The accidental landlord: why we still need to tackle sexist and racist behaviour in property, 'my dear'

While everyone seems to be raging against the prospect of perma-tanned US President Donald Trump coming to the UK for a state visit, I’m wondering if perhaps now might be a good time to tackle sexist and racist behaviour in Britain, as experienced by tenants and landlords on a regular basis.

Not long ago, the Government introduced changes to the Immigration Act which now require every landlord to check that every tenant has the right to live in the UK. Research from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants reveals this has caused widespread discrimination against non-British passport holders.

In its recent survey, it found that 42 per cent of landlords were less likely to let to foreign tenants since the introduction of the Right to Rent legislation, and more than a quarter of landlords in the West Midlands, where the scheme was first introduced, were less likely to even consider tenants with “foreign-sounding” names. I assume there are quite a lot of people with foreign names in the West Midlands so that’s a lot of people facing discrimination because of this new UK Government legislation.

And as a businesswoman I face discrimination on an almost weekly basis, right here in Britain. I jointly own properties with my husband, but I’m in charge of the day-to-day management, including dealing with mortgage companies, local councils, utility providers and insurance brokers. Yet I am constantly patronised, blanked and disregarded by everyone from builders to banks to public officials. Why? Because I’m a woman.

When I called an insurance broker to discuss renewing a landlord insurance policy taken out in both my and my husband’s names, the Neanderthal actually asked me if had my husband’s permission to discuss his policy, even though I had bought the original one.

I also had a meeting with an architect who asked me what my husband thought of my plans to improve a two-bedroom rental flat. When I told him my husband had never even seen the property and left all decisions to me, he looked bemused, then said: “I suggest you ask him what he thinks, dear.” Can you imagine any business meeting where a man would be asked to canvas his wife’s opinion? I can’t. Admittedly my husband co-owns the property in question, but still, if he had attended the meeting instead of me, I doubt the architect would have asked him what “her indoors” thought.

I’m not so thin-skinned that I care about an old dinosaur of an architect, but I was beyond irritated when a local council wrote to my husband to inform him of a planning application that might affect one of our properties. Why was the letter addressed only to him when I co-own the place?

My husband was out of the country when the notice arrived, and it could have remained sealed on his desk for more than a fortnight, by which time it would have been too late for us to object to the planning application.

So, while some might accuse Trump of sexism and/or racism, before we get all hot and bothered about his policies perhaps we should get our own sexist, racist house in order.