Landlords cannot discriminate against those in receipt of rent supplement
As of the 1st January 2016, the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015 has introduced “housing assistance” as a new discriminatory ground.
This means that people in receipt of rent supplement, housing assistance payments or other social welfare payments can no longer be discriminated against in relation to the provision of accommodation or related services or amenities.
Landlords, letting agents, and property advertisers are also prohibited from publishing or displaying advertisements which indicate an intention to discriminate on the housing assistance ground.
Examples of discrimination on the housing assistance ground
Discrimination on the housing assistance ground will include –
Using phrases such as ‘rent supplement not accepted’, ‘professionals only’ in property advertisements;
Refusing to allow a person to view a property;
Refusing to let a property;
Including a discriminatory term or condition in a lease, tenancy agreement or licence agreement, whether oral or verbal;
Refusing to renew a lease, tenancy agreement, or licence agreement;
Terminating a lease, tenancy agreement, or licence agreement;
Withdrawing or restricting access to services related to accommodation;
How do I make a complaint?
If you have been discriminated against on the housing assistance ground, or any other protected ground, in relation to the provision of accommodation you may make a complaint under the Equal Status Acts. Complaints should be made to the Workplace Relations Commission.
A complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission must be referred within 6 months of the date of discrimination.
Before making a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission, the landlord, letting agent, or advertiser concerned must be notified in writing within 2 months of the date of discrimination of the nature of the allegation and the intention to refer a complaint.
Both the notification form (ES1) and the complaint form are available from the Workplace Relations Commission here: https://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/Publications_Forms/
Reporting an ad on Daft
If you see an ad on Daft that you feel is discriminatory you can click the “Report this ad” link.
Once reported, a member of our content team will review the reported ad.
We operate a robust notice and take down policy around this type of content.
