About three years ago, a tenant in one of my nine buildings sent me a doctor’s letter asking to keep a support dog in her unit, even though the lease had a strict no-pets clause and a 30,000 yen pet deposit rule I use everywhere else. My first thought was that I had opened a door I could not close, that every tenant with a no-pets lease would show up with a similar letter within a month. That did not happen, but the request pushed me to build an actual process instead of deciding on the spot. I have now handled six more requests like it since, across a mix of studio apartments and family-sized units, and every single case has been different enough that having a fixed process matters more than having a fixed answer.
Here is exactly how I approach an emotional support animal request today, from the first email to the day the animal actually moves in, including the one time I got it wrong.
Why This Request Is Different From a Regular Pet Ask
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A support animal request is not the same conversation as a tenant asking if their cat can move in. When a tenant tells me the animal helps manage a documented condition, I treat it as a request for an exception to policy, not a pet application. That means I do not run it through my usual pet screening, which I use on roughly a dozen straightforward pet requests every year, and I do not charge the 30,000 yen deposit I collect from every other pet-owning tenant. I learned this the hard way after my first request, when I initially quoted the standard deposit and had to apologize and refund it two days later once I understood the difference. It was an embarrassing mistake, but it taught me to slow down and ask the right questions before quoting any numbers at all.
Step One: Ask for Documentation, But Keep It Reasonable
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I ask for one thing: a letter from a licensed professional confirming the tenant has a condition that the animal helps with. I do not ask what the diagnosis is, I do not ask for medical records, and I do not ask the tenant to explain their symptoms to me in person. Out of the seven requests I have received, six came with a letter within 48 hours of me asking. The one time a tenant could not produce anything after two weeks, I followed up once, gently, and the request was eventually withdrawn. I also do a quick, respectful check that the letter comes from an office that actually exists, usually just a two-minute search, because that single step is what caught the one questionable request I describe further down.
What I Don’t Charge For, and What I Still Protect
I do not charge a pet deposit, I do not add pet rent, and I do not apply my usual 25kg weight limit or breed restrictions, because none of those are pet policy in the normal sense once the letter is verified. What I do still protect is the unit itself. I am upfront that the tenant remains responsible for any damage the animal causes beyond normal wear, the same standard I would apply to a child’s crayon marks on a wall. That distinction, damage liability instead of a blanket deposit, has kept every one of these arrangements fair to both sides. On one older property with original tatami flooring, I added a single extra line about flooring care, and the tenant appreciated having that spelled out rather than guessing.
Setting Ground Rules Before the Animal Moves In
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Once I have verified the letter, I send a short written confirmation, not a new lease clause, just an email covering four things: the animal is approved, no additional fees apply, the tenant remains responsible for damage and noise complaints, and the arrangement is specific to this unit and this animal. I keep a copy in each tenant’s file, along with the date I received the original letter. Across nine properties I have never had a neighbor complaint escalate past a single conversation, and I credit having these expectations in writing from day one. I usually get this confirmation out within three days of approving the request, which keeps the tenant from feeling like they are waiting in limbo.
My Verification Checklist
Every request now goes through the same short list before I respond, whether it is my first one or my eighth:
- Confirm the letter is from a licensed professional, not a certificate purchased online
- Check that the letter states a need connected to a condition, without requiring diagnosis details
- Send written approval within 3 business days once documentation checks out
- Waive the pet deposit and pet rent, but keep standard damage liability language
- File a copy of the approval letter and my response in the tenant’s folder
This turns a request that used to make me anxious into something I can process in under an hour.
When I’ve Had to Push Back
Out of seven total requests, I have pushed back exactly once. The letter came from an online service that generates certificates for a flat 8,000 yen fee with no actual evaluation, and it named no professional relationship with the tenant at all. I asked for a letter from a treating professional instead of a certificate, explained why in plain terms, and gave the tenant three weeks to provide it. She did, from an actual provider, and the animal moved in about a month later without further issue. Pushing back is not about denying the request, it is about making sure the documentation is real before I waive policies I apply to every other tenant. I would rather have one slightly awkward follow-up email than set a precedent I cannot defend if a different tenant later asks why their own pet deposit was not waived.
That’s the approach I use across all 9 of my properties: verify the letter, waive the fees that don’t apply, protect the unit with damage liability instead of a deposit, and put the terms in writing before the animal ever moves in.
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