In a “Dear Colleague” letter, the Department of Housing and Urban Development last week urged real estate professionals to share neighborhood crime and school data with prospective homebuyers.
The letter noted that under the Biden administration, websites such as Realtor.com, Redfin, and Trulia stopped including that data over racial discrimination concerns.
In the letter, HUD Assistant Secretary of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor notified state and local housing groups and real estate professionals that sharing such data with house hunters will not be viewed as a violation of federal law.
“Contrary to publicly available materials from industry leaders … real estate agents and brokers do not violate the Fair Housing Act merely by discussing with prospective homebuyers or renters the prevalence of crime or the quality of schools in neighborhoods,” Trainor wrote in the letter.
“Americans deserve access to the information they need to make informed judgments about where to live and raise a family,” he added. “Under the Biden Administration, however, real estate brokerages and listing services began denouncing neighborhood crime data as potentially ‘reinforcing racial bias.’”
Trump Executive Order
A 2021 directive to HUD from former President Joe Biden ordered it to use the Fair Housing Act to prevent “practices with an unjustified discriminatory effect” and “eliminate racial bias and other forms of discrimination in all stages of home-buying and renting,” as part a push for racial equity.
Trainor said, however, that memo has been “superseded by Trump’s April 23, 2025, Executive Order, “Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy.”
He also said that if the Fair Housing Act “made it illegal for real estate agents to discuss schools or crime in a neighborhood, grave First Amendment concerns would arise.”
“Industry guidance instructing realtors not to answer client questions related to crime or schools does a disservice to purchasers, renters, real estate agents, and fair housing principles,” Trainor wrote in the letter.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement that it is important that the public has access to such information.
“Buying a home is one of the most significant decisions a family will ever make,” Turner said. “Americans should not be left in the dark about vital facts like neighborhood safety or school quality.
“HUD is making clear that real estate professionals can openly and lawfully provide this information in an equal and consistent manner to American families.”
Websites Respond
The New York Post noted that when asked about the new guidance, a spokesperson for Realtor.com said that the company is committed to “full transparency.”
“We have always championed open markets and full transparency,” the spokesperson told The Post. “ As part of this commitment, we have commenced a review of reliable crime data sources.”
A National Association of Realtors spokesperson said the group is “carefully reviewing the letter.”
“We appreciate the ongoing dialogue and guidance from the administration on this important issue,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “As the leading voice for real estate professionals, the National Association of Realtors brings deep expertise in fair housing and how it is applied in practice every day.
“We are carefully reviewing the letter and its implications for our members and the consumers they serve. We look forward to continued engagement with the administration and other stakeholders to ensure clear guidance that supports both compliance and the ability of Realtors to effectively serve clients in every ZIP Code across the country.”
