MHRP IN ACTION
Fair housing is not just the right thing to do – it’s a smart business practice.
We help corporate housing providers prevent discrimination, reduce risk, and strengthen leasing practices through a continuous improvement model. Our comprehensive fair housing training and compliance testing provide the foundation for that ongoing work.
ERC’s compliance testing works best as an ongoing practice, not a one-time audit. Over time, that relationship gives us the context to catch issues that routine internal processes often miss. When testing surfaces a concern, we bring it directly to our clients so they can address it before it becomes a larger compliance issue.
By using civil rights testing to investigate barriers to housing opportunities, the ERC can provide guidance, training, and ongoing monitoring to support corrective action and prevent future discrimination. Testing allows us to measure your company’s compliance with civil rights requirements and offer targeted recommendations to resolve any problems that testing uncovers. Many of our clients use testing to evaluate the efficacy of training their employees receive.
HOW IT WORKS
Step 1: Identify
We detect discrimination risk through real-world compliance testing.
Step 2: Correct
We communicate findings quickly and provide clear corrective recommendations. View our demo packet.
Step 3: Train
We deliver training to address root causes and prevent recurrence.
Step 4: Verify
We conduct follow-up monitoring/testing and additional training to confirm compliance.
Step 5: Respond to New Risks
When new issues emerge (technology, law changes, operational drift), we can train to it or test for it to ensure resolution.
The ERC’s Model of Change uses testing to investigate barriers to housing opportunities and provides guidance and training to support corrective action and prevent future discrimination through additional monitoring.
In Action
The best way to understand our process is to see it in action. Below are real cases from housing providers we’ve worked with, demonstrating the issues we found through testing and how training resolved them.
AI Inaccuracies
In the course of routine compliance testing for a national multifamily housing provider, ERC discovered that the company’s automated chatbot was using discriminatory language. We continued testing and found that human leasing agents were generally compliant; however, prospective tenants who only interacted with the chatbot received different, exclusionary information. We informed the company about these concerns, which they corrected immediately, thereby ensuring future website visitors would receive accurate, unbiased information aligned with company policy.
Criminal Record Screening
During routine compliance testing of one corporate client, ERC testing found that leasing agents were not being transparent about their application criteria, instead encouraging applicants to apply and “find out.” Such a practice would likely constitute a violation of local tenant screening laws. ERC flagged these concerns to the housing provider and helped them incorporate a new policy document for leasing agents to navigate questions about criminal record screenings. Follow-up testing demonstrated that these efforts changed agent responses and increased compliance with fair housing best practices.
ACT NOW
Most fair housing violations are not the result of bad intent. They emerge from gaps in training, inconsistent implementation, or tools and processes that no one thought to scrutinize. Routine compliance testing and training is one of the most reliable ways to find those gaps early. An MHRP membership with the ERC can help fill those gaps and make sure your business is compliant with fair housing laws.
