Downtown Austin skyline across Lady Bird Lake

Austin ESA Housing Letter

Local help for Austin renters, and a Texas-licensed evaluation

$129 evaluation and letter

  • Reviewed by a Texas-licensed professional
  • Most evaluations reviewed within 48 hours
  • If you don't qualify, you won't be charged
Start my Texas evaluation Not sure yet? Take the Free Pre-Qualification

Photo: Rish0203, Wikimedia Commons

18,000+ ESA letters issued since 2016.

How it works

  1. Complete your online evaluation

    Tell us about your symptoms, how they affect daily life, and your animal. Choose Texas as your state.

  2. A Texas-licensed professional reviews it

    Most evaluations are reviewed within 48 hours. If they need more information, they'll ask.

  3. Download your letter as soon as you're approved

    It's in your free dashboard, ready to print or send to your landlord.

Renting in Austin

  • 56.6% of occupied homes in Austin are rented Texas: 37.4%
  • 257,933 renter households
  • $1,729 median gross rent a month Texas: $1,403

Austin has the highest median rent of the Texas cities on our list, $1,729 a month, more than $300 above the state's, and more than half of its homes are rented.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table DP04, 2020–2024: Austin city, Texas.

Asking your Austin landlord about an emotional support animal

  1. Ask in writing, through your landlord's portal if it has one, and keep your own copy of the request, your letter and every reply.
  2. Include your letter. It's from a mental health professional licensed in Texas, and it shows their license number, which your landlord can look up on BHEC's license verification. Your landlord can also confirm the letter itself with our Free Letter Verification for Landlords.
  3. Describe your animal accurately, as an emotional support animal, not a service animal.
  4. If you're turned down, ask for the reason in writing, and use the local help below.

What Texas and federal law say about ESAs, pet fees and exempt rentals, with sources: our Texas ESA housing letter guide and Texas ESA laws. An ESA letter is not a guarantee.

Where Austin renters can get help

We're not affiliated with these organizations. Details are from their own websites (checked November 2026).

Your evaluation, from anywhere in Greater Austin

The evaluation is online. It's reviewed by a mental health professional licensed in Texas, so it's the same whether you rent in Austin or nearby in Round Rock, Georgetown, Leander, Cedar Park, San Marcos, Pflugerville, Kyle. Most evaluations are reviewed within 48 hours, and you download your letter from your dashboard as soon as you're approved. If you don't qualify, you won't be charged.

  • Austin
  • Round Rock
  • Georgetown
  • Leander
  • Cedar Park
  • San Marcos
  • Pflugerville
  • Kyle
Start my Texas evaluation

Austin ESA letter questions

Does Austin have its own fair housing office?

Yes. The City of Austin's Civil Rights Division, part of Austin Equity and Inclusion, takes housing discrimination complaints and is on HUD's list of local Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies. You can reach it at (512) 974-3251.

Where can I get help if my Austin landlord turned down my accommodation request?

The Austin Tenants Council, part of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid since December 2022, counsels renters by phone on fair housing issues, including refused accommodation requests, at (512) 474-1961. Its advocates aren't attorneys. You can also file a complaint with the City's Civil Rights Division at (512) 974-3251.

I rent near Austin, in Round Rock or San Marcos. Where can I get help?

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid serves Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, so renters with a low income there can apply for free legal help at (956) 996-8752. Housing discrimination complaints outside the city of Austin can go to the Texas Workforce Commission or HUD.

Ready to start?

$129 · Reviewed by a Texas-licensed professional · If you don't qualify, you won't be charged

Start my Texas evaluation Free Pre-Qualification

Questions first? Contact our support team.

This page is general information for Austin renters, not legal advice. For the Texas rules and their sources, see our Texas guide.