Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)

Citation: Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)
Jurisdiction: Arlington (municipal)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/57214/637641171662530000 ↗

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Discrimination by Real Estate Professionals
Real estate professionals mediate most interactions non-professionals have with the private housing market,
making them particularly important in fair housing matters. According to academic research as well as
engagement conducted as part of this plan, real estate professionals continue to be a source of housing
discrimination in Arlington. Research conducted by Suffolk University Law School and Analysis Group recently
demonstrated that real estate owners, agents, brokers, and property managers in 11 greater Boston communities
(including Arlington) actively discriminate against tenants by race and source of income. The study revealed
discrimination against Black people in 71% of conducted tests, and discrimination against housing voucher
holders in 86% of tests.
Researchers found many forms of discrimination, with significant variation across several aspects of the rental
process: returning initial contact or “ghosting” prospective tenants, offering site visits, offering rental applications,
different rental criteria, and subtle forms of verbally steering prospective tenants. While specific data for tests in
Arlington was not provided, the study gave no indication that discriminatory patterns varied significantly by
geography. The study’s findings were limited. First, the sample size was limited to 51 tests, with only three
conducted in Arlington. Second, researchers only tested rental housing providers and only studied race and
voucher status. Despite these limitations, the study indicates that housing discrimination is still practiced among
some real estate professionals operating in Arlington and the broader region.
This academic research was corroborated by participants in the public engagement process, who reported