Breaking barriers: a field experiment to explore discrimination in housing for people with moving disabilities

Evangelos Mourelatos and Elias Oikarinen

Oxford Economic Papers, 2026, vol. 78, issue 1, 211-232

Abstract: This study investigates discrimination against tenants with moving disabilities in the rental housing market using a correspondence test and fake application letters. A field experiment with two scenarios was conducted in the Finnish market, and five fictitious household tenants were compared. The findings reveal a clear association between the presence of disabilities in the household and increased discrimination. This discriminatory behaviour persists irrespective of whether the necessary refurbishments to accommodate the disabled tenant’s needs would be covered by the tenant or the landlord. Male landlords are the primary contributors to this discriminatory behaviour, especially regarding direct discrimination. The results obtained from our study are clear, indicating a pressing need to address and mitigate discrimination against tenants with moving disabilities in the rental housing market.

Keywords: disabilities; discrimination; field experiments; rental housing market; internet; behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 J15 J16 R31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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