Kingston, Jamaica — 26 January 2026
A new study from France showing that nearly half of real estate agencies accept or facilitate racial discrimination in housing access has renewed attention on how bias, affordability, and structural pressures shape rental markets — including in Jamaica, where access to housing is often constrained by income, location, and supply rather than formal exclusion.
The findings, released by an anti-discrimination organisation in France, were based on tests of nearly 200 real estate agencies. Posing as landlords, researchers requested that only “European” tenants be considered. According to the report, almost half of the agencies either agreed to filter tenants on that basis or allowed landlords to do so themselves, despite such practices being illegal under French law. The study concluded that discriminatory behaviour in housing access remains widespread and persistent.
While the report focuses on France, it raises broader questions about how discrimination m…
