Survey: Portland Renters Face Discrimination when Applying for Housing

Nonprofit organization Fair Housing Council of Oregon conducted a study using actors posing as prospective tenants between January 2018 and June 2019, and found that in 26 out of 94 test cases, potential renters received disparate treatment due to race, nationality, or income source. Despite laws in Oregon outlawing income source discrimination, Section 8 voucher holders were told their vouchers would not be accepted, or were required to pay higher security deposits than prospective renters without vouchers. Similarly, Black renters were not told about the same promotions as white renters, who were offered bigger discounts. The nonprofit recommends providing landlords with more training to ensure renters are treated equally. Read more.