Renting - "no children" discrimination

ruggedtoast

JustJewels wrote: »

In this current economic climate of low housing affordability and shortage of social housing, I think the government should legislate that landlords cannot discriminate against renters just cos they have kids.

I think it's reflective of this country's bad attitude towards children. America does many things badly, but at least they have a Fair Housing act which makes no kids policies illegal - and no, I'm not American, just using that as an example.

Rant over

JJ

I completely agree, though in my opinion its more reflective of a bad attitude towards tenants in general in this country.

Private tenants should have the right to not be discriminated against at the point of application, not have extortionate and arbitrary fees levied on them, have the right to long term tenure and rent stability in their home, the right to make reasonable improvements and proper arbitration to protect them from bent, broke, or inept landlords.

Most European tenants enjoy such privileges and have landlords who are prepared to offer such a service for a fair return. Unlike the UK where landlording is encouraged to be seen as some kind of get rich quick investment vehicle with the extraordinary inconvenience of having to be responsible for another persons home thrown in as an afterthought.

PasturesNew

Back in my day, not long ago either, if you were evicted your kids were taken into care and you'd have to potter off and sort your life out.

I believe they'll be bringing that attitude back with those ASBO-collecting types.

What others above have said could be true: families might dig their heels in if issued with a Section 21 - and some children can be very messy and the parents might not see it as their responsibility to put the property back to the original condition when they move out.

poppysarah

You're talking about renting a flat with children?

I think it is immoral for children not to have a garden to run around in.

The chances of annoying multiple neighbours by the additional noise of kids playing or crying is one that most landlords would want to avoid.

LittleMissAspie

No pets, no children, no smokers, no sharers. That's a standard mantra around here. I've even seen a 3-bed house advertised as no children. If I was a landlord I wouldn't want to let to children but if I had a family home I'd know I'd have to! Otherwise who on earth do they expect to rent it to?

We got permission for our cat by saying we'd take the house if and only if we could have a cat. The agent asked the landlord and the landlord agreed. That's how I would do it in future too - don't mention pets or children until you're prepared to take the property. Gives the landlord an incentive to say yes. A tenant in the hand is worth two in the bush

LittleMissAspie

poppysarah wrote: »

I think it is immoral for children not to have a garden to run around in.

Didn't realise you had to be well-off to have morals :rolleyes:

nick1977

poppysarah wrote: »

You're talking about renting a flat with children?

I think it is immoral for children not to have a garden to run around in.

I agree with you in a sense. However "immoral" seems a bit harsh. What would you suggest a single mum does who is only just about able to afford rental prices for a two bed flat to do?

ruggedtoast

PasturesNew wrote: »

Back in my day, not long ago either, if you were evicted your kids were taken into care and you'd have to potter off and sort your life out.

I believe they'll be bringing that attitude back with those ASBO-collecting types.

What others above have said could be true: families might dig their heels in if issued with a Section 21 - and some children can be very messy and the parents might not see it as their responsibility to put the property back to the original condition when they move out.

The problem is the government has done everything possible to turn property ownership into an investment rather than a place to live. Council stock is depleted and decent properties often vanish into the private sector as soon as theyre eligible for right to buy. This has left pockets of increasingly desperate sink estates which self perpetuate their failure as anyone with 2 pennies to rub together either over-mortgages themselves to get out or is forced into private rental just to escape.

The private rental market didnt matter so much when we had decent social housing for those that wanted it and affordable family homes for those that were ready to buy.

After a decade of Labour rule Britain is left with a sclerotic desperately unfair housing situation. Much social housing is unobtainable or simply unacceptable for people who want to live somewhere safe with a reasonable school nearby, yet schizophrenic property prices have totally excluded one generation from ownership and are about to bankrupt half of another.

Before long we wont have a housing shortage because it has been made so difficult for a couple to set themselves up in a family home many are simply leaving it too late to have kids.

While the Daily Mail brigade rant for endless HPI, squeal for yet more regulatory breaks for private landlords, choke on their own bile at the thought of immigrants and taxation, the UK as a whole is beginning to face a demographic crisis.

pulliptears

poppysarah wrote: »

I think it is immoral for children not to have a garden to run around in.
.

Unfortunately not everyone can have this luxury, especially in inner cities. However, most people are not that far from parks and open spaces, so why on earth is it immoral!?

I have 250 ft of garden for my kids to run around in. Do they? No. They go off to the park and play football with their mates.

izzybusy23

JustJewels wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm posting about this issue which makes me quite angry. Having had to move for job reasons, from an owner occupied flat to a rented one, I was appalled to discover that it is legal for landlords to advertise properties and have a "no children" policy. My poor baby wasn't even born yet and already he was facing discrimination!

Now I am renting an unsuitable flat because it was the only one where the landlord said ok to kids.

I can understand a no pets policy, but a no children policy I find very hard to stomach. Children are people too! As a landlord myself, I understand a landlords concern over damage to their property, but no-one even gave me an option to offer, for example, a larger deposit to cover potential damage.

In this current economic climate of low housing affordability and shortage of social housing, I think the government should legislate that landlords cannot discriminate against renters just cos they have kids.

I think it's reflective of this country's bad attitude towards children. America does many things badly, but at least they have a Fair Housing act which makes no kids policies illegal - and no, I'm not American, just using that as an example.

Rant over

JJ

Give it 12 months and these 'landlords' won't be able to be too choosy who they will and will not let their properties out.. with or without the kids discrimination.

I totally agree with you.. disgusting that our society let these so called 'professionals' get away with it.

izzybusy23

poppy10 wrote: »

Messy people, who poop everywhere and draw on the walls. If I were a landlord I wouldn't rent to people with children. It's entirely the LL's prerogative.

What a complete idiotic response.

So you weren't a messy kid, who popped everywhere and drew on walls in your life previously???

People forget they were KIDS themselves... so to discriminate against them is disgusting.