Access to housing is a fundamental human right protected under international conventions
such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Social Charter.
Adequate housing is also necessary for the achievement of other basic rights such as health
and family life and is central to quality of life of adults and children. In Ireland,
discrimination in the provision of housing is prohibited under the Equal Status Acts (2000-
2015). Starting from these legislative protections, in this study we consider whether certain
groups in Ireland experience higher levels of discrimination in access to housing and
whether they experience unequal housing outcomes. Membership of these groups is linked
to other relevant characteristics, most importantly socio-economic background. Therefore,
this study investigates whether equality groups experience disadvantages in housing
outcomes that cannot be fully explained by their socio-economic resources. The study of
housing discrimination and outcomes has become even more pressing in recent years
because of the marked undersupply of housing in Ireland and problems of affordability
