Community Agreements
Listings Project values and is committed: to equity, transparency, accountability, collective care, justice, and joy.
Equity. Provide equal access to opportunities and resources
Transparency. Communicate clearly, openly, and honestly
Accountability. Take responsibility for actions, behaviors, language and impact
Collective Care. Take care of yourself so you can take care of and be of service to your community
Justice. Uphold fair systems and practices so everyone can fully participate
Joy. Be open to surprises and delights in every interaction
We ask all Listers in our community to hold themselves accountable to our 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.
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.
Provide equal access to opportunities and resources
Community: Interact 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, disability, age, size, social class, citizenship status, familial status (including having children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, being pregnant, 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 survivor of domestic violence, lawful occupation and/or military status, political status, immigration status, genetic information, primary language, and citizenship.
Inclusive Language: Address Listers in an inclusive way refraining from using language that suggests, to the ordinary reader, viewer or listener that a particular specified identity is preferred.
Inclusive Hiring: Advertise a transparent salary before the application process begins and hold the hiring process accountable so that decisions made will not be due to bias or discrimination ensuring a standardized and fair process for all.
Fair Housing Prices: State and honor an honest and fair housing price when renting or subletting; do not participate in nor condone 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). Rental listings cannot charge tenants broker fees or similar fees per Listings Project policy.
Accessibility: Provide reasonable accommodations and flexibility when people with accessibility needs request modifications or assistance. Engage in a cooperative dialogue to, in good faith, address the needs and/or accommodations required for those persons to use and enjoy the housing and/or perform the duties advertised.
Communicate clearly, openly and honestly
Communication: Communicate consistently and transparently throughout your leasing, sale, or hiring process.
Clarity: Set expectations upfront by stating needs clearly when posting or inquiring about listings. Be clear about any rental fees such as security deposit and application fees. All rental listings cannot charge tenants brokers fees in order to comply with Listings Project policy.
Accurate: Provide 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.
Take responsibility for actions, behavior, language, and impact
Respectful Language: Mindfully evaluate statements made in listings to ensure language is respectful and is not derogatory, harmful, or offensive.
Intent and Impact: Be aware of differences in communication and assume 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 actions have.
Agreements: Be intentional and make agreements about how you develop and maintain relationships with the people you live and work with. Be forthright and committed to compromise and care if obstacles to fulfilling the agreements arise.
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. Listers agree to uphold our Community Agreements as active participants in the vetting process.
Take care of yourself so that you can take care of and be of service to your community
Collective Responsibility: Uphold the well-being of the community as a shared responsibility of the group rather than the lone task of an individual.
Relationship Grace: Remain open to the possibility that 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 Practices: Embody a restorative approach in conflict by taking steps to prevent further conflict. Make sure everyone involved can have their needs met:
Use compassionate and straightforward dialogue
Opt for curiosity when challenged
Seek to understand all perspectives during a disagreement before escalating a situation
Practice empathy and self-awareness
Acknowledge if harm has been done
Sincerely apologize if appropriate
Confidentiality: Protect the privacy of every Lister and respect the confidentiality of all information shared in a private space.
Inform: Be an active member of Listings Project and 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: Be mindful of peoples’ time and energy. Follow through on appointments, calls, showings, interviews, etc. Do your best to respond to everyone who inquires about your listing.
Uphold fair systems and practices so everyone can fully participate
Educate: Educate oneself on local, state, and federal hiring and real estate practices and laws. Comply with all 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.
Fair Housing Compliance: 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, Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (NY State), the FARE Act (NYC) and State and local laws protecting against and prohibiting discrimination against members of a protected class.
Equal Employment Opportunity. Actively work to ensure compliance with equal employment opportunities in hiring, and remove any bias and discrimination. Think deeply and act intentionally to put equitable and standardized practices into place when making employment decisions.
Inclusive Housing Practices: We encourage all Listers on Listings Project to foster an environment of inclusivity to allow all within the community to obtain access to housing, 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 in certain jurisdictions you can note this in your listing while being thoughtful and respectful of the entire Listings Project community.
Be open to surprises and delights in every interaction
Learning and Growth: Commit to the long-term and ongoing practice of learning and growing. We are a community that is constantly evolving, learning, and working together.
Building Relationships: Building community is a collective effort, and your listing is a space to make connections and bring joy to Listings Project. To uphold our values, listings may not include political language, slogans, commentary on current events or social issues, religious language, or any type of exclusionary language. We encourage clear, open, and respectful conversations when communicating directly with fellow Listers. Find joy in interactions by participating in our community and nourishing relationships.
Spontaneity: Allow for and find spontaneity throughout the process. As much as we want to plan our housing or job search, some of the best fits may come as a surprise.
Pleasure: Prioritize moments for yourself that bring joy and pleasure. We know that finding a home, workspace or a job can be stressful. Finding moments to take a break in the process makes the experience much more sustainable and fulfilling. We believe that the search is not sustainable without joy.