In October 2021 CREA renamed “Master Bedroom” to “Primary Bedroom” on REALTOR.ca.
WECAR’s Board of Directors followed suite in November 2021, changing the displays on Matrix to match CREA.
As our forms (paper and electronic) get updates under the direction of the MLS® Committee and Board of Directors, you also see these changes reflected on the forms. The paper Residential Forms have already been updated to reflect this change, and will show Primary Bedroom on WEBForms™, when CREA is able to update the form.
With that being said, we would also like to encourage the Membership to use the phrase “Primary Bedroom” in place of “Master Bedroom” in the remarks sections and advertisements.
Why? To be part of the change for a more inclusive society.
What CREA Café had to say about it:
“Concerns about potentially derogatory connotations have caused some groups to push to change the ‘master’ terms,” says the recommendation, authored by RESO CEO Sam DeBord. “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.”
There is no definitive historical proof showing the term “master”, when used in real estate to describe rooms of a home, is associated with slavery; however, the term’s relationship to slavery and its male centricity has caused concern. “We congratulate and stand behind the recommendation made by RESO. Words have power and the definitions of words change over time. We feel this adjustment in language is appropriate when describing the primary bedroom of a home,” said Patrick Pichette, Vice-President, REALTOR.ca.