Landlord/ tenant. SCOVT affirms no-pet policy. Although tenant was entitled to an emotional assistance animal, reasonable accommodations did not extend to the specific animal .

Gill Terrace Retirement Apartments, Inc. v. Johnson, 2017 VT 88 [filed 10/6/2017] 

SKOGLUND, J. Tenant Marie Johnson appeals the trial court’s conclusion that she violated two material terms of her residential rental agreement: a “no-smoking” policy and a “no pets” policy. We affirm based on the no-pets violation. The court did not err in concluding that tenant was not entitled to a reasonable accommodation for a specific emotional support animal. Given our holding, we find it unnecessary to address whether the court erred in finding that tenant violated the no-smoking policy

We acknowledge tenant’s attachment to Dutchess and her need for an emotional support animal, but the court properly weighed the evidence regarding Dutchess’s aggressive behavior against landlord’s concerns for the safety and wellbeing of the other residents. As a result, we conclude that the court did not err in affirming landlord’s denial of tenant’s reasonable accommodation request because the evidence established that Dutchess posed a threat to others and that Dutchess would cause substantial physical damages to the property.. We affirm the court's conclusion that, although tenant was entitled to an emotional assistance animal, reasonable accommodations did not extend to the specific animal Dutchess.

 Affirmed.