You generally do need a letter that is no less than a year old. The reason is that a healthcare provider would not be able to confirm an ESA letter is still valid if the most recent evaluation they have on file is several years old. Please see this post for more details: https://esadoctors.com/do-esa-letters-expire-how-to-renew/

Unless your tenant can provide a California law compliant ESA letter, they are not entitled to have the dog in a residence with a no-pets policy.

If you have doubts about the ESA letter, you can ask the tenant if it’s okay to contact the provider to verify the letter was written for them. You’ll want to be careful though about asking detailed questions about their health or medical history, which is not allowed.

Unfortunately there is nothing in California’s ESA laws or federal guidelines that address whether a landlord can make this type of request. The rules are silent on this issue.

To fly with a service dog, the only document you need to submit to the airline is the DOT Service Animal Form. You don’t need to get any additional certifications or letters. For a guide on how to fly with a service dog, please see this article: https://esadoctors.com/how-to-fly-with-a-dog-travel-guide/

Emotional support dogs are exempt from size and weight limitations under HUD’s rules. ESA owners should however always consider whether their particular dog can be safely and comfortably accommodated in their living space.

Emotional support animals are exempt from breed restrictions. So even though your condo may have a policy not allowing certain breeds of dogs, it wouldn’t apply to an emotional support dog.