Toronto Regional Real Estate Board will stop using term "master bedroom"

The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) will no longer use the term “master” bedroom to describe a property’s largest bedroom and will instead use the term “primary” bedroom.

In a written statement, TRREB President Lisa Patel said that the decision was approved by the Board of Directors and in the coming months, any reference to “master” will be removed from all TRREB platforms and changed to “primary.”

“What this will mean for the consumer and REALTORS® is that property listings will now reference ‘primary’ where it used to reference ‘master’ as the main or principal bedroom,” Patel said.

In a notice sent out to its members, TRREB said that the change was recommended by its Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.

“It will also address the negative connotations surrounding ‘master’ bedroom, which many members, others in the industry, and the public at large associate with terminology rooted in slavery and/or sexism,” the notice reads. “We also heard some of your concerns about the offensive undertones associated with this term.”

The Canadian Real Estate Association already made the change to “primary” bedroom in October of last year.

“Concerns about potentially derogatory connotations have caused some groups to push to change the ‘master’ terms,” the CREA recommendation reads. “While use of this terminology by real estate professionals has been reviewed and cleared of discriminatory violations […] consumer and professional concerns have remained, prompting some marketplaces to use alternatives.”

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According to TRREB, it’s not just Canadian real estate professionals, but the industry across North America as a whole, that’s making the change.

“The real estate industry across North America is starting to come together around primary as a more appropriate term and to ensure ongoing productive communication between real estate professionals and their communities,” the TRREB notice reads.

So in the coming months, anyone browsing Toronto real estate can expect to start seeing the change from “master” to “primary” showing up in the listings.