CEP Feature: "The impact of renter protection policies on rental housing discrimination"

Check out some of the latest research just published in the January 2026 issue of Contemporary Economic Policy:

The impact of renter protection policies on rental housing discrimination

• Marina Mileo Gorzig, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Deborah Rho, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota

ABSTRACT: We examine the impact of a policy that reduces information about rental housing applicants on racial discrimination. We submitted fictitious email inquiries to publicly advertised rentals using names manipulated on perceived race and ethnicity before and after a policy that restricted the use of background checks, eviction history, income minimums, and credit history in rental housing applications in Minneapolis. After the policy was implemented, discrimination against African American and Somali American men increased. Triple difference analysis shows that discrimination increased in Minneapolis relative to St. Paul after the policy.