PAIRS TESTING
Pairs testing is a simulation of the housing search in order to identify potential acts of
discrimination. As implied in the name, pairs testing involves two or more testers who
pose as renters, home purchasers, residential mortgage applicants, or residential
insurance applicants. The only significant difference in the characteristics of the testers
is in a protected class characteristic. For example, one tester may be a veteran, while
the other tester is not a veteran. The two testers then participate in a real estate
transaction and provide details on the transaction to the testing organization. The
testing organization then uses the information from the testers to determine whether
discrimination occurred.
Over the past year, 45 pairs tests have been conducted in Lake County, 30 by OC and
15 by PSLS. Details on the pairs testing are presented in the following sections.
Open Communities Testing
Open Communities keeps an existing pool of testers from which to draw when
organizing a test. All testers have completed fair housing tester training that includes a
three-hour interactive classroom session and video component. Testers are trained in
fair housing laws, protected classes, and testing protocol. Volunteers then “practice”
testing by going into the community and attempting to rent or buy an advertised unit, but
the event is not paired with another tester for comparison. The practice is used to
develop the volunteer tester’s skills as an active tester.
In 2013, OC tested for general fair housing violations in the communities of Highland
Park, Highwood, and Deerfield. The tests were designed with both rental and sales
components and were analyzed for terms offered, units shown, location of
units/suggested homes, questions asked by housing provider, types of documentation
requested, materials provided, follow-up of housing provider, comments made by
housing provider, and steering.
Highland Park. Five paired rental tests were conducted to test for race, sex, national
origin, and disability discrimination. One case of possible discrimination was found in
the paired disability test. The non-disabled tester was shown two more units than the
disabled tester was shown. In the four other tests conducted, no discrimination was
found.
Five paired sales tests were conducted to test for disability discrimination. Possible
discrimination was found in two cases. In the first case, the non-disabled tester was
shown one additional property and given an offer to see more properties, whereas the
disabled tester was only shown one property and rushed through the appointment. In
the second test, the control tester was shown multiple properties and the protected
class tester was shown fewer properties.
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APPLIED REAL ESTATE ANALYSIS, INC.
LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS