This is my first btl and its next door to my home. I have an autistic teenager and he cannot bear the sound of small children.
Am I legally allowed to exclude potential tenants who have children? All my enquiries so far are people with kids! I just don’t know what to say to them. Any guidance much appreciated.
Just say “sorry I cannot helpyou” You do not have to give a reason. Just make sure your first question is not about children
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Thank you. Just want to make sure I’m not going to get into trouble!!
You can ask the question as to children in amidst your other questions If they say I have children do not stop the questions there but carry on , to give no inkling of your intentions Easy. I am sure you get the picture
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The the property you are renting is not suitable for child then you could say it. I do as the flats I rent are open plan
and loft style so not suitable for children.
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I agree with this suggestion, as it stops wasting their time as well as yours
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I have steep stairs so that’s my get out clause , also it’s too small as well as there is a lot off glass patio doors and as it’s furnished it has a glass coffee and dining room table .
I also gave on street parking restrictions and you cannot park outside and could be on a meter a few streets away and unloading children, buggies and shopping is just not suitable nor practical.
My advert states not suitable for families however I still get enquiries.
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Well it is age discrimination in a way, and your putting them at a disadvantage to be able to get housing because they have children and are a family, so if anyone found out (just like I have on here) they could dispute it possibly under the Equality act 2010.
How would you feel if a landlord didn’t let you rent a property because you had a child? worst still because of your child’s noise they may make? from their meltdown’s due to their ASD etc… would you consider that as okay? or dispute it because he has disabled needs? if so how can you be hypercritical?
I have an autistic son however if I was a landlord there’s no way on earth would I state ‘‘no children allowed’’ in a property I was renting to me next door. if anything I would be more concerned in telling potential tenants of the noise disruptions they may face if leasing from me due to my sons needs.
Are you doing this ? to be fair to them also?
Or just assuming they should deal with this, and its okay as your child is disabled.
All what these other landlords are suggesting quite frankly is disgraceful, and rude.
I know how hard it can be as a carer however you should never make huge adjustments around your child with ASD such as this, as your not helping them in this day and age to not experience all sounds etc… experiences of the modern world and therefore doing him more harm then good, by setting them up for unrealistic expectations.
There is also the FACT that I know so many of my neighbours I have had in the pass (bless them) put up with so much, shouting, banging, screaming all sorts from my son’s meltdown and the damage from these he would cause also. They put up with way more noise from me being next to them with my son having ASD then I ever did them and there three children.
However they accepted this compassionately and kindly being parents themselves.
What kind of person/landlord are you when you say to potential tenants no children, when your a parent yourself, and with a child on the spectrum your expecting a tenants with no to children to lease off you and put up with the noise disruption from yourselves as a family.
You stating to all potential tenants that they too could be facing noise disruptions because of your circumstances if they rent of you? or are you just being picky because of your own circumstances and not considering your tenants needs too?
As any tenant of yours is going to be in the same position living next to you, as you would be if potential tenants of yours children.
I can tell you now my son is a teenager and his ASD especially does not get any quieter as they get older. So if anything out of all this, I think you have a duty to make any potential tenant’s aware to of the potential noise they could be experiencing from you having a child with ASD, from meltdowns etc and by living next to you.
And honestly knowing how hard it is as a carer with my son on the spectrum, if parents want to move next to you with children, this is a blessing not a burden. They are going to more understandable of your circumstances having children themselves, and they could be the ones (as I was during the lockdown pandemic of which my son didn’t understand and kicked me through a glass window) driving you to hospital when/if your child does the same. That quiet working professional who’s not there’s all day most likely will be out living there own non dependents life if/when your in need of help.
And god will have his own way of showing you , you’ve made decisions based on money not compassion .
- there’s no way my next-door neighbours children’s noise would ever be enough to over take the noise of my sons ASD meltdowns, so I feel as a parent this is very hypercritical of you, and a landlord/person not compassionate, and personally as much as landlords on here are offering you manipulative and cunning suggestions on how you can get around this. I would not want gods karma on this situation if I was you, by doing any of them.
Children without ASD have as much right to make noise in for whatever reason and have a home to live in, as much as your child with ASD has the right to as well.
The landlords on here telling you how to cunningly get around this should be ashamed of themselves.
I know for a FACT that my son made more noise disruption to our neighbours with his meltdowns then there children ever did to us, and even if they didn’t I would be in no position to complain or be choosey.
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How manipulative and rude.
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i Do not care what you think. i will manipulate my property the way I want .I have to consider my other tenants ,Some who have been with me more than 20 years. If you think thats rude I could easily say your attitude is rude
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You also have to very careful that your karma doesn’t unfold on you here, as if the people enquiring into your property also have children on the spectrum too, or who are disable in any way, and you say no to housing because they have children, you could get taken to court for denying them the rights to fair housing under the Equality act 2010, due to not being allowed due to there children/disability. This is also disability discrimination, as you are putting them at a disadvantage for housing.
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Not necessary as all property under rights to fair housing regulations, could be if needed (adapted) its really up to parents discretion, you can state it,as advisable, however it would be up to the parents to decide to rent still if they wanted too, and take the risk, however id anything happen unsafe which co inside with your initial advisors they couldn’t sue. You can say it’s not suitable for children, however you can’t deny them rights to housing based on this, if they still decided they wanted to proceed with renting.
Reasonable adjustments under the EA 2010 allowing them, and disabled people permit them too. for example: if you put no pets allowed. pets would still have to be allowed weather you wanted them to be or not if a person wanting to rent from you has a guide dog or a ESA , they are allowed to and have rights to rent any property by law if they want to as like anyone else without/not needing a support pet, and you can’t deny them the rights too.
If needed reasonable adjustments do have to be made by landlords also by law to permit this and not discriminate against them.
So long and short of it, you can say what you like, and do what you like, however if you are and get found out to be discriminating in any way, and denying the right to fair housing to potential tenants based on/around this you could get taken to court.
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Thank you for your thoughts Lily.
Please note I was asking the question, not offering an opinion. I am only interested to learn the legal position here, hence the question.
You’ve made a lot of assumptions about me that are not true, but I thank you for helping me with the query nonetheless. You have contributed to my learning.
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Lily
To say the facts about the property if it’s not suitable
for child then what is wrong and it’s nothing to do
about discrimination. What type of parent would be they wanted to go and check the property and outing their child life
at risk or to do something to wait for tragedy.
I have been living in the same development and I have
seen a couple who owned the property and when expecting a child they just look for somewhere suitable for child or may be just before the child start crawling.
There is a clear distinction between protection, responsibility, demanding and discrimination.
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@Daniel33 I know a landlord “inviting” to leave her 1bed house after 3 yrs of tenency becuase the property not suittable for more than two adults. The couple enterend in the tenancy were expecting their first child.
Having briefly said that, if you genuily think the property is not suitable for couple with kids, than I can’t see why you shouldn’t point this out. In any case you could end up to rent to a couple and after 4 years find a couple and children living in a 1bed property!
We know that some landlords couldnt’t give a monckey whether tenants are expecting to occupy the property with children or not, however some actually do care for their property and all the legal commitment that comes with it, such as insurance, mortgage terms and conditions, safety, suitability and other issues that may not necessarily be part of some kind of legislation. You must consider the above points in any case, for istance we shouldn’t be renting to people on benefits becuase mortgage landers and insurance preventing from doing so, but legislation clearly states that this is now illigal and discriminating.
Nothing will stop potential tenants to enquire about your property, whether they plan to have kids or not, you should try not to fall into legal issues such as discrimination that might create issues.
It is ok to say no kids becuase the “property is to small, has a steep stairs, has only one bedroom” etc. Clearly is not ok “I can’t bear the sound of small children”
Hope the above, together with other landlords suggestions will help you to find the slution the issue, but I personally believe that sometimes a common sense will prevent from headaches.
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There is nothing in law across the UK that compels a landlord to have to rent to tenants with children.
You cannot discriminate on gender.
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Don’t listen to the OTT moral lecturing. Your property, your choice. You don’t have to explain or justify your reasons to anyone.
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An ESA is not protected, this statements is not correct.