A fair housing “test” is a simulated housing search used to obtain comparative data on the treatment of prospective renters or purchasers. “Testing” is used as an investigative tool by fair housing centers throughout the country. Fair housing testing programs instruct community members to pose as people looking to rent an apartment, buy a house, purchase home insurance, or obtain a home loan. The process is similar to “mystery shopping” in the retail market. The U.S. Supreme Court has approved testing as a valid, and in many cases, the only way of detecting and proving housing discrimination. Both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development use fair housing testing as a means of enforcing the Fair Housing Act.

Testers are paired and assigned profiles so that they are similarly qualified to rent or purchase the apartment or home in question. They are similar in all respects but one – their race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability status, or family status. By comparing testers’ treatment by housing providers during a test, it is often possible to determine whether discriminatory treatment has occurred.

CAFHC has conducted fair housing testing since 1995. The Center operates the only fair housing testing program in central Alabama. CAFHC test results have helped local residents fight housing discrimination and have been used to conduct public education about housing discrimination.

CAFHC testing has uncovered the following common practices in the central Alabama rental and sales markets:

• Racial “steering” – i.e., directing home seekers to or away from neighborhoods or other areas based on the race of the home seeker and the racial composition of the area;
• Encouraging or discouraging home seekers from buying or renting in certain neighborhoods based on race, often by withholding or emphasizing information about a particular home;
• Giving false information about the availability of an apartment or home;
• Requiring higher security deposits or rent, and/or imposing additional rental requirements based on race;
• Failing to allow guide dogs or other necessary accommodations to people with disabilities;
• Failing to comply with the Fair Housing Act’s requirement that most apartment complexes be accessible to people using wheelchairs.

CAFHC provides uniform training, including both classroom instruction and field practice, to all testers. If you are interested in becoming a fair housing tester, please contact us at (334) 263-4663.

We need your help to fight housing discrimination!