MHRP In Action
Fair housing is not just the right thing to do – it’s a smart business practice.
How it works
- IdentifyDetect discrimination risk through real-world compliance testing.
- CorrectCommunicate findings and provide clear corrective recommendations.
- TrainAddress root causes and prevent recurrence.
- VerifyFollow up with monitoring, testing and additional training.
- RespondTrain or test for new risks as they emerge.
Real cases
Practical change
The best way to understand our process is to see it in action.
Explore training & testingA chatbot giving different answers
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.
Unclear tenant-screening criteria
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.
An ongoing practice
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.
Ask ERC about compliance testingView the testing demo packet