HUD Moves to Limit Assistance Animals for Disabled Tenants

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/22/us/politics/hud-assistance-animals-disabled.html?unlocked_article_code=1.klA.ItxF.VQX2pCCDukBr&smid=url-share

title-"HUD Moves to Limit Assistance Animals for Disabled Tenants
Housing officials were told to exclude emotional support animals and tighten the definition of a service animal when granting accommodations for disabled tenants.


snip-"The Trump administration on Friday narrowed the definition of an “assistance animal” allowed to live with disabled tenants in housing, a move that could lead to thousands of animals and their owners being evicted.

In an internal memo obtained by The New York Times, the Department of Housing and Urban Development told leaders in its fair housing office that “effective immediately” the department would exclude emotional support animals and more strictly police the definition of a qualified service animal when granting accommodations for disabled tenants."


snip-"Erik Heins, a lawyer formerly in charge of enforcing fair housing laws at HUD, said that the new policy would affect many tenants who rely on assistance animals to alleviate psychiatric or mental disabilities — for example, a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Those cases are a not insignificant portion of the number of cases that HUD investigates” through its fair housing office, Mr. Heins said, adding that the housing department could dismiss or shelve thousands of appeals for disability accommodations under the new rule."

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