Landlord tried to charge me a pet deposit for my ESA after I submitted my letter. Walked through exactly what happened next. (CA)

This is something I want more people to understand clearly, under the fair housing act, a landlord cannot charge you a pet deposit, pet fee, or any additional rent for an emotional support animal. The animal is not classified as a pet for legal purposes and treating it as one is a violation. When my landlord tried to charge me $500 after I submitted my letter I sent a written response citing the relevant FHA section, referencing that my esa letter from pettable was issued by a state-licensed mental health professional, and noting that I was aware of HUD guidance on this and would file a complaint if the fee was not removed. The fee was waived within a week. Two things have to be true for this to work: your documentation needs to be genuinely legitimate, and you have to actually push back in writing. Verbal conversations don't protect you. Get everything documented.