Discrimination in urban housing markets: Lessons from fair housing audits

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines the use of fair housing audits to study housing market discrimination and summarizes the key findings of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's two national fair housing studies—the Housing Discrimination Study and the Housing Market Practices Survey. Fair housing audits provide a uniquely effective tool for analyzing discrimination, for monitoring compliance with fair housing law, and for assembling evidence of discrimination in individual circumstances. Because of the findings from fair housing audits, there is widespread recognition that housing discrimination remains a serious problem. In order to combat discrimination more effectively in the 1990s, the audit methodology should be further refined and extended to all stages in the housing market transaction.