HUD No. 17-044 (202) 708-0685 FOR RELEASE Wednesday, June 7, 2017 HUD APPROVES AGREEMENT BETWEEN NEVADA FAIR HOUSING GROUP AND LANDLORDS TO RESOLVE COMPLAINTS OF HOUSING DISCRIMINATION WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today an agreement between a Nevada fair housing organization and the owner and manager of four […]
Become a Tester
What is Testing?
Testing refers to the process of monitoring the housing market to determine the nature and extent of discriminatory treatment accorded to homeseekers. Two individuals, alike in every aspect except the variable being tested, are sent to the same rental or sales office. These testers play the role of homeseekers – persons looking for a housing unit in which to live. Testers make objective reports of what transpires. Testers must be objective, careful observers, accurate reporters, and truthful witnesses. Any differences in treatment may form the basis for the successful resolution of a housing discrimination complaint.
“Volunteers are always needed. It’s a way to help out the community and get involved with helping to determine if discrimination is occurring.” – Joel Lindsey, Education/Outreach Coordinator
Why Testing?
The testing process has been consistently supported by federal courts as a legitimate, necessary method to identify practices of unlawful housing discrimination. Testing provides compelling, objective evidence which verifies a homeseeker’s experience with discrimination. Both the sworn oral testimony and the actual written reports of testers are routinely accepted by courts as evidence of discriminatory conduct by a defendant.
$$Testers receive a small stipend for completed test reports$$
Tester Training
Silver State Fair Housing Council invites you to participate in Housing Discrimination training.
All testers are required to complete a tester training course. The three-hour tester training provides an overview of fair housing law, reviews the nature and structure of housing discrimination tests, and teaches prospective testers to report their experiences in an objective, professional manner.
Become a Tester
Attend our next scheduled remote training via Zoom!
Please note, video attendance is required with the computer’s camera or webcam turned on.
Registration is also required. Please contact our office no later than 24 hours before the scheduled training.
For more information on testing and tester training, or to register for a scheduled training, call Silver State Fair Housing Council:
Northern Nevada – 775.324.0990 or 775.324.0438
Southern Nevada – 702.749.3288
Toll-free – 888.585.8634
Relay Nevada 711
bagheads\’bag -, ‘hedz\n (1998): are anonymous members of our community who help monitor housing discrimination through testing. Also known as testers or housing discrimination investigators.
Source: in an effort to maintain anonymity, SSFHC testers meet the press wearing bags on their heads.
Successful Cases
We’re proud of our track record in combatting illegal housing discrimination. Sometimes, the cases escalate to federal court. Click the links below to read about a few of the cases we’ve successfully resolved for Nevadans.
Read more
The Justice Department announced today that the U.S. District Court of Nevada has approved a settlement in which the owners and operators of Rosewood Park Apartments, a 902 unit apartment complex in…
The Justice Department today announced a settlement of its lawsuit alleging that Lee Enterprises Inc. and its subsidiary, Lee Publications Inc., violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by publishing an advertisement that discriminated…
Policies affecting people with disabilities at over 260 retirement residences nationwide will be revised as part of a settlement agreement in a housing discrimination complaint filed by Silver State Fair Housing Council (SSFHC) against Reno Retirement Residence, LLC, and Holiday Retirement Corp. The agreement, approved on August 17, 2006, by the U.S. Department of Housing […]
RENO, NV – In an agreement approved July 12, 2005, in U.S. District Court in Reno, NV, a Reno-based developer, an engineering firm, and an individual architect settled a housing discrimination lawsuit filed by Silver State Fair Housing Council (SSFHC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The suit alleged that Silver Lake Apartments and […]