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Who Gets the Keys? Exploring Discrimination in Tenant Selection

Author

Listed:
  • Elisabeth Tovar
  • Mathieu Bunel
  • Laetitia Tufféry
  • Marie-Noëlle Lefebvre

Abstract

Discrimination in the rental housing market is a persistent issue, yet the mechanisms underlying biased decision-making remain insufficiently explored. While correspondence studies have extensively documented ethnic discrimination, they often fail to capture the full decision-making process or control for supply-side factors such as landlord preferences. In this multifactorial survey experiment, we asked 723 real estate students to rate 2,169 tenant applications, manipulating both demand-side (origin signals, social status and pool competition ethnic mix) and supply-side (landlord preferences and property quality) factors. Our findings reveal that skin colour elicits stronger discrimination than name-based ethnic cues, and that high social status significantly moderates discrimination against minorities. Furthermore, landlord preferences play a crucial role in shaping real estate agents’ decisions, with discriminatory instructions amplifying biases. The study also highlights the role of competition effects, showing that discrimination is more pronounced when minority applicants compete against majority applicants. By shedding light on the interplay between applicant characteristics, market conditions, and decision-making processes, our study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of rental market discrimination and suggests avenues for policy interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisabeth Tovar & Mathieu Bunel & Laetitia Tufféry & Marie-Noëlle Lefebvre, 2025. "Who Gets the Keys? Exploring Discrimination in Tenant Selection," EconomiX Working Papers 2025-24, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    • Handle: RePEc:drm:wpaper:2025-24
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Auspurg, Katrin & Hinz, Thomas & Schmid, Laura, 2017. "Contexts and conditions of ethnic discrimination: Evidence from a field experiment in a German housing market," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 26-36.
    2. Jacquemet, Nicolas & Yannelis, Constantine, 2012. "Indiscriminate discrimination: A correspondence test for ethnic homophily in the Chicago labor market," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 824-832.
    3. Julie Le Gallo & Yannick L'Horty & Loïc du Parquet & Pascale Petit, 2019. "Discrimination in Access to Housing: A Test on Urban Areas in Metropolitan France," Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE), issue 513, pages 27-45.
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    7. Kakar, Venoo & Voelz, Joel & Wu, Julia & Franco, Julisa, 2018. "The Visible Host: Does race guide Airbnb rental rates in San Francisco?," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 25-40.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    survey experiments; rental housing market; discrimination;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C83 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Survey Methods; Sampling Methods
    • C99 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Other
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets

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