
And, at any point, you can ask for evidence that the person has the proper paperwork for their support animal.
How an HOA Management Service Can Help You
HOA management can help you by verifying all the paperwork for homeowners who have support animals. They can also increase the maintenance of your community to ensure that animals aren't messing with things like grass or flowers.
If any conflicts do arise between HOA community members, they can handle the resolution. Just make sure you follow these three tips when hiring to ensure you get a good one.
Need Help With Your HOA Community? Contact PMI Phantom Realty
We hope this guide helped you learn more about the laws surrounding support animals in Killeen HOAs. Here at PMI Phantom Realty, we know that animals can sometimes cause a lot of problems in your HOA community.
Dealing with them often takes away from important board considerations. That's why we work to deal with any issues that might arise with support animals in your HOA.
So if you're ready to make your board's life easier, get in touch with us today.
