Do landlords discriminate against families with children?

Jane Londerville

ERES from European Real Estate Society (ERES)

Abstract: There is considerable anecdotal evidence that families with children, particularly single parent families, face prejudice from landlords when attempting to rent apartments. The same applies to lower socio-economic class families versus those with higher socio-economic status. This research attempts to measure the extent to which this prejudice exists. Using the Craigslist site for Toronto, Canada, two e-mails were sent to each landlord offering a unit for rent to measure reaction to two different types of tenant households. The various categories of households are shown in the chart below. Socio-Economic Status: High Low Household type: Couple Single Parent w/ Kids Married Couple w/ Kids Whether a response is received and the time to respond is recorded for each e-mail sent. As well, the tone and content of each e-mail is analyzed. For example, a landlord could be sent an e-mail from a couple and a couple with children to examine differences in response to families with children. Alternatively the landlord might be sent an e-mail from a high socio-economic couple and a low socio economic couple to examine differences in whether and how long it takes to respond. Socio economic class was indicated through grammar, spelling and amount of information provided in the e-mail. The percentage of responses received by each group and the response time difference measures whether landlords respond differently to one group or another. Content of the e-mails will also be analyzed.

JEL-codes: R3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-01-01
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:arz:wpaper:eres2012_043

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