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Discrimination when buying, renting or living in property

Explains what laws protect you from discrimination when you buy, rent, or live in a property (or place), what you can do if you have been discriminated against, and where you can get support and advice.

  • This information applies to England and Wales.
  • This information applies to adults. It doesn't apply to children unless specifically stated.

What rights do I have if my landlord is a public authority?

If your landlord is a public authority, and they have discriminated against you:

Public sector equality duty

Most public authorities, like government departments, local authorities, police forces and NHS hospitals, are covered by the public sector equality duty.

If you think a public authority is not following its public sector equality duty then you should get legal advice as soon as possible. (See Useful contacts for information on where you can get legal advice.)

Example

A local authority is rewriting its housing policies for its tenants and for people who are on its waiting list.

It is a public authority, so it has to follow the public sector equality duty. This means that, when preparing its new policy, it has to think about:

  • how people with mental health problems will be affected by the changes in policy, and
  • how the policy can be drafted to make sure that people with mental health problems can have the same opportunities to access housing as other people.

To find out more about the public sector equality duty, including how to make a complaint if you think an organisation is not following its duty, see our information on disability discrimination.

Human rights and public authorities

Public authorities have to respect your human rights as well as follow the Equality Act. This includes not discriminating against you, which is protected in British law by being included in the Human Rights Act. For more information, including how to make a complaint if your rights haven't been respected, see our pages on the Human Rights Act.

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This information was published in December 2017.

This page is currently under review. All content was accurate when published. 

References are available on request. If you would like to reproduce any of this information, see our page on permissions and licensing.

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