(Radio Iowa) – The legislature has approved new rules for how Iowa landlords handle requests from renters who ask to have an emotional support animal or a service animal in their unit. Senator Scott Webster of Bettendorf says it aligns Iowa law more closely with federal regulations.

“A good majority of our veterans have emotional support animals…We don’t want other people damaging the system of people who need these particular items — dogs, cats,” Webster says. “…We want to make sure those that are abusing it don’t have quite the right to abuse it that they do now.” Representative Jacob Bossman of Sioux City says the bill provides common sense guidelines for what kind of documents landlords can request from tenants who ask to have a service or support animal in their rental. The bill also outlines when landlords may reject requests due to safety or financial concerns.

“Pets are wonderful companions and as anyone who’s ever had a pet knows, they can also be very healing as well, “Bossman said. “That’s why support animals are so vital, but to maintain the stability of the system, there must be guardrails.”

Representative Josh Turek, of Council Bluffs, says there’s a need for more regulation on emotional support animals, because service animals are a lifeline for many individuals with a disability.  “A service animal requires the individual to have a physical disability. It also is limited exclusively to a dog and, in incredibly rare cases, to a small horse,” Turek said. “This animal also has to be trained and, probably most important and significantly, it is required to perform a task that the individual with a disability, the disability prevents them from doing.”

The bill would let landlords ask for documentation from a health care provider if a tenant’s need for an assistance animal is not readily apparent. The bill won unanimous approval in the House and Senate and it’s now headed to the governor for review.