Community Agreements
The Listings Project team has outlined the ways you can help us uphold the exceptional level of care and respect that is foundational to our work as a force of communal good and collective care within the real estate and jobs industries, systems that are historically oppressive.
We acknowledge that we can’t undo systems of power and oppression overnight. This is a lifetime commitment to change work. We invite our community to practice with us by actively challenging the behaviors and practices that maintain the status quo in these industries.
We expect all Listers in our community to hold themselves accountable to the agreements below. The term “Lister” refers to anyone who uses Listings Project. This includes those who post real estate, job and opportunities listings, those who subscribe to our newsletter, view our listings, and those who inquire about listings.
Above all else, the Listings Project community values and is committed to the following:
Providing equal access to opportunities and resources to all members of protected classes, including but not limited to those who have been historically excluded or marginalized.
Community: Interacting with all people fairly and openly, regardless of their perceived or actual race, color, ethnicity/ethnic heritage, nationality, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, handicap (disability), age, size, social class, alienage and/or citizenship status, familial status (including having children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, being pregnant, and one in the process of securing custody of children under the age of 18), marital status, criminal history, partnership status, lawful source of income, economic status, status as a victim of domestic violence, lawful occupation and/or military status, political status, immigration status, genetic information, primary language, and citizenship.
Fair Housing Price: Stating and honoring an honest and fair housing price when renting or subletting; not participating in nor condoning inequitable behavior or practices such as asking for the best offer, asking for key money, incentivizing bidding wars, denying housing and/or rentals to individuals based upon a lawful source of income, last minute price changes, etc. Short term housing (such as sublets) should be priced fairly according to current rate and costs. Short term housing should not be inflated to align with hotels or vacation rentals (e.g. Airbnb, VRBO).
Language: Mindfully evaluating statements made in listings to ensure language is not disparaging, harmful, or oppressive. Addressing Listers in an equitable way refraining from using language that suggests, to the ordinary reader, viewer or listener that a particular specified class is preferred for the housing in question.
Relationships: Maintaining equitable relationships by treating employees and tenants fairly, equally and equitably. Taking a person’s whole experience into consideration when considering them for your space or a job opening (e.g. Being open to training instead of dismissing a potential job candidate that’s a good fit but doesn’t have one of the skills).
Communicating clearly, openly and honestly when in touch with any Lister.
Upfront: Setting clear expectations upfront by stating any housing restrictions or needs clearly when posting or inquiring about listings (e.g. smoking or pet regulations, allergies and sensitivities in shared spaces, community mandates, and rules for use of common areas).
Accurate: Providing factually accurate listing details, credentials and personal information when posting or inquiring about listings. Making sure your job and housing description is highly accessible to a wide audience by using clear language that doesn’t use niche terminology or jargon.
Communication: Communicating consistently and transparently throughout your leasing / sale / hiring process. Often, people with positional power perpetuate inequity behind closed doors. Communicating how and why decisions are made can help level the playing field for all applicants.
Salary: Advertising a salary before the application process begins holds the hiring party accountable that a specific candidate’s value will not be underestimated due to bias or discrimination. It is especially important to be transparent about salaries in light of the chronic gender wage gap and the wage gap between white people and BIPOC.
Taking responsibility for our actions, behavior, language, and impact.
Intent and Impact: Being aware of tonal differences in communication and assuming best intent, particularly when communicating online and in the absence of direct information about Lister’s motives and beliefs. In the event of a mistake or miscommunication with another, hold each other accountable by trusting the intent of that person while acknowledging the impact their actions have.
Vetting: We vet our listings to make sure they meet our standards for equity and inclusion and we check for discriminatory or biased language. Our goal with vetting is to make sure that every listing you see is thoughtful, inclusive and personal.
Educate: Educating oneself on how certain hiring and real estate practices unfairly treat and hurt people from historically marginalized communities.
Laws: Many states, U.S. territories and countries have their own laws and regulations around housing and employment. No one set of rules and regulations applies throughout the country or world. You are responsible for being aware of the housing and employment laws and regulations in your region.
Agreements: Being intentional and making agreements about how you develop and maintain relationships with the people you live and work with. Being forthright and committed to compromise and care if obstacles to fulfilling the agreements arise.
Taking care of yourself so that you can take care of and be of service to your community.
Responsibility: Upholding the well-being of the community as a shared responsibility of the group rather than the lone task of an individual.
Accessibility: Providing reasonable accommodations and flexibility when people with specific accessibility needs request modifications or assistance, and engaging in a cooperative dialogue to, in good faith, address the needs and/or potential accommodations required for those persons to use and enjoy the housing and/or perform the duties advertised.
Relationship Grace: Remaining open to the possibility there is always something new to learn from others. If someone makes a mistake, this can be an opportunity for growth and good will. Offer some grace and work with them to understand what happened.
Restorative Attitude: Embodying a restorative attitude toward conflict by taking steps to prevent further conflict. Make sure everyone involved can have their needs met by:
Using compassionate and straightforward dialogue
Opting for curiosity when challenged
Seeking to understand all perspectives during a disagreement before escalating a situation
Practicing empathy and self-awareness
Acknowledging if harm has been done
Sincerely apologizing
Confidentiality: Protecting the privacy of every Lister and respecting the confidentiality of any information shared in a private space.
Inform: Being an active member of Listings Project, who will report any unacceptable behavior or incident involving fellow Listers. This is a community platform that is powered by listers as much as it is by the Listings project team.
Follow Through: Being mindful of peoples’ time and energy. Follow through on any appointments, calls, showings, interviews, etc. Do your best to respond to everyone who inquires about your listing.
Challenging oppression perpetuated by power inequalities in society, both systemic and individual expressions of oppression.
Learning and Growing: Committing to the long-term practice of learning and growing our analysis about power and privilege. Particularly in all connections with the Listings Project community.
Tenant Preference: We encourage all Listers on Listings Project to foster an environment of inclusivity to allow all within the community to obtain access to fundamental services, enter and remain in the workforce, and meet their most basic and critical needs. In certain jurisdictions, having personal preferences for people with similar backgrounds may not be an affirmative act of discrimination; if you’d like to share the space with people you identify with such as LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC Listers, you can note this in your listing while being thoughtful and respectful of the entire Listings Project community.
It's our policy to comply with all laws protecting against discrimination in housing, commercial facilities, and public accommodations, including, but not limited to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and State and local laws protecting against and prohibiting discrimination against members of a protected class.
Remove Bias and Discrimination: Understanding that in real estate, housing and job settings, structural and systemic inequality can have a compounding effect, harming people with marginalized or non-dominant identities in the short and long term. Thinking deeply to remove bias and discrimination from housing, hiring, and workplace practices.
Being open to surprises and delights in every interaction.
Pleasure: Prioritizing moments for yourself that bring joy and pleasure. We know that finding a home, workspace or a job is profoundly stressful. We believe that the search is not sustainable without joy.
Spontaneity: Allowing for and finding spontaneity throughout the process. As much as we want to plan our housing/job search, some of the best fits may come as a surprise. Be open to options that might not initially check all of your boxes.
No Quick Fix: Recognizing that there is no quick fix to the injustices of the housing and job markets. This is a long haul practice that we are committed to. Finding moments to take a break in the process makes the experience much more sustainable and fulfilling.
Building Relationship: We are a community that is constantly evolving, learning, and working together. Being mindful that building community is a collective effort. Find joy in interactions by being willing to work on relationships and participate within our community to maintain and nourish each other.