TORONTO -- Greater Toronto Area home hunters will soon spot a change to the property listings they browse.

The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board's president Lisa Patel says it will use the word "primary" in place of "master," when referencing the main or principal bedrooms in homes in the coming months.

The word "master" is often seen as a reference to racism, sexism and slavery.

Patel says in an email that the change in terminology will apply to any entries in its MLS system, on TRREB.ca and on its Webforms platform, where realtors share forms with clients.

TRREB's board of directors approved the change following a recommendation made by its diversity and inclusion committee.

The Canadian Real Estate Association switched to using primary on Realtor.ca last October after a recommendation was made by the Real Estate Standards Organization.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2021.