A 30-unit Florida condo has—allegedly—three "fraudulent" emotional service animals in the community. The evidence? Online medical experts provided certifications for two of the animals; the third owner is ignoring board outreach to verify the need for
the accommodation.
The condo's manager reached out to an attorney, who says it'll cost $20,000 to take on the cases against these owners.
In this tip, we warn against assuming fraud from the jump and instead offer tips for investigating whether that's true.
This situation is really two scenarios, the first being the two cases with online certifications, and the second being the owner who hasn't responded to board outreach.
Melissa S.
Doolan, an attorney at The Travis Law Firm in Phoenix, who has represented community associations for the last 15 years, starts by asking why this reader is jumping to the "the certifications are fake" conclusion. "How do they know they're fraudulent?" she asks.
"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations issued in 2020 said that documentation from the internet by itself isn't reliable," explains Doolan. "However, licensed care provided remotely is legitimate. So if you get remote care, that doesn't mean it's not reliable. You have to look at the facts of the letter that was received, where it came from, and what it says."
It's certainly acceptable to dig into the provider of a certificate.