The River Walk in downtown San Antonio, with a river barge and cafe umbrellas

San Antonio ESA Housing Letter

Local help for San Antonio 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 San Antonio

  • 47.8% of occupied homes in San Antonio are rented Texas: 37.4%
  • 265,201 renter households
  • $1,324 median gross rent a month Texas: $1,403

San Antonio has the lowest median rent of the Texas cities on our list, $1,324 a month, and nearly half of its homes are rented, against 37.4% across Texas.

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

Asking your San Antonio 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 San Antonio 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 San Antonio

The evaluation is online. It's reviewed by a mental health professional licensed in Texas, so it's the same whether you rent in San Antonio or nearby in New Braunfels, Schertz, Seguin, Cibolo, Converse, Boerne, Universal City, Live Oak. 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.

  • San Antonio
  • New Braunfels
  • Schertz
  • Seguin
  • Cibolo
  • Converse
  • Boerne
  • Universal City
  • Live Oak
Start my Texas evaluation

San Antonio ESA letter questions

Does San Antonio have its own fair housing office?

Not one on HUD's list of local Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies. The City's Neighborhood & Housing Services Department runs a Fair Housing program at (210) 207-5309 that tries to resolve housing discrimination complaints through mediation and refers the ones it can't resolve to HUD. The Fair Housing Council of South Texas, a local nonprofit, also helps people file complaints.

Is there free legal help for San Antonio renters facing eviction?

Yes. The City's Right to Counsel program, run with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, gives free legal help to households facing eviction that qualify by income: (210) 212-3703. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid's general intake line is (956) 996-8752.

Can the City of San Antonio help with a dispute with my landlord?

Yes. Neighborhood & Housing Services offers free tenant/landlord mediation at (210) 207-5309. Its counselors aren't attorneys and don't give legal advice.

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 San Antonio renters, not legal advice. For the Texas rules and their sources, see our Texas guide.