‘Was I denied a fair chance to rent home because I’m gay?’
MAN COMPLAINS TO BRANCH OF ESTATE AGENTS IN TOWN
A MAN hoping to start a new life in Leicestershire after the breakdown of his marriage says he was denied a fair chance to rent a house because he is gay.
Colin Kane was making the move to Loughborough from Surrey after securing a job in the area and needed to find a new home as quickly as possible.
The 30-year-old said he viewed a property that he had his heart set on.
But two other viewings were also taking place with potential new tenants - a woman with a pram and a couple.
During his viewing in April, which he said was pleasant, he explained to the estate agent that he had been going through a difficult divorce with his ex-husband, who he referred to at the time as his “ex-partner”.
He said the person showing him around assumed his ex-partner was a woman, which he did not feel comfortable correcting.
He said: “It was all very polite until I mentioned I was going through a divorce. As soon as I mentioned my ex-husband, I felt shunned.
“It was the way they reacted that’s made me think that’s why I didn’t get the property.”
Colin submitted an application to rent the house the day after the viewing. Soon after, he was told the property had been taken off the market due to electrical issues.
But when walking past a few days later, he recognised a pram outside the property, which had its windows open.
“It was clear that the property was now being lived in, but I had been told it was no longer on the market,” he said.
“If the electrical issues had been fixed why wasn’t I given a fair chance?”
Upon inquiring about his application days later, he was told that his had not been found, leading him to believe that it was not passed on to the landlord by the estate agent.
Colin was hoping to settle into a new home and start a new life but has been left disappointed and made a formal complaint.
“It’s been really disappointing considering I’m going through such a horrible time in my life.
“I’ve had to move miles away to a new property and I’ve had to move into a different property that is not the one I wanted,” he said.
With a tight timeframe to move out of his previous home and start his new role, Colin said he has had to settle for a ground-floor flat rather than a house.
A spokesperson for John German Estate Agents said: “We received a complaint from Colin last night which we take very seriously. As a result, we have this morning acknowledged the complaint and launched our complaints process.
“Having also spoken to Colin, we have assured him that this matter is being taken extremely seriously and we have begun our investigations. We will be in direct contact with Colin once our investigation is concluded.”