The National Fair Housing Alliance has complained to the federal Housing and Urban Development Department that the John Toland Company had not allowed service dogs at the New Horizon  apartments in North Little Rock.

The Allliance claims staff told potential tenants with disabilities who had guide dogs that they’d have to pay extra for a service dog or that the company had a “no pets” policy.

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The Alliance contends that, while apartments may have a no pets policy or charge a fee if they allow pets, they cannot deny housing or charge a fee on account of a person’s need for a service animal.

More details on the complaint can be found here.

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Sandra Toland, one of the owners, said she was “stunned” by the complaint and knew of no cases in which a person with a service dog had been denied an apartment or told a fee would be required. “There must have been some misunderstanding,” she said. The project doesn’t allow dogs — it allows cats for an additional fee. “But Lord knows we wouldn’t want to keep anybody out who needed a service dog.”

The Alliance complaint was based on a series of “test” inquiries to the apartment, the most recent on Sept. 16.

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