Realty sites remove neighborhood crime data from property descriptions

Potential homebuyers on the site will now not have access to information about crime in a neighborhood where they are about to make a substantial investment.

The same day, Redfin’s chief growth officer, Christian Taubman, signaled an intent to follow suit in a post. "We recently decided not to add neighborhood crime data to Redfin.com."

Doctorow claimed that "…the ability to afford and own a home can be unjustly limited by one’s race, ethnicity, or other personal characteristics."

However, there already exist very stringent redlining laws for mortgage lenders and "steering" laws for realtors. Most notably, the 1968 Fair Housing Act and the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). If there is a violation, victims can report offenders to local and even federal authorities.

Doctorow praised the National Association of Realtors (NAR) for their work to "...identify and overcome bias; understand how shifting notions of gender are relevant to fair housing, real estate and advertising; and map paths to diversity, inclusion and equity at the brokerage level and beyond."

In January, NAR instituted new hate-speech rules where a Realtor can be penalized up to $15,000 and expelled if the association does not like what a member posts on private social media accounts. There have also been reports of local NAR branches across the country backing extreme radical political candidates.

The majority of brokerages require that their agents be a member of NAR.

Doctorow added that there is currently no plan in place to provide potential clients with crime data. "In the weeks and months ahead, we plan to examine closely what neighborhood safety means for buyers and renters who use our site so we can reimagine how we integrate safety data on Realtor.com."