A fair housing organization sends out individuals of two different ethnicities to talk to a landlord and pretend to be renters to see if the landlord discriminates against either of them. What are these individuals called?

• A. Inspectors
• B. Testers
• C. Evaluators
• D. Agents

Answer: (B)

Testing for discrimination is a common enforcement method in fair housing law. In this scenario, two individuals of different ethnicities pose as renters to see if the landlord’s responses differ when qualifications are the same. Those people are called testers. They’re used to uncover disparate treatment patterns by comparing how similarly situated applicants are handled. This is distinct from inspectors, who check property conditions or code compliance; evaluators, who assess program or performance outcomes; or agents, who represent clients in transactions. Testers provide evidence that can support complaints and enforcement of fair housing laws.