Testing is defined as a simulated housing transaction designed to obtain evidence of differential treatment based on an individual's protected class status. Stated simply, testing is sending two individuals with similar profiles and housing needs with different protected class status, such as race or gender, to the same available unit to see if they are treated differently because of their protected class status. For example, to test for differential treatment because of race, you would use a minority tester and a white tester, with the minority tester most often performing the test first. Differential treatment might include telling the black tester that apartments were not available, then telling the white tester that they are available, or quoting a higher rent to the black tester for the same unit. Without testing, most housing discrimination goes undetected.
Testers are volunteers who receive a small stipend for their expenses.
Testers do not try to trap the landlord or cause them to discriminate. The tester's job is to gather information or to observe how a housing provider treats potential tenants or buyers, much like anyone on a housing search. The North Dakota Fair Housing Council always needs new testers.