A fair housing organization sends two individuals of different ethnicities to talk to a landlord to see if discrimination occurs. What are these individuals called?

• A. Testers
• B. Observers
• C. Auditors
• D. Inspectors

Answer: (A)

Testers are individuals used in fair housing testing who pose as prospective tenants to reveal discriminatory practices by landlords. In this scenario, two people of different ethnic backgrounds visit a landlord to compare how they’re treated, which is exactly how testers operate—creating controlled, paired comparisons to detect bias. The other terms describe different roles: observers watch but don’t engage as applicants, auditors review records or compliance, and inspectors examine the property or code issues. The evidence gathered by testers helps agencies enforce the Fair Housing Act by showing whether discriminatory treatment occurs.