Racial Discrimination in France’s Rental Housing Market: How Altair Global Supports Relocating Employees

SOS Racisme , one of France's leading anti-discrimination organizations, conducted a testing campaign last year that assessed the practices of 198 real estate agencies across France, including both national networks and independent firms, using paired testing methods commonly employed in discrimination research.

Key findings reported by multiple French and international news outlets include:

• Nearly half of the agencies tested accepted or relayed discriminatory requests from landlords, half for preferences for "European" tenants, and half agreed to refuse applicants perceived as North African or Sub-Saharan African.

• 51.52% of agencies refused these requests and clearly stated their opposition and such practice's illegal nature.

• Results are consistent with previous SOS Racisme testing campaigns in 2019 and 2022, showing little measurable improvement over time.

• According to France's Defender of Rights, origin, whether real or perceived, remains one of the most frequent grounds for discrimination in access to private rental housing, alongside disability and economic vulnerability.

In practice, discrimination may occur at multiple stages of the rental process, including:

• Access to property viewings

• Pre-selection of tenant applications

• Final tenant decision-making, even when financial qualifications are equivalent

Under French law, discrimination in access to housing based on origin is strictly prohibited and constitutes a criminal offence. This includes:

• Refusing to rent a property

• Applying discriminatory selection criteria

• Giving or following discriminatory instructions through intermediaries

Following this investigation, French authorities have announced plans to:

• Introduce mandatory anti-discrimination training for real estate professionals

• Strengthen awareness, monitoring, and enforcement sanctions

For companies relocating talent to France, particularly international employees or those perceived as non-European, these findings help explain challenges that are often difficult to quantify.

Discriminatory practices can result in:

• Fewer property viewings despite strong financial profiles

• Unexplained application rejections

• Extended housing search timelines

• Increased stress for relocating employees and their families

Real estate agencies play a critical role in this process, acting as responsible partners by applying neutral criteria and reinforcing the law.

In light of these findings, Altair France is reinforcing its approach to supporting relocating employees navigating the French rental market.

Key actions include:

• Prioritizing partnerships with vetted real estate agencies that demonstrate compliance with anti-discrimination laws and professional best practices (that's where our Supplier Partnerships Certification Program comes in!)

• Training our Customer Experience Consultants to recognize risk indicators, respond professionally, and reference the legal framework if issues arise

• Formal incident logging for suspected discrimination cases, including documented communications, call notes, and employee feedback, with escalation when appropriate

• Coordinating with client partners' HR and legal teams when solutions require escalation

Altair also ensures that relocating employees and our client partners are informed about available remedies, including the option to contact the French Defender of Rights or specialized non-governmental organizations, while maintaining a solution-oriented and supportive relocation process for those involved.

Unfortunately, discrimination in housing remains a complex and sensitive issue in the French rental market. While regulatory measures continue to evolve, mobility programs must adapt in parallel, ensuring both compliance and care for relocating employees.

Altair Global remains committed to supporting equitable, compliant, and human-centered relocations in France and across the EMEA region, working closely with clients, customers, and trusted local partners.