ESSEX PROPERTY TRUST INC
ESS
Real Estate
2
exclusion reasons
1 theme
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
Essex Property Trust spent $60.1M since 2018 to defeat California rent control ballot measures (Props 10, 21, 33). Implicated in DOJ RealPage algorithmic pricing investigation. 2016 Fremont, CA tenant settlement for improper rent increases and poor living conditions.
Essex Property Trust, one of the nation's largest apartment REITs, faces litigation for source-of-income discrimination against Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders in violation of California and other state fair housing laws. In November 2024, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging that Essex refused to allow a Long Beach tenant to renew her lease using her Section 8 voucher. An investigation by Capital & Main and Stocktonia News found that four of nine Essex leasing agents contacted by testers said they would reject Section 8 applicants who did not pass credit checks — using credit history as a proxy to screen out voucher holders despite California's explicit prohibition on source-of-income discrimination. The pattern — a corporate-level practice, not an isolated agent decision — suggests systemic noncompliance with fair housing obligations across Essex's California portfolio.
Research Sources
4 organizations
Related Exclusions
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A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
This information is provided for educational and transparency purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Data is drawn from independent watchdogs, NGOs, government registries, and Ethical Capital's ongoing research — see Research Sources for the full list.
Ethical Capital LLC is a state-registered investment adviser in Utah (CRD #316032). Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.