A landlord has horrified social media users, as he revealed he wouldn’t want to take in ‘English or African’ tenants.
An influencer who runs a property management company was baffled as he recorded a phone call with an owner who insisted he wanted to only take in ‘European or Eastern European residents’.
In a viral TikTok, Ezekiel Bademosi, shared a video clip of the conversation after ringing up to offer his services – when he saw a place that was listed online.
He was shocked, however, by the prospective client’s demands.
‘I saw your number online and saw that you had a property available to rent,’ Ezekiel said. ‘I just wanted to check if it’s still available.’
The man, who has not been identified but claimed he was a ‘managing landlord’ – typically meaning he would oversee all aspects of his property, without using an agent – said he was after a residential tenant.
He then went on to tell Ezekiel that he ‘ideally’ wants an ‘Eastern European or a European family’.
‘European or Eastern European, doesn’t matter, yeah,’ he continued.
In a viral TikTok, Ezekiel Bademosi, shared a video clip of the conversation after ringing up to offer his services – when he saw a place that was listed online
When questioned, the landlord claimed it’s because he has ‘so many good experiences’ with the demographic.
‘So no Africans, no English,’ Ezekiel queried, before being cut off with a resounding ‘no’ on the other end of line.
When asked why, the man replied: ‘Bad experiences, put it that way.’
A baffled Ezekiel continued: ‘So they’re all the same?’
‘Yeah,’ the man on the call said. ‘That’s my decision and I don’t wanna go into a private conversation about experiences.’
The influencer – who owns Ezy Property Solutions, known as a ‘provider that specialises in offering guaranteed rent to landlords’ – wrote that it was ‘the worst landlord he’s ever come across’.
An influencer who runs a property management company was baffled as he recorded a phone call with an owner who insisted he wanted to only take in ‘European or Eastern European residents’
While many were outraged, slamming the outdated views and pandering to stereotypes, others chimed in that it was ‘his house his choice’
Horrified commenters questioned the legality of the demands, with many citing the Equality Act 2010.
As outlined by the charity Shelter, this means ‘a person who is letting out or managing accommodation must not unlawfully discriminate against a person on the basis of their protected characteristic’.
This includes race, sex, religion or belief, disability, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment or sexual orientation.
‘Surely, this can be reported,’ one penned.
Another added: ‘I’ve come across these landlords several times.’
Elsewhere, people lamented: ‘That’s what most landlords do, but they wouldn’t be bold enough to tell you in your face.’
While many were outraged, slamming the outdated views and pandering to stereotypes, others chimed in that it was ‘his house his choice’.
Some even claimed they ‘understood him 100 per cent’ and admitted to doing the same themselves.
Elsewhere, many expressed their confusion that the man – who appears to be based in the UK – wouldn’t rent out to English people.
Ezekiel’s video has racked up more than 177,000 views and around 11,400 likes.
More than 800 people have commented, with many divided on the controversial stance.
It comes as, in the last quarter of 2024, as reported by Rightmove, the average advertised rent of properties coming to market outside of London fell for the first time since pre-pandemic in 2019 – to £1,341 for month.
However, ‘average advertised rents in London continue to rise, reaching a 13th consecutive quarterly record of £2,695 per calendar month’.
‘Rents are still 4.7 per cent higher than this time last year, but this is the slowest rate of growth since 2021,’ the report added.