Redfin Survey: Roughly One-Third of Black, Hispanic Respondents Faced Discrimination During Recent House Hunt

One in five LGBTQ+ respondents were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: RDFN) — Nearly one-third (32%) of Black Americans who recently moved believe they were discriminated against based on their ethnicity or race during their home search, and an additional 22% believe they may have been discriminated against. That’s according to a survey from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. The share is even higher for Hispanic Americans: 36% experienced discrimination, and an additional 22% believe they may have been discriminated against.

Asian respondents who recently moved were less likely than Black or Hispanic respondents to report discrimination; 20% of them believe they were discriminated against based on their ethnicity or race. An additional 27% believe they may have faced discrimination.

A large portion of non-white homebuyers and renters feel housing discrimination despite laws against it. The federal Fair Housing Act is intended to protect homebuyers and renters from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. It’s illegal to refuse to rent or sell a home, refuse to enter negotiations, or impose higher prices to a person based on one of those characteristics, among many other guidelines.

Still, discrimination isn’t uncommon in the housing and rental market, and isn’t always overt. One example of discrimination in the housing market is “steering,” which is when a broker guides a buyer or seller away from the neighborhood their client is interested in and toward a neighborhood where their client “might fit in better.” Another example of discrimination is when sellers, agents or landlords decide not to sell or rent to a person due to their race or ethnicity. Often, it isn’t explicit. A landlord might agree to rent to a person of color over the phone, but deny them for a bogus reason like a negative reference after meeting the prospective renter in person.

About 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ homebuyers, renters faced discrimination during home search

More than one in five (22%) LGBTQ+ people who recently moved believe they were discriminated against based on their sexual orientation during their most recent home search. An additional 19% believe they may have been discriminated against.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that under the Fair Housing Act, “sex” includes gender identity and sexual orientation. Discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, like discrimination based on ethnicity or race, is often not blatant. Examples include a real estate agent refusing to show a home to a potential buyer because the buyer is transgender or a landlord opting not to rent to a same-sex couple—but not necessarily explicitly stating those are the reasons.

Discrimination drove roughly 1 in 10 Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+ respondents away from their previous residence

Roughly 1 in 10 (8%) Black respondents who moved in the last year did so because they faced discrimination in their previous neighborhood, and an additional 8% moved because they faced discrimination from their previous landlord. The findings are similar for Hispanic and Asian respondents: 11% of Hispanic people cited facing discrimination in their previous neighborhood as a reason for their move, and 8% cited discrimination from their previous landlord. Seven percent of Asian respondents moved because they faced discrimination in their previous neighborhood, and an additional 7% moved because they faced discrimination from their previous landlord.

Roughly 1 in 10 (9%) of LGBTQ+ survey respondents who moved in the last year did so because they faced discrimination in their previous neighborhood. An additional 8% moved because of discrimination from their previous landlord.

To view the full report, including charts, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/survey-black-hispanic-lgbtq-housing-discrimination

About Redfin

Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, title insurance, and renovations services. We sell homes for more money and charge half the fee. We also run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home in certain markets can have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Customers who buy and sell with Redfin pay a 1% listing fee, subject to minimums, less than half of what brokerages commonly charge. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.5 billion in commissions. We serve more than 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 5,000 people.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, email [e-mail]. To view Redfin's press center, click here.