affordablehousing.com

DISCRIMINATORY HOUSING PRACTICES

Review: Discrimination Disguised as “Screening” — My Experience With Yuchen Qi & Gersie Schweizer (AffordableHousing.com)I am exhausted and fed up with what landlords and realtors on “affordable housing” platforms pretend to be: open, inclusive, and fair. They respond quickly, act eager to schedule tours, and seem ready to help — until they find out who you are.I contacted Yuchen Qi on AffordableHousing.com regarding a house for rent. He immediately offered me a tour. Everything was moving smoothly. I disclosed nothing personal — not my race, not my disability, and certainly not my decades-old past.Then, without warning, the enthusiasm died and I received this canned, dismissive response:“We’ll contact you if we decide you’re a good fit.”No explanation.No professionalism.Just a sudden door slammed shut.Then — as if playing games — he contacted me again, asking if I still wanted a tour. I said yes. Suddenly his tone changed yet again:“I need to check with the landlord first.”At that point, it was obvious:The moment he googled my name, something changed.And Gersie Schweizer, another landlord on the same platform, did the exact same thing. Initial interest turned into the identical dismissive line:“If you’re a good fit, we’ll contact you.”The odds of two separate landlords suddenly changing their tune after initial enthusiasm — with no new information from me — is not coincidence.It’s a pattern.And let’s be very clear:These aren’t rundown rentals in neglected areas.These are houses in highly desirable neighborhoods with A-rated schools.Based on the abrupt silence after what was clearly an online search of my name, the message felt loud and unmistakable:“We don’t want someone like you in this neighborhood.”Here are the facts — my actual, documented history:✅ Current rental: 2014–present✅ Previous rental: 2009–2014✅ Returned full $1,000 deposit because I left the house spotless✅ Always pay rent on time✅ Clean, quiet, respectful, non-smoker, no pets✅ Two well-mannered, high-achieving children (honor roll since 1st grade)✅ 34 years of stable, responsible tenancyYet none of that mattered.Instead of being judged on: • my rental history • my reliability • my proven responsibilityI was judged on:❌ something someone dug up on Google from 30+ years ago❌ the color of my skin❌ my disabilityIn my opinion, this wasn’t “screening.”It was discrimination hiding behind vague excuses.The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race and disability, and multiple jurisdictions are limiting the use of old criminal history because it has zero relevance to who a person is today.Housing should be based on qualifications, not stereotypes.I am a responsible tenant.I provide stability for my family.I care for every house as if it were my own.And the most telling part?I still have not heard anything back fromYuchen Qi or Gersie Schweizer.Silence speaks volumes.

Date of experience: Oct 30, 2025