Race / color / Fair Housing phrase guide
Is "ethnic restaurants" OK in a listing? It depends
Depends Context matters: fine in some uses, a problem in others. Both sides are explained below.
Why
Probably meant as a description of amenities, but "ethnic" is on the avoid lists as a reference to people. Saying the variety plainly is safer.
Safer wording
Describe the property, not the people: rewrite this part by hand.
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- Long Island Board of REALTORS®: Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase Guidelines (Mar. 2025)
- CRMLS Fair Housing Word & Phrase List (Apr. 2021)
Related phrases
Not legal advice. Word lists can't judge context, and laws differ by state and city. Rule race-ethnic-food, ListingLint rules v2026.10.1.