Terms of Service

The agreement and who it covers

These Terms of Service govern EmotionalSupportAnimal.org, its guides, provider directory, profiles, badges, forms, and related services (the “Site”). “We,” “us,” and “our” mean the owner and operators conducting this Site under the EmotionalSupportAnimal.org name. “You” means the visitor or user and, when you act for an organization, that organization. References to “Protected Parties” mean the Site’s owner, operators, employees, editors, authors, reviewers, other personnel, contributors, contractors, and licensors.

By using the Site after receiving reasonable notice of these Terms, or by expressly accepting them when submitting an application or purchasing a service, you agree to these Terms to the extent permitted by law. If you do not agree, do not use the services that require agreement. You may still contact us to exercise privacy or other legal rights without accepting these Terms. Our Privacy Policy explains our information practices; it is not a blanket consent to additional processing.

You must be at least 18 and legally able to enter a contract to submit a provider application or purchase a service. If you represent a provider or another organization, you confirm that you have authority to bind it and to supply its information. Nothing in these Terms removes rights or protections that applicable law does not permit you to waive.

Educational information, not professional services

The Site provides general educational information. It does not provide medical, mental health, veterinary, legal, tax, or other individualized professional advice. We do not diagnose conditions, determine disability or eligibility, prescribe treatment, provide clinical evaluations, issue ESA letters, register assistance animals, or decide accommodation requests through this Site.

Reading an article, viewing a reviewer’s credentials, contacting us, or using a directory provider does not establish a clinician–patient, attorney–client, fiduciary, or other professional relationship with any Protected Party. A named reviewer’s involvement is limited to the work actually credited and is not a personal consultation or a guarantee of every statement on the Site.

Laws, agency guidance, research, and individual circumstances change. Information may be incomplete, outdated, or inapplicable to your situation. Verify important information with current primary sources and consult an appropriately qualified professional before making medical, housing, legal, or financial decisions. Do not delay professional care, miss a deadline, or rely on the Site as an emergency service. Contact local emergency services if you need immediate help.

Independent providers and your decisions

Listed providers are independent third parties. A listing, link, rating, badge, review, or mention does not make a provider our employee, agent, partner, or representative. Unless expressly stated in a separate agreement, we are not a party to your transaction with a provider and do not control its clinicians, evaluations, letters, fees, refunds, privacy practices, service quality, or conduct.

You are responsible for evaluating a provider, checking relevant professional licenses and service availability, reading its terms, and deciding whether to engage it. We do not guarantee an appointment, diagnosis, ESA letter, accommodation, landlord acceptance, legal compliance, savings, or any other result. Direct service and refund disputes to the provider; you may also report a listing concern to us.

External websites and payment or sign-in services operate under their own terms. Links are provided for convenience and context. We do not adopt all third-party statements or warrant that outside websites are secure or accurate.

Directory review and badge meaning

Directory review checks submitted provider identity and contact information, the stated evaluation process, disclosed pricing and refund terms, the profile description, and the required link back. It is an administrative directory review based on available information, not a comprehensive investigation, clinical audit, continuing supervision, governmental approval, professional license, accreditation, or certification of every provider claim.

“Verified,” “reviewed,” or similar language on a directory badge refers only to our directory criteria and the status shown on the linked profile. It does not certify the legitimacy of a particular ESA letter, a person’s disability or rights, a clinician’s current licensure, or the safety or effectiveness of any service. A badge must be interpreted with its linked listing and these limitations. Checks can miss errors, and information can change between checks.

Publication requires manual approval and a visible, valid link back. A missing or unverified link may cause a profile to be hidden; automated checks can also be delayed or interrupted. We may investigate, correct, decline, suspend, remove, or reinstate a listing based on our standards, suspected misuse, inaccurate information, rights complaints, legal obligations, or service availability. Notice will be provided when required by law. Acceptance does not create a right to permanent publication.

Provider applications and submitted material

Provide accurate, current, lawful information. Disclose material limitations, applicable fees, eligibility requirements, and relevant affiliations; do not imply guaranteed letters, housing outcomes, government recognition, or professional credentials you do not possess. Promptly report material changes to ownership, licensing claims, services, pricing, contact details, or the linked website.

You are responsible for reviewing and correcting any name, headline, or description imported from your website before submitting it. Automated extraction can make mistakes. By supplying a URL, you authorize us to access publicly available material on that website as reasonably needed to prepare and review the requested listing and verify its link back. This does not authorize access to private accounts or bypassing access controls.

You retain ownership of your submissions. To the extent you hold the necessary rights, you grant us a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, reproduce, format, edit for clarity or length without knowingly distorting meaning, display, and distribute submitted public profile material and related branding to operate and present the directory. We may sublicense these limited rights to service providers supporting that purpose. Private contact information is handled under the Privacy Policy, not licensed for public advertising.

The license lasts while the material is used for these purposes, with limited continued retention for backups, legal compliance, and dispute records. It does not require you to transfer ownership of an honest consumer review or waive privacy rights. You confirm you have permission to supply third-party content, photographs, logos, testimonials, and personal information. Material being publicly accessible does not by itself grant reproduction rights.

Keep private application links confidential: possession can provide access to application and billing functions. Notify us promptly if a link is lost or exposed. We may revoke or replace compromised access. You are responsible for misuse you authorize or cause, subject to applicable law; you are not automatically responsible for every unauthorized act.

Ratings, reviews, and editorial independence

Review excerpts are attributed to their named sources. They may be imported or updated manually and reflect a snapshot, not a live or complete account. Authors’ opinions are their own. Unless a profile explicitly says otherwise, we have not independently authenticated every reviewer, purchase, or experience.

Payment for priority review does not buy approval, a favorable score, removal of criticism, or influence over editorial conclusions. Providers may report inaccuracies or rights violations. We may moderate unlawful, fabricated, irrelevant, privacy-invasive, or infringing material, but these Terms do not prohibit honest reviews, impose penalties for lawful criticism, or restrict reports to regulators. We do not promise to remove an accurate review merely because it is unfavorable.

Permitted badge and brand use

If we provide you a badge, we grant a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, nontransferable permission to display it on the website associated with your application, solely to link to that provider’s assigned profile and accurately communicate its current directory status.

Use the supplied code and artwork without changing its wording, status, destination, or identifying features. Do not use a static copy to conceal a pending, suspended, or inactive status, transfer the badge to another provider, imply broader endorsement, or use our branding in misleading advertising. Remove the badge if permission is withdrawn, the listing is removed, or you no longer meet its conditions. A pending application may use only the pending-status version we supply.

Except for this permission and uses protected by law, our trademarks, original content, code, and design remain the property of their respective owners. You may read, link to, and make reasonable personal, noncommercial use of the Site. Substantial republication, commercial redistribution, or use suggesting sponsorship requires permission or an independent legal right. Fair use, truthful nominative references, and other lawful uses are preserved.

Free listings and optional featured placement

Standard directory review is free, subject to eligibility, manual approval, and the link-back requirement. Its timing varies. Priority review is optional and is available only when checkout is enabled. Submitting a free application does not enroll you in a paid plan or authorize a charge.

When offered, the priority plan is US $99 per month, automatically renewing until canceled, with any applicable taxes and the full charge disclosed before payment. It covers Sponsored placement in the Featured Providers section above standard listings after approval, plus the initial review and requested profile-update reviews within 24 hours after payment confirmation, a complete submission, and backlink verification. Featured placement requires an active paid subscription and continued compliance with listing requirements, including backlink verification. It does not change approval standards or customer review content. The commitment is to review the submission, which may result in approval, rejection, or a request for information; it is not a promise of listing or a favorable outcome.

You authorize recurring charges only through the separate, clearly disclosed checkout agreement. Cancel future renewal through “Cancel monthly renewal” on your private application page. If that control fails or you cannot access the page, use the billing request form. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid period; featured placement ends with the paid period, and an otherwise eligible listing moves to the standard section.

Except where law or the checkout offer requires otherwise, fees for a completed review or a service period already begun are not refundable solely because an application is rejected, you disagree with a rating, or you cancel renewal. This does not limit remedies for unauthorized charges, billing errors, or our failure to provide the purchased service. If a promised review deadline is missed, contact us to request an appropriate remedy, including any refund required by law. We may not use these Terms to avoid an express service commitment.

We will give legally required advance notice and obtain any required consent before changing recurring prices or material subscription terms. A revised Terms page alone does not authorize a new charge. The provider remains responsible for fees already validly incurred. Rights concerning payment disputes are not waived.

Acceptable use

Do not impersonate others, submit false credentials or manipulated reviews, disclose private health information without lawful authority, harass people, infringe rights, upload malicious content, abuse forms, or use the Site unlawfully. Do not bypass access controls, extract private records, misuse application links, disrupt service, or conduct unauthorized security testing.

Do not use automated extraction in a manner that violates applicable law, ignores applicable access restrictions, or materially burdens the Site. These restrictions do not prohibit lawful research, ordinary search indexing, good-faith criticism, or activity that cannot lawfully be restricted. Report a suspected vulnerability privately through our contact form without accessing or disclosing other people’s data.

Corrections, takedowns, and rights complaints

Use the private contact form for corrections, provider removal requests, privacy concerns, or copyright and trademark complaints. Identify the affected page, what is wrong or unauthorized, your relationship to the material, and the remedy requested. Do not send clinical records, passwords, full payment details, or unnecessary identification documents.

For an intellectual-property complaint, identify the protected work or mark and the challenged material’s exact location; provide your contact details, your authority to act, and a good-faith explanation. Include a statement that your information is accurate and an electronic signature when making a formal infringement notice. We may seek additional information, restrict disputed content, or share the substance of the complaint as needed to assess it, protect rights, or comply with law. This form does not purport to designate a registered statutory copyright agent or replace legally prescribed service of process.

We may preserve relevant evidence. A complaint does not establish that a violation occurred or guarantee removal; statutory notice, response, and counter-notice rights remain available where applicable.

Disclaimers of warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Site and its content and services are provided “as is” and “as available.” The Protected Parties disclaim implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and noninfringement, and warranties arising from course of dealing or usage, except to the extent they cannot lawfully be excluded.

We do not warrant that all information is correct, current, complete, or suitable for your circumstances; that a provider will meet your expectations; or that access will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components. This section does not negate an express paid-service commitment, the Privacy Policy, or a statutory duty that cannot be disclaimed.

Limits on liability

To the extent permitted by law, the Protected Parties will not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or lost profits, revenue, goodwill, business opportunities, or data, arising from use of or inability to use the Site, third-party conduct, or reliance on Site information, even if advised of the possibility.

To the extent permitted by law, the Protected Parties’ total aggregate liability for claims arising out of or relating to the Site or these Terms will not exceed the greater of US $100 or the amount you paid us for the service giving rise to the claim during the 12 months before the event causing it. This allocation applies regardless of the legal theory of the claim, subject to the exclusions below.

These exclusions and limits do not apply to fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence, death or personal injury caused by negligence where exclusion is prohibited, or other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. They do not restrict nonwaivable consumer, privacy, payment, or other statutory remedies. Where a limitation is prohibited, it applies only to the lawful extent; it does not eliminate all remedies.

Responsibility for provider-caused claims

If you submit or manage a listing in a commercial or professional capacity, you agree, to the extent permitted by law, to defend, indemnify, and hold the Protected Parties harmless from third-party claims, reasonable legal costs, and resulting liabilities caused by your material breach of these Terms, unlawful conduct, infringement in material you supplied, misleading use of a badge, or services you provide independently.

This obligation does not cover loss to the extent caused by a Protected Party’s own unlawful conduct, breach, negligence, or willful misconduct, and does not apply merely because a consumer posts an honest review or exercises a legal right. We will give reasonably prompt notice of a covered claim, allow reasonable participation in the defense, and not agree to a settlement imposing an admission or nonmonetary obligation on you without your consent. You may not settle a claim in a way that binds a Protected Party without its consent.

Changes, suspension, and termination

We may modify or discontinue Site features, investigate misuse, and suspend access or listings when reasonably necessary to enforce these Terms, protect users, comply with law, or address operational issues. We will honor applicable notice, refund, and other legal obligations. Suspension of a listing does not erase a valid privacy request or lawful complaint.

We will post updated Terms with an effective date and provide additional notice or request renewed agreement when required. Changes operate prospectively and do not retroactively change accrued claims or already agreed payment terms without legally sufficient agreement. If a change requires your acceptance, we will not treat silence alone as that acceptance.

Provisions intended by their nature to survive, including accrued payment obligations, lawful retention and limited content rights, disclaimers, liability limits, and responsibility for covered claims, survive termination to the extent enforceable.

Disputes, applicable law, and general terms

Please use our contact form to describe a dispute and the resolution sought so that we can try to address it. Informal contact is encouraged, not a restriction on filing a claim, seeking urgent relief, meeting a deadline, or contacting a regulator.

Applicable law and a court’s ordinary jurisdiction and conflict-of-law rules determine governing law and venue. These Terms do not impose mandatory arbitration, an exclusive out-of-state forum, a class-action waiver, or a shortened statutory deadline. Nonwaivable protections in your home jurisdiction remain in effect.

If a provision is unenforceable, the remainder continues to the extent permitted by law, and the affected provision is limited only as law allows. Failure to enforce a provision is not a continuing waiver. A separate signed agreement or an expressly accepted checkout term controls over these Terms for its specific subject if there is a conflict. We may transfer the Site and associated contractual rights and duties as part of a lawful reorganization or sale, subject to applicable law and the Privacy Policy. No transfer eliminates accrued obligations.

Contact the operators

Send legal, privacy, billing, or listing questions to the operators of EmotionalSupportAnimal.org using the private request form. Save the reference number shown after submission. This channel is not monitored for emergencies and is not a substitute for any formal service procedure required by law.