Greystar Says Emotional Support Animals Are Not Pets Under Federal Law

Greystar's renter guide says emotional support animals and service animals are handled differently from pets, because "these animals are not considered pets under federal law." It sets pet rules community by community and gives no fee amounts, so ask your community for its policy in writing. ESA Card has no connection to Greystar: its registration is the ID card and certificate you carry beside your provider's letter.

Greystar publishes one pet page for renters, its guide to apartment pet policies, and it says in so many words that each community writes its own rules. Everything below about Greystar comes from that page, read on November 5, 2026, with its quotes exact. The page carries no date of its own, and its footer says the information is "current as of May 25, 2025".

What is Greystar's pet policy?

Greystar has no single pet policy: its guide says "pet policies vary from community to community" and tells you to "always ask to see the official pet policy in writing" before you move in. It describes a pet policy as "a set of rules established by the property that define what types of animals are allowed and under what conditions," and adds that "local law may affect the general information set forth above."

Does Greystar allow emotional support animals?

Greystar's guide says emotional support animals and service animals follow different rules from pets, because "these animals are not considered pets under federal law." It opens that part with "When it comes to emotional support animals (ESAs) and service animals, the rules are different," and says elsewhere that "service/assistance animals are always welcome as a reasonable accommodation." It keeps one duty on the resident: "tenants are still responsible for their animal's behavior and any damage caused by it."

Does Greystar charge pet fees for an emotional support animal?

Greystar's guide does not say what it charges for an assistance animal, and it gives no dollar amount for any pet fee. It says pets often come with "a non-refundable pet fee, a refundable deposit, and sometimes a monthly pet rent," and that these fees "help cover potential wear and tear or damage caused by pets." Because it also says ESAs are not considered pets under federal law, ask your community in writing which of those charges, if any, are billed for an assistance animal, and what the answer is based on.

How do you ask Greystar for an emotional support animal?

Greystar's guide gives no form and no phone number, so the request starts with the property management team at your own community. The guide tells you to "speak to your property management team to get specific information." Five steps keep the request clean:

1. Ask for the community's pet policy in writing. Greystar's own guide says to do this before you move in.
2. Say you are asking for an assistance animal, not registering a pet, and ask what the team needs to see.
3. Give them a letter from your provider, and keep a copy of everything you send.
4. Ask in writing about charges: whether a pet fee, a deposit or pet rent is billed for an assistance animal.
5. Keep the answer in writing, so any later question about it has a date.

What do HUD's own documents say about an emotional support animal at a Greystar community?

The Fair Housing Act covers Greystar like any other landlord, and HUD's own statement says a housing provider may ask for reliable proof of the disability and the need, but may not charge extra fees or deposits for an accommodation. HUD and the Justice Department's joint statement on reasonable accommodations, dated May 17, 2004 and still on hud.gov when we read it, says a provider "may request reliable disability-related information" when a disability is not obvious, and that "housing providers may not require persons with disabilities to pay extra fees or deposits as a condition of receiving a reasonable accommodation." It adds that a tenant can still be billed for damage the animal causes. Greystar's guide gives no fee amounts for assistance animals, so this is the federal side of the question.

HUD has since changed how it enforces this. It withdrew its 2013 and 2020 assistance animal notices, effective September 17, 2025, and since May 22, 2026 its fair housing office pursues an animal complaint only when the animal is trained to do disability-related work or tasks (HUD's enforcement memo). The Fair Housing Act itself, your right to go to court and state laws did not change, and a 2025 federal decision attached to the memo found that waiving one $400 animal fee was not required on its facts, so fees are decided case by case. Our page on HUD's emotional support animal rules has the documents, and our guide to pet deposits, pet rent and fees for an ESA has the cases.

What should an ESA letter include when you give it to Greystar?

A letter from a licensed provider who evaluated you and can be reached, on letterhead with their license number and a signature, gives a leasing team something it can check. Our free sample ESA letter shows each part, and our guide to who can write an ESA letter covers which licenses count. The quickest route is a therapist, psychiatrist or doctor who already treats you, because they know you and can confirm the letter if Greystar calls. The checks anyone can run on a letter are in how to verify an ESA letter.

No provider of your own? In Florida, New Jersey and New York we can book you a live video evaluation with an independent therapist licensed in your state: $120, with $80 back if they can't approve you, and the therapist alone decides on the letter. You can book in Florida, book in New Jersey or book in New York.

Other managers publish different rules. Our guides to AMH, Tricon and AvalonBay read each company's own pages the same way, our study of what 16 large landlords publish about emotional support animals counts all sixteen, and our guide to how PetScreening reviews an ESA request covers the screening service many properties use.

Alongside the letter, ESA Card registration gives your animal a digital ESA Card with its photo, a certificate and a number anyone can check at esacard.com/verify, for $39$59$79$99 once, in about three minutes. It is handy for the everyday questions; the letter from your provider is the document a housing provider can ask for.