Policies

Pets and service animals

Pets are not permitted at The Main Exchange. That applies to The Onyx and to The Aspen, and the rule is the same for both suites: there is no pet fee, deposit, or exception process that changes it.

Service animals are not pets, and the law treats them differently. Because The Onyx and The Aspen are two different kinds of stay, two different laws apply, and the answer to “what about my animal” depends on which suite you are asking about.

The Onyx: service animals under the ADA

The Onyx is a nightly suite, which makes it a place of public accommodation under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A trained service animal — a dog, or in limited cases a miniature horse, individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability — is welcome at The Onyx regardless of the no-pets policy. No fee or deposit applies to a service animal, and we will not ask for documentation, a demonstration, or details of the disability. Where it is not obvious what the animal does, we may ask only the two questions the ADA permits: whether the animal is required because of a disability, and what work or task it has been trained to perform. A service animal is expected to be housebroken and under its handler’s control.

Emotional support animals are different. An emotional support animal provides comfort by its presence rather than by performing a trained task, and the ADA does not classify it as a service animal. For a short-term stay at The Onyx, the no-pets policy applies to emotional support animals.

The Aspen: assistance animals under the Fair Housing Act

The Aspen is leased month to month for 30 nights or longer, which makes it housing, and housing is governed by the Fair Housing Act rather than the ADA. The Fair Housing Act uses a broader category, assistance animals, which includes both trained service animals and emotional support animals. A resident with a disability who needs an assistance animal may request a reasonable accommodation to the no-pets policy, and we grant it where the request meets the Act’s standard.

For a trained service animal at The Aspen, the same two questions apply and no documentation is required where the need is apparent. For an emotional support animal, where the disability or the need for the animal is not obvious, we may ask for reliable documentation from a health-care professional confirming the disability-related need, consistent with HUD guidance. An approved assistance animal is not a pet: no pet fee or pet deposit applies. The resident remains responsible for the animal’s conduct and for any damage beyond normal wear and tear, as with any resident.

Common questions

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