Guide dogs

How to communicate with your potential renters - how to turn site visitors into enquiries, and enquiries into bookings.
A-two
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Post by A-two »

cottageguru wrote:
A dog guide user is also guaranteed the right to equal housing accommodations, and no special terms or conditions can be imposed because of the dog's presence.
Where does this leave my friend and her 'pet free' zone? Any suggestions?
I can only speak from a US perspective and with the usual disclaimers that this advice is worth what you paid for it. The US Fair Housing Act is administered by the Department of Justice and there is a hotline for reporting discrimination. If your friend were in the US, I would suggest she call that number, explain her situation as a person who is thinking of renting in the future. Ask as a direct question exactly what she can and cannot do and say to people with service dogs. She can say that her objective is not only to be in full compliance with the law, but to be positively anti-discrimination. The problem is that she does not want to kill herself in the process, and I would tell them that. That is not being unreasonable, but I cannot guarantee that she will not be told that she cannot rent her property unless she will accept service dogs. Personally, I would not be satisfied with that answer as I think she can, but it all depends on the knowledge and experience of the person taking the call at the other end.

There must be an equivalent phone inquiry service in Canada, through a Department of State, but I'm not getting anything on a search under "Fair Housing Canada", so the law there is obviously called something else.

Although the US law also has similar wording that a Landlord cannot impose special terms or conditions on anyone with disabilities, it does require the cost of any special adaptations a person may need to be borne by the person with the disability, not the landlord.

So, for example, if someone needs to widen a bathroom door for wheelchair access, or build a ramp to the front door, you must allow them to do it at their own expense. When they vacate the property, they must reinstate it to it's former condition, again at their own expense. Fair enough for a long term rental situation, but of course completely impractical for a short term vacation rental. Nevertheless, my reading of the law would require anyone with a guide dog to pay the cost of removing all trace of the dog after the rental. That could be very costly, and I would have thought the person with the dog would not want the liability for killing your friend while she was cleaning up after them. That's the real issue here. The requirements of the renter cannot be unreasonable, even if they are in a protected class. She might be able to get an exemption on those grounds.

There is another aspect that she might want to explore, a bit of a long shot. Again, check relevant laws in your area, but your friend may be able to restrict her property rentals to people with the same affliction as herself by forming a "life-threatened-by-dog-allergy-club". The club should not be formed as a workaround to avoid renting to people with service dogs, it should have a proper purpose, but if she wants to specialize in offering appropriate accommodation for other people with severe allergy problems, she might think about forming a club, then only club members would be eligible.

I believe that my earlier answer above goes a long way to handling it as a practical matter, (assuming Canadian law is substantively the same), but I do agree that your friend needs to know exactly and unequivocally where she stands. Whether that advice comes from an attorney or a number of other free sources doesn't really matter. They are not trying to keep the laws of discrimination secret, so free advice should not be hard to find! But it's not only what she says, it's also how she says it - and that's why she needs proper guidance.

Regarding penalties, a licensed professional such as an attorney or real estate broker would be in very serious trouble if they had a complaint filed against them, but as a lay person, your friend should not be overly worried at this point. The important thing is that she does not say the property is not available simply to avoid the issue, when actually it is. People are employed by the DoJ to send fake inquiries and that is exactly what they are looking for to make a case. See Operation Home Sweet Home: http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/Octobe ... t_858.html

I know there is an old school of thought here that doesn't agree with that opinion, and believes that it's safer for an owner to just say no without giving a reason, but personally, I couldn't disagree more. Far better to express genuine concern about allergy sufferers in an honest and straight forward way, without refusing the rental per se - just explaining the difficulties - then let the person themselves make their own mind up as to whether or not they want to go ahead. Most people are very reasonable, I'm sure it's not going to be a problem for your friend.

Finally, if you do have another friend who does accept pets, then I would suggest setting something up so that she can exchange dog lovers with allergy sufferers, then everyone can find suitable accommodation for their needs, which is the end goal.

P.S:
ravetildon wrote: here a great document on laws:

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/animal.htm
Ravetildon,
I have just clicked your link. Nice try, but completely irrelevant. What you're reading there is only applicable to commercial premises. That would include a B&B, but would not be applicable to a single family home, which is regulated under housing law, not business law. Wrong document, sorry. What you're looking for is here: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing/fairho ... ingact.htm
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cottageguru
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Post by cottageguru »

How often does someone with a guide dog or therapy dog ask to stay in you cabin tho?
I agree this is rare, but as mentioned I've had a couple stay in my cottage. I am sure that most rental guests with special needs in this way would actively look for a property that was pet friendly anyway. This just sparked off an interesting discussion here and a few 'what if' scenarios arose.
I do agree that your friend needs to know exactly and unequivocally where she stands. Whether that advice comes from an attorney or a number of other free sources doesn't really matter.
I too believe it's best to be prepared for any eventuality. Isn't that why we take out insurance?
Finally, if you do have another friend who does accept pets, then I would suggest setting something up so that she can exchange dog lovers with allergy sufferers, then everyone can find suitable accommodation for their needs, which is the end goal.
That's how we became friends. She lives in the same area and regularly recommends my cottage to people with pets, enquiring about hers. Her place has some unique features that are different to mine though - a sandy, shallow shoreline on a lake, whereas mine is on a river which is not as desirable - but I can usually find her leads a suitable place. It's the potential for someone who wants to make a point, and absolutely wants to rent her cottage that is of concern.

Thank you for your in depth response A2 - you've made some very helpful points and I'll pass them on
Heather

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A-two
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Post by A-two »

cottageguru wrote: I too believe it's best to be prepared for any eventuality. Isn't that why we take out insurance?
Err....no....:-) Nobody is going to insure you against breaking the Law and getting charged for it! If you're talking about Liability Insurance, the answer is no - you are responsible for making sure you know what you're doing. I'm not sure that you meant to say that, but that's how it's reading.
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cottageguru
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Post by cottageguru »

No that wasn't what I meant. It was a generalist comment about
being prepared for things that may never happen, not to suggest insurance would cover discrimination. Sorry - I was in a hurry when I wrote that and didn't really check it over to see how it read.
Heather

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www.twitter.com/cottageguru
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

Well, our guide dog has been to stay .... and left his calling card in the middle of the lawn!!

Mixed feelings about this booking as we're not convinced the labrador was a guide dog. We think they really wanted a property with a ground floor bedroom, toilet and shower because of one of the party's personal requirements.

Fortunately, we don't often get enquiries like this one (this was the first!) but I think I will be tempted to quote our "no dogs" policy next time and offer alternative cottages that do take dogs.
A-two
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Post by A-two »

Christine Kenyon wrote: Mixed feelings about this booking as we're not convinced the labrador was a guide dog.
I'm shocked to think anyone would take advantage in that way, you must feel really betrayed. Is there any proof that could be requested? Do people with guide dogs carry cards for them? I thought they had special harnesses to lead their owners around?
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

We wondered the same thing .... do guide dogs have to be registered somewhere. I understand that pedigree dogs are registered with the kennel club so maybe there's a similar system.

"Our" guide dog didn't wear a harness, was regularly taken out for walks and the partially sighted person wasn't seen with the dog and was able to walk on his own. Maybe I'm just getting cynical in my old age. One to learn from!
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Definitely a bit suspicious Christine, esp if person was getting about unaided in a strange environment, but as a neighbour of a guide dog, he is often taken out for proper exercise by the other members of the household. He only wears a harness if taking the blind person to work,shops etc. As wife normally drives him to work, we rarely see the dog in it's harness.
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

Just hope that the pooch enjoyed his hols :lol: .
ravetildon
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info

Post by ravetildon »

That's the info my attorney sent me for transient lodging & guide dogs.... If he's wrong it's his problem...

I allow animals tho. So no biggie...

Ravetildon,
I have just clicked your link. Nice try, but completely irrelevant. What you're reading there is only applicable to commercial premises. That would include a B&B, but would not be applicable to a single family home, which is regulated under housing law, not business law. Wrong document, sorry. What you're looking for is here: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing/fairho ... ingact.htm[/quote]
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