Capital & Main tested at six to nine buildings owned by each company. Then, after several Jamison agents said their buildings could not accept vouchers, Capital & Main conducted additional tests of its properties to determine how widespread such rejections were. The news organization tested only buildings with rental units priced within the limits set by the housing authorities in their areas. Testers made repeated attempts to understand leasing policies and practices at each building, sometimes reaching out several times to ensure accuracy.<\/p>\n
The findings are also drawn from public records requests to local housing authorities for data on how many Section 8 tenants each company had. In all, the news organization reviewed documents obtained under the California Public Records Act from the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Development Authority, which covers unincorporated L.A. County and 62 cities within the county. Housing authorities in Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, Santa Monica, Norwalk, Torrance and Long Beach also provided records. Several local housing authorities, including those in Inglewood, Compton, Culver City, Pomona, Hawthorne, Baldwin Park and South Gate declined to provide records, citing privacy concerns, or failed to respond to Capital & Main\u2019s requests.<\/p>\n
Capital & Main contacted each company several times to share test results and give each an opportunity to respond to its findings and answer specific questions about its policies.<\/p>\n
Here are the results for each company.<\/p>\n
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The Roya Apartments in Koreatown is one of more than a dozen Jamison-owned properties where agents said they were not accepting Section 8 tenants. Photo by Barbara Davidson.\n<\/p>\n
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Jamison<\/p>\n
Jamison, a group of family-run real estate companies based in L.A.\u2019s Koreatown, was the only landlord whose leasing agents turned away testers posing as Section 8 renters, saying they could not accept their vouchers.<\/p>\n
Only one Section 8 tenant moved into a Jamison building between 2021 and 2024, according to documents Capital & Main obtained from the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles through a public records request.<\/p>\n
Jamison entered the multifamily residential market in 2013 and has since built more than 6,000 residential units with at least 2,500 planned or under construction.<\/p>\n
Last fall, leasing agents at some Jamison buildings told testers working for Capital & Main that they were not accepting Section 8 vouchers until they received city approvals. For example, in September 2024 notes taken by a tester show that when she called to ask if the Sienna on Serrano apartments in L.A.\u2019s Koreatown accepted Section 8 vouchers, a leasing agent said:<\/p>\n
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The leasing agent\u2019s statement was misleading: L.A. housing authority officials said no inspection process is required before a building can accept Section 8 tenants. Housing authorities inspect individual apartments once a Section 8 tenant has selected a unit.<\/p>\n
In March 2025, a Capital & Main-hired tester did another round of inquiries about available apartments at 15 Jamison properties. Again, a leasing agent said the company was awaiting city approvals before it could accept Section 8 tenants.<\/p>\n
Five other Jamison leasing representatives initially said they accepted vouchers, but two of them didn\u2019t return calls requesting information about income and credit requirements. At three of the those buildings, agents said they would reject Section 8 applicants for poor credit history, even though that\u2019s prohibited under California law. Landlords are required to consider a Section 8 applicant\u2019s pay stubs or proof of government benefits in lieu of credit reports to evaluate their ability to pay.<\/p>\n
For instance, a tester who inquired by phone about rentals at the Arden<\/a> and Sawyer<\/a> apartments noted the following exchange with a leasing agent:<\/p>\n At the Westmore<\/a> in L.A.\u2019s Koreatown, a tester uncovered another apparent violation of California\u2019s fair housing law. In an April 2025 phone call, a tester\u2019s notes show that a leasing agent described minimum income requirements for Section 8 voucher holders that would be impossible for a Section 8 tenant to meet:<\/p>\n A Jamison spokesperson wrote in a statement that the management companies overseeing the company\u2019s portfolio \u201ctake proactive steps, including engaging a broker and nonprofits, to help identify individuals and families who hold vouchers or qualify for income-restricted Affordable Housing units.\u201d<\/p>\n The spokesperson said \u201cIt also appears that the tester misunderstood the income requirement stated for Section 8 tenants. The law permits an income requirement based on the tenant\u2019s portion of the rent, not the full rental amount. All property managers overseeing these buildings have rules and procedures in place to comply with all applicable laws.\u201d<\/p>\n Vantage Hollywood Apartments was one of six Equity Residential buildings where an agents said they would reject Section 8 tenants based on credit history alone. <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Barbara Davidson <\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Capital & Main<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Equity Residential<\/p>\n Chicago-based Equity Residential owns nearly 15,000 apartments in about 60 properties in the Los Angeles area, its largest market. Its representatives \u2014 at eight buildings \u2014 said they accept Section 8 vouchers.<\/p>\n But at six of the buildings, agents told testers they wouldn\u2019t consider alternative proof of creditworthiness in lieu of credit checks. For example, in response to a query about the Vantage Hollywood Apartments in Hollywood last September, a leasing representative said in this email exchange with a tester posing as a voucher holder that pay stubs would not be accepted as proof of creditworthiness:<\/p>\n The Vantage Hollywood Apartments agent and five others at Equity misstated the company\u2019s written policy. Its online rental application says the company accepts Section 8 applicants\u2019 pay stubs, proof of government benefits or bank statements to show ability to pay rent. \u201cIf you provide us with that documentation, we will use that documentation instead of credit history,\u201d the application says. But even though Equity\u2019s policy is lawful, its agents\u2019 misstatements would violate fair housing law, said Caroline Peattie, executive director of Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California. She noted that prospective renters would likely be deterred from applying after being told their applications would almost certainly be rejected.<\/p>\n Equity first vice president Marty McKenna said in a statement, \u201cWe are proud of our record of providing homes for our residents who qualify for Section 8 vouchers in a region where there is a shortage of affordable housing.\u201d McKenna didn\u2019t respond to an interview request or comment on specific test results Capital & Main shared with the company. \u201cWe are confident that we are operating by applicable regulations regarding Section 8 vouchers,\u201d McKenna wrote.<\/p>\n A leasing agent for Santee Court in downtown Los Angeles said they would reject Section 8 tenants based on credit history alone. <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Barbara Davidson <\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Capital & Main <\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Essex Property Trust<\/p>\n The California-based company, whose board of directors includes former California first lady Anne Gust Brown, appeared to comply with fair housing law at five of nine buildings testers queried.<\/p>\n Capital & Main testers contacted leasing representatives at nine Essex properties, all of whom said they accept Section 8 vouchers. But four of them refused to consider Section 8 voucher holders\u2019 pay stubs or other proof of creditworthiness, even though Essex official policy is to accept such evidence in lieu of credit history. At Essex\u2019s Santee Court in downtown Los Angeles, a leasing representative insisted that a tenant would have to pass a credit check nonetheless, according to a tester\u2019s notes:<\/p>\n At the Fountain Park at Playa Vista<\/a>, an agent said the building would \u201clook at pay stubs and bank statements.\u201d But poor credit, the agent said, would require a \u201cguarantor\u201d \u2014 an individual who would take legal responsibility for any unpaid rent.<\/p>\n Essex Property Trust representatives didn\u2019t answer Capital & Main\u2019s questions about their agents\u2019 reliance on credit scores to vet applicants. But a company spokesperson said in a statement, \u201cWe have reviewed both our written policy and application process and we are in compliance with the law: all Section 8 applicants are approved based on their ability to pay their portion of the rent, not based on credit score.\u201d<\/p>\n A leasing agent at AVA Toluca Hills said a Section 8 tenant would have to meet the building\u2019s credit score requirements in order to rent an apartment.<\/p>\n A leasing agent at AVA Toluca Hills said a Section 8 tenant would have to meet the building\u2019s credit score requirements in order to rent an apartment.\n<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Barbara Davidson<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Capital & Main<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n AvalonBay Communities<\/p>\n At AvalonBay Communities properties, agents said they accepted Section 8 vouchers, but some representatives of the Arlington, Virginia-based company provided incorrect information about how the program works and described credit requirements that are now prohibited by California law.<\/p>\n At four of the six AvalonBay Communities properties queried, agents said they would reject Section 8 applicants based on credit history. And at one property, representatives didn\u2019t return follow-up calls about credit and income criteria.<\/p>\n Several AvalonBay leasing agents showed a shaky understanding of the Section 8 program, suggesting they have little experience with it. When a tester asked in a phone call last October if there was any alternative way to prove their ability to pay if they failed a credit check, an agent at eaves Los Feliz<\/a> said no. The credit check was \u201csomething we can\u2019t override,\u201d and proving with pay stubs was not an option, the agent said.<\/p>\n In response to a question in a September 2024 phone call about minimum income requirements, an agent at AVA Toluca Hills<\/a> erroneously responded, \u201cNormally when you have a voucher it\u2019s because you have no income.\u201d (Most Section 8 voucher holders who are able to work do so.) The tester followed up with an email asking \u201cIf I failed the credit check, would I be able to prove my ability to pay another way, for example, by showing my check stubs?\u201d The agent responded:<\/p>\n AvalonBay representatives didn\u2019t respond to Capital & Main\u2019s interview requests or written questions.<\/p>\n A Leasing agent for Park La Brea, a Los Angeles landmark, said that a credit check was required for Section 8 tenants, an apparent violation of state law.<\/p>\n A Leasing agent for Park La Brea, a Los Angeles landmark, said that a credit check was required for Section 8 tenants, an apparent violation of state law.\n<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Barbara Davidson<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Capital & Main<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Prime Residential<\/p>\n The San Francisco-based company owns and operates some 20,000 housing units on the West Coast, including the Park La Brea apartments in L.A.\u2019s Miracle Mile, the largest apartment complex west of the Mississippi, with more than 4,000 apartments.<\/p>\n Capital & Main\u2019s hired testers contacted leasing agents at five Prime Residential complexes. All said they accept Section 8 vouchers. At Park La Brea, an agent said in a September 2024 text message that they relied on credit history to screen all applicants:<\/p>\n At four other Prime buildings, leasing agents said they didn\u2019t know if credit history would disqualify Section 8 applicants until after credit and background checks were completed.<\/p>\n Prime Residential declined an interview request, but said in a statement, \u201cWe work hard to comply with all applicable state and federal fair housing laws, including seeking alternative evidence of ability to pay rent and never denying Section 8 voucher holders based on credit. As part of our efforts to help people take advantage of rental assistance programs, leasing agents and other staff at our properties receive annual training on relevant laws and Prime policies.\u201d<\/p>\n A leasing agent at the Eden apartments in downtown Los Angeles said a Section 8 applicant who failed a credit check would be denied a rental at the building. <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Barbara Davidson <\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Capital & Main<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n Greystar<\/p>\n Charleston, South Carolina-based Greystar is the largest landlord in the U.S. Leasing agents at all nine Greystar buildings contacted by testers said they accepted Section 8 vouchers. But only two agents said they would consider pay stubs, proof of government benefits or other documents as evidence of a voucher holder\u2019s ability to pay rent. Leasing agents at Desmond<\/a> didn\u2019t return follow-up calls from a tester inquiring about the building\u2019s credit check requirement. The La Plaza Village<\/a>, built in partnership with the Cesar Chavez Foundation and managed by Greystar, was built to bring homes to \u201cresidents who need them most,\u201d according to a 2019 Chavez Foundation news release. A La Plaza agent said the building didn\u2019t require a specific credit score and that applicants could fail credit checks if their records included evictions or money owed to previous landlords. However, the agent said they would not accept a Section 8 applicant\u2019s alternative evidence of creditworthiness, as this tester\u2019s notes of a September 2024 phone call with a leasing staffer show:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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