How to Deal with Discrimination from Your Landlord
- DJP Solicitors
- Mar 7, 2023
- 2 min read
Facing discrimination from your landlord can be upsetting and cause significant frustration.
Read on to find out what your next steps should be.
Determine whether your landlord is breaking the law
A landlord must not discriminate against you because of your disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, sex, disability, sexual orientation or religion. These are known as 'protected characteristics'.
It is likely that your landlord is breaking the law if they do any of these things based on a protected characteristic of yours:
● refuse to let a property to you
● charge you higher rent than other tenants
● give you worse terms in your agreement than other tenants
● treat you differently from other tenants in the way you’re allowed to use facilities, such as a laundry or a garden
● evict or harass you because of a characteristic you have
● refuse to carry out repairs
● refuse to make reasonable changes to a property or a term in the tenancy agreement which would allow a disabled person to live there
Work out what kind of discrimination you’re facing
There are different types of discrimination so it’s worth determining which one you’re facing.
You might be able to take action about these 6 types of discrimination:
● indirect discrimination
● direct discrimination
● harassment
● failure to make reasonable adjustments
● discrimination arising from a disability
● victimisation
Collect evidence
If you feel you are experiencing housing discrimination, your best immediate course of action is to start collecting evidence. This could include:
● detailed notes on when, where and how the discrimination took place
● written discriminatory policies
● pictures of no DSS on rental adverts
● letters, emails and texts between you and the service provider
Make a formal written complaint
You must write to the service provider to try to resolve the issue before you can take legal action. When you write your letter make sure to include what you want them to do. You can ask for things like:
● an apology
● compensation
● changing a policy
● access to the service you were denied
Seek legal advice
It is crucial to seek expert legal advice if you feel you are being discriminated against by your landlord on the basis of a protected characteristic. A solicitor will help you fight your case in court and provide you with professional advice on your next steps forward.
Whether you’ve experienced a breach of contract, have been served an eviction notice, would like to evict a tenant, or need legal advice on the process, DJP solicitors are pleased to help. Our team of experienced lawyers have handled a broad range of types of disputes between all manners of people, and are committed to offering expert legal advice from the beginning to the end of your case, prioritising clarity and thoroughness. Contact us today to find out more about our services.
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