A new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights (CCHR) finds that racialized individuals, newcomers and people with children across Canada face heightened discrimination when searching to secure a rental home. It also finds that people with disabilities face high levels of discrimination while living in a rental home.
The research study, conducted in partnership with Dr. Gordon Hodson at Brock University, is the first national study discrimination in rental housing ever published in Canada. It used an experimental design method to analyze the responses from landlords and property managers to individuals who had inquired about a vacant rental home. It also analyzed survey responses from renters about their experiences during their search for a rental home, and while living in one.
The research team studied 57 communities across Canada. By analyzing 1,178 messages sent to landlords and property managers, and 586 survey responses from renters, the study found that, in comparison to white individuals, landlords responded less often to racialized individuals, and even less when racialized individuals had a child. Landlords asked these individuals more questions about their personal life – for example about their marital, family and citizenship status – and even more of these questions to newcomers. They also requested more proof of income and employment from racialized individuals and women as compared to white men. Landlords ultimately rejected more rental applications from racialized individuals, and the most from newcomers.
“Marginalized groups continue to face concerning levels of discrimination in rental housing across Canada, and these problems may only be worsened by low vacancy rates and high income inequality,” says Megan Earle, Independent Researcher.
“With these conditions, landlords are able to be very selective in who they’re renting to.” says Sophie O’Manique, Senior Researcher at the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights. “This research confirms widespread discrimination against some groups of would-be renters, which creates even steeper barriers for them to find a reasonable place to live.”
The study also found that landlords very often required people with disabilities to follow different rules than other renters who did not have a disability. People with disabilities also reported experiencing very high rates of aggression and violations of their boundaries from landlords.
“Even after finding a rental home, marginalized groups often face additional discrimination at the hands of their landlords during their tenancy,” says Earle. “Policy and advocacy efforts are needed to confront landlord discrimination on both fronts – during renters’ search for housing, and while they’re living in their home.”
“For many, this is an impossible situation,” says O’Manique. “Governments need to act with urgency to ensure an adequate supply of affordable rental housing, and work to enforce existing human rights protections.”
