A nervous Landlord approached me stating that he had been accused of discrimination. He had a 3 bedroom semi-detached house for rent and for whatever reason, did not want to let to a tenant with children. A disappointed applicant had informed the Landlord that he was acting illegally – effectively discriminating – and would take legal advice.
The obvious grounds for a charge of discrimination are sex, race and disability. There is no Statute in private rental sector lettings though that says it is illegal to refuse to let to tenants with children. Nor is it an offence to ‘discriminate’ on the grounds of age (yet), housing benefit or students.
Nevertheless, we were able to convince the Landlord that his position would significantly reduce his market, particularly with a 3-bed property. We reassured him that if he came with Belvoir, we would keep a close eye on the property with our inspections; the first of which is conducted within 28 days. Our comprehensive referencing should also mitigate any concerns he might have.
At Belvoir we appreciate the importance of nurturing a constructive and mutually beneficial relationship between Landlords and Tenants. If you would like to talk to us about property letting or sales, pop in for a chat and a cuppa, call me or check out our website at www.belvoir.co.uk/daventry.
