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Houston ESA Housing Letter

Local help for Houston 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: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress

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 Houston

  • 57.9% of occupied homes in Houston are rented Texas: 37.4%
  • 538,885 renter households
  • $1,361 median gross rent a month Texas: $1,403

Houston's 538,885 renter households are the most of any Texas city on our list, and more than half of its homes are rented, so for most Houston residents with an emotional support animal, the conversation is with a landlord or property manager.

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

Asking your Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston

The evaluation is online. It's reviewed by a mental health professional licensed in Texas, so it's the same whether you rent in Houston or nearby in Pasadena, Pearland, Sugar Land, Katy, The Woodlands, Baytown, League City. 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.

  • Houston
  • Pasadena
  • Pearland
  • Sugar Land
  • Katy
  • The Woodlands
  • Baytown
  • League City
Start my Texas evaluation

Houston ESA letter questions

Does Houston have its own fair housing office?

Not one that enforces fair housing law. The City of Houston takes tenant complaints about properties its housing department funds, and points residents to HUD and the Texas Workforce Commission for housing discrimination. The Greater Houston Fair Housing Center, a local nonprofit, also takes complaints.

Do I need a therapist in Houston to get an ESA letter?

No. The evaluation is online, and it's reviewed by a mental health professional licensed in Texas, wherever in Texas you live, including Pasadena, Pearland, Sugar Land, Katy and The Woodlands.

Do the same rules apply in Houston's suburbs?

The Texas and federal rules on our Texas guide apply anywhere in Texas. What differs from city to city is where you can get local help, and whether your building is covered: some small rentals are exempt, as the Texas guide explains.

Ready to start?

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

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Questions first? Contact our support team.

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