Almost half of French real estate agents enable racism, study shows

"Equality Minister Aurore Berge, reacting to the results, told Le Parisien that "the SOS Racisme report shows there is still a long way to go" and reiterated that "discrimination is illegal". Berge announced the introduction of mandatory discrimination training for all real estate agents. Training is currently only compulsory for professional license holders - less than half of all agents. She said a decree could be expected "in the coming weeks"."

"Of the 198 agencies, 48 (24.2 percent) agreed to select tenants on such a basis, while another 48 allowed or encouraged the prospective landlord to select them on a racial basis themselves, according to the report that was revealed by Le Parisien and seen by AFP. That means that almost half encouraged or enabled racial prejudice, while 102 agencies (51.5 percent) refused to discriminate and explicitly opposed tenant selection based on racial criteria."

"SOS Racisme conducted similar surveys in 2019 and 2022, and the latest findings show no improvement: in 2022, 48.5 percent of 136 agencies directly accepted (25 percent) or facilitated (23.5 percent) discriminatory requests. In a letter addressed to lawmakers and seen by AFP, SOS Racisme president Dominique Sopo on Sunday called on deputies to "speak out loud and clear" against discrimination."

A 2025 SOS Racisme survey posing as landlords contacted 198 French real estate agencies and requested "European" tenants to avoid "neighbourhood problems". Of those agencies, 48 (24.2 percent) agreed to select tenants on that basis and another 48 encouraged or allowed the landlord to do so, while 102 (51.5 percent) refused to discriminate. SOS Racisme described the findings as evidence of persistent discriminatory practices prohibited by criminal law. Equality Minister Aurore Berge said discrimination is illegal, announced mandatory discrimination training for all agents, and said a decree could be expected in the coming weeks. Past surveys in 2019 and 2022 showed similar levels of discrimination.

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