Peter Lohmann's Newsletter - Tuesday Edition #11

Big Assistance Animal Lawsuit Going to Trial. Renters Warehouse Rebrand.

Author

Peter Lohmann
April 07, 2026

A no-fluff, twice-weekly publication for the property management industry.

Welcome to Issue #10 of the Tuesday Edition! Not interested? Click here to opt out (you’ll still receive the Friday editions).

~ ~ ~

Federal ESA Lawsuit Headed to Trial

A federal lawsuit filed by the former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi against two Louisiana-based rental property companies over a disabled tenant’s right to live with an emotional support dog is scheduled to go to trial on December 7.

The lawsuit, filed June 13, 2025, in federal district court in Louisiana, alleges that the defendants – Five Properties, LLC, and APMT, LLC, a company doing business as Tonti Management – violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against one of its tenants Dory Turnipseed, a woman with mental disabilities.

In the lawsuit, the government faults the defendants for failing to make a reasonable accommodation for Turnipseed to live with her emotional support dog at Sunlake Apartments, a multi-family complex that the defendants either owned or operated. It also accuses the defendants of retaliating against Turnipseed when she exercised rights protected under the FHA.

Turnipseed is described as having generalized anxiety disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conditions that substantially limited Turnipseed in major life activities, the government said in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit follows a similar complaint that another tenant, Michaela Henderson, filed against the defendants in 2024, alleging they discriminated against her by declining to accommodate her request to use her assistance dog. The court dismissed Henderson’s complaint in 2025.

The current lawsuit stems from a complaint that Turnipseed filed with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in June 2018. The agency determined that reasonable cause existed to believe that the defendants had violated the FHA and authorized the Attorney General to file the federal lawsuit on Turnipseed’s behalf.

In addition to the HUD complaint, Turnipseed also filed a lawsuit against Tonti Management in 2018, but that lawsuit was dismissed in December 2022.

Monica Gilroy, principal and managing attorney at The Gilroy Firm, finds the current case unusual given its long history.

“It’s very, very unusual to see a case be kept alive this long,” she said in an interview.

Gilroy added that fair housing discrimination lawsuits of this nature rarely go to trial, saying there’s a chance the parties may ultimately settle.

In its lawsuit, the government claims that Turnipseed moved into her unit at Sunlake in April 2018 after signing a lease addendum that specified that an animal is permitted only after mutual written agreement.

Shortly after moving in, Turnipseed requested that her 35-pound dog, Sasha, be permitted to live with her as her assistance animal. Her physical and mental health had deteriorated to the point where she was unable to sleep and needed the dog to manage her symptoms the government said in the lawsuit.

Prior to receiving permission, however, Turnipseed retrieved her dog and brought it to her apartment, saying in a note to Tonti Management that the “anxiety of waiting” was such that she feared becoming a danger to herself.

The property manager responded by levying a non-refundable animal fee of $600 and additional security deposit of $450 and threatened to evict Turnipseed.

In May 2018, the defendants filed an eviction petition in state court, saying Turnipseed had breached the lease and was in default by permitting an unauthorized dog to live in her apartment, the lawsuit said.

In June 2018, Turnipseed vacated her apartment.

The defendants’ lead lawyer, Elizabeth Roussel of the law firm Adams and Reese, did not respond to a request for comment.

Gilroy offered a few takeaways for property managers. She reminded them that tenants must be treated under the same criteria to avoid a fair housing claim, looking only at “non-discriminatory factors,” such as credit score and bankruptcy history.

Gilroy explained that when dealing with a request for a disability accommodation, property managers need to consider whether the request is reasonable and ask for documentation.

If a tenant provides valid documentation, then the property manager “needs to be very careful in denying a request that is both reasonable and well-documented,” she said.

I spoke with John Bradford, CEO of PetScreening and he offered this commentary:

HUD's 2020 guidance prohibited housing providers from charging any "deposit, fee, or surcharge for an assistance animal.” While this guidance has been withdrawn, we believe it reflects a general principle: a housing provider should not charge a tenant as a condition for granting a reasonable accommodation. In the Henderson case, a federal district court in Louisiana held that the pet fee was a distinct issue from the request for the support animal. Since the tenant was already allowed to keep the animal at the property, she would need to separately request a fee waiver and demonstrate that the waiver was both "reasonable" and "necessary" based on several factors. We understand that the court's ruling is not binding precedent for any other court.

Some fair housing attorneys we've spoken with are critical of the court's analysis in Henderson, and view the case as an outlier. Advocates, including those at state and local agencies tasked with investigating fair housing claims, will likely continue to view any fee as a discriminatory burden on a disabled individual. Other courts across the country may decide that a fee or surcharge for an assistance animal undermines the core protections of the federal Fair Housing Act or similar state fair housing laws.

No matter how a property manager decides to run their business, the Henderson case does not affect PetScreening's review process. We continue to seek reliable confirmation that an individual is disabled and has a disability-related need for an assistance animal. Whether to charge a fee after PetScreening completes its review is solely up to our property manager customers. PetScreening does not collect pet fees, rent, or deposits on behalf of property managers or owners, and any collection is handled outside of our platform. We think it’s important for customers to consult with their local tenant/landlord specialized attorneys about the merits of this case as well as understanding if your specific state prohibits charging fees for assistance animals.

I’ll keep you updated as this case moves along. Thank you to Monica Gilroy and John Bradford for their contributions to this research.

THIS ISSUE IS PRESENTED BY SHOWMOJO + TENANT TURNER

I've written before about the after-hours gap in leasing:
70% of prospects search outside business hours.
65% lease with the first property to respond.
That gap, between when prospects are looking and when you answer, is where leases are lost every day.

ShowMojo and Tenant Turner are launching their AI Virtual Agent (currently in beta) - built specifically for this gap.

When a prospect wants to know if dogs are allowed, what floor the unit is on, or whether they qualify (even at 11pm), they get answers. And when they're ready to book, the showing gets scheduled automatically.

What makes this particularly interesting is that ShowMojo and Tenant Turner, two of the most established leasing platforms in the industry, already lead the market on conversion. ShowMojo converts prospects to showings at 54%, compared to 43% on competing platforms. That's the foundation both brands have built on - without AI.

Now they're both adding it.

The takeaway: the best time to close the after-hours gap was before you lost the lead. The second best time is now.

PM Company & Vendor Updates

  • Renters Warehouse has rebranded to “RENOSY by Renters Warehouse.” Recall they’re owned by the Japanese firm GA technologies, a story I broke in this newsletter two years ago.

  • We’re live with another Peter & The Wolf show, this Thursday. Topic: Marketing! How I grew my PM company from 0 to 750 doors, all the marketing mistakes along the way, and what’s working for me right now on the road to 1,000. And you know Wolf is going to have some AI marketing magic to share.

  • I’m looking for more Property Management Company updates in this section of the Tuesday newsletter. Exec Hires, Promotions M&A, any big news from readers and their companies. Let me know!

Podcast Archives: Jordan Muela on Competition, Creativity, and Starting Over

Jordan Muela is one of those people I can talk to for an hour and walk away with a completely different perspective. This was the Season 4 premiere, and it still holds up.

We cover a lot of ground here: his exit from ProfitCoach, why he made inbox the centerpiece of LeadSimple's product vision, and how he thinks about competition (not the way you'd expect). We also get into what it looks like to push through a creative rut, how he'd build a PM company from scratch today, and a surprisingly honest conversation about managing your emotions when people come after your company publicly. One of my favorite episodes.

(Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.)

POLL: Which property management accounting software does your company use?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

What I’m Reading Right Now

Webinar Replay: Crane - Access Granted Event

Crane applications are OPEN. They close next week and won’t reopen for 6 months. Our launch event, Access Granted, was last Thursday with 350 live attendees on Zoom. We pack a TON of amazing content into this session - including a preview of the upcoming PM Trends Report, new Crane member benefits, the Horizons 2027 Crane retreat location (spoiler: 🇧🇷), and MUCH more. Watch the replay here:

Global Talent Spotlight: Anthony S.
Operations Assistant • $1,400/month

Anthony is an operations assistant with 5+ years of experience supporting executive leadership, managing workflows, and ensuring operational accuracy across remote and hybrid environments. Skilled in data entry, documentation, compliance, scheduling, reporting, and cross-functional coordination, Anthony has a strong background in process improvement, customer support, and stakeholder communication in fast-paced international settings. Watch Anthony's introductory video, view his resume, or book an interview below:

Meme Tuesday:

Did someone send you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Not interested in the Tuesday Edition? Click here to opt out. 

Crane Applications NOW OPEN. Apply here to see if you qualify for membership.

The content of this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. I may have consulting agreements with, or financial interests in, companies mentioned in this newsletter. Additionally, some of the links included in this newsletter are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. Always perform your own due diligence before making any financial or business decisions.