UDR Leaves Pet Rules to Each Community and Takes Assistance Animal Requests

UDR says specific pet policies may vary by location, and its 399 Fremont page in San Francisco lists two pets, no weight limit, a $99 refundable deposit and $95 monthly pet rent per pet. That page says a resident may submit a Reasonable Accommodation Request for an Assistance Animal. ESA Card has no connection to UDR: its registration is the ID card you carry beside your provider's letter.

UDR's company page, Pet-Friendly Apartments, gives no number or fee. The numbers sit on each community's own page, and we read one, 399 Fremont's pet page in San Francisco. Neither page carries a date. Everything below about UDR comes from them, read on November 5, 2026, with its quotes exact. The amounts are 399 Fremont's, and that page says fees, application requirements and leasing information "are subject to change."

What is UDR's pet policy?

UDR's company page says "while specific policies and features may vary by location," and it gives no number, fee or breed list. At 399 Fremont, the page lists a maximum of 2 pets per apartment, a maximum weight of none, a pet deposit of $99 per pet (refundable), a pet charge of $0 and pet rent of $95 a month per pet. It adds that "acceptable animals include domestic cats and dogs" and that "all other animals including exotic pets are prohibited."

Does UDR allow emotional support animals?

At 399 Fremont, UDR's page answers the assistance animal question directly: "Yes, a resident may submit a Reasonable Accommodation Request for an Assistance Animal for review." Neither page uses the words emotional support animal, and the company page says policies may vary by location. Four things follow from what the pages say:

Does UDR charge pet rent for an assistance animal?

The 399 Fremont page lists a $99 refundable deposit and $95 monthly pet rent per pet, and it does not say whether either applies to an assistance animal. Ask your community in writing which charges, if any, apply, and keep the answer. HUD's own statement on fees is below.

How do you ask UDR for an assistance animal?

UDR's 399 Fremont page says a resident may submit a Reasonable Accommodation Request for an Assistance Animal for review, and it names no form or deadline. Five steps keep it clean:

1. Contact your community's leasing office before the animal moves in.
2. Ask for its Reasonable Accommodation Request for an Assistance Animal and any form it uses.
3. Put your request in writing and keep a copy of everything you send.
4. Give a letter from your provider when the community asks for documentation.
5. Ask in writing whether the deposit or pet rent applies, and keep the answer.

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

The Fair Housing Act covers UDR 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. The 399 Fremont page lists a deposit and monthly pet rent and does not say whether either applies to an assistance animal.

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 UDR?

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 UDR calls. The pages we read do not list the documents UDR asks for, so ask your community what it needs to see. 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 Willow Bridge, RPM Living and Bell Partners 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.