Landlords illegally advertising for ‘Muslim only’ or ‘Hindu only’ tenants in London

TOI Correspondent from London: Private landlords are illegally advertising for “Muslim only” and “Hindu only” tenants across London, an investigation by the Daily Telegraph has found.The listings, posted on Facebook, Gumtree and Telegram, feature phrases such as “ Muslims only”, “for 2 Muslim boys or “2 Muslim girls” and “Muslims preferred”.Others say “suitable for Punjabi boy” or make direct appeals to Gujarati speakers or those from Kerala and Haryana. Some say “Hindus only”.Such advertisements potentially breach the Equality Act 2010 in the UK, which prohibits discrimination based on religion, sex and race, and other protected characteristics. The Equality and Human Rights Commission lists “advertising a room for Asian tenants only” as an example of an unlawful advert.Yet similar ads are being put out across London.On Facebook, these ads can be found on pages such as “Renting room in London for Muslims” and “Muslim rents”. The Daily Telegraph found dozens of listings on Telegram requesting tenants of specific genders, religions and nationalities, all of which are potentially illegal.TOI, too, found many such ads in a Facebook group called “Flat to rent in London”, which has 325k members. These included adverts for rooms saying “Muslim Pakistani Girl Only” and “Looking for respectful Muslim boys only”, as well as “vegetarian Hindu only” and “Hindu preferred”.A Telegraph reporter asked a landlord renting a “Muslims only” room in Barking for £850 a month whether it was available to those of other faiths, and was told: “Go away.”If a landlord lives in the property and shares essential facilities with a lodger, then there is some leeway for a landlord to advertise a preference for a religion or gender, if worded carefully, but not on race.A spokesperson from the National Residential Landlords Association said: “Advertising a property to let only to adherents of a particular religion or philosophical beliefs is a clear example of direct discrimination, and as such prohibited by the Equalities Act 2010. There is no place for this kind of exclusionary practice in the UK’s private rented sector. No landlord or letting agent should attempt to bar any prospective tenant on the basis of religion, race, nationality, or ethnicity. It is illegal and can lead to severe legal and financial consequences.”A UK government spokesperson said: “Discrimination against anyone based on their religion or race is illegal, including in the rental sector. Any landlord not complying with the law should face the consequences.”