Equal Opportunities & Discrimination
Understanding your rights and responsibilities around equal opportunities in accommodation.
Equal Opportunities in Flatsharing
When advertising a room in a shared property or selecting a flatmate, both landlords and existing tenants have legal and ethical obligations. Everyone deserves a fair opportunity to access accommodation regardless of their personal characteristics.
Unlawful discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favourably in relation to accommodation because of a protected characteristic. Protected characteristics typically include:
Discrimination Laws for Landlords and Agents
Landlords, letting agents and property managers must not discriminate unlawfully in the advertisement, letting or management of any property.
This means you must not:
What is Generally Acceptable
The following are generally acceptable preferences in property listings:
Avoiding Discrimination in Ads Written by Flatmates
If you are an existing tenant advertising for a flatmate, the same principles apply. Common errors include:
- Specifying that you are looking for a flatmate of a particular nationality or background.
- Using coded language such as "professionals only" to exclude certain groups.
- Stating a preference for or against people with children.
- Requesting applicants of a specific religion.
If you're unsure whether language in your listing is acceptable, ask yourself: would this preference be acceptable if applied to a completely different protected group? If not, remove it.
Reporting Discriminatory Listings
If you see a listing on Jamaica Homes that you believe is discriminatory, please use the Report button on the listing page. All reports are reviewed by our team. We take discrimination reports seriously and act on them promptly.