Homeowners are illegally advertising ‘Muslim only’ flats in parts of East London, as politicians condemned the listings as ‘disgusting and anti-British’.
Online adverts and social media posts have revealed apartments are being marketed specifically for Muslims in areas such as Woodford, Stratford and Leyton.
The phrase ‘Muslims only’ is strictly banned in ads, but is still being used by live-in landlords to ensure they just receive applications from those of the same faith.
Others get around the ban by stating their preference for a Muslim person, which is allowed – but only for those renting out a room in the home where they reside.
Among those leading fury at the ads was Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s economic spokesman, who said on X: ‘These adverts are disgusting and anti-British.
‘It goes without saying that there would be a national outrage if the tables were turned. Is anything going to happen or is this now acceptable in two-tier Britain?’
Tory frontbencher Sir James Cleverly described the ads as ‘plainly unacceptable’ and called on ministers to ‘urgently ensure the rules are enforced properly’.
The shadow housing secretary said: ‘This is plainly unacceptable. Discriminating against tenants on the basis of religion is unlawful under the Equality Act and has no place in our housing market.’
One of the ads in London is marketing a ‘spacious friendly Muslim female only flatshare’
‘Reports of “Muslim only” rental listings in London are a failure of enforcement and a breach of the law which undermines fairness for all renters. Ministers must urgently ensure the rules are enforced properly and that those flouting them face consequences.’
Landlords or letting agents cannot advertise their property for a particular religion, due to equality laws.
But the rules are more flexible for ads written by flatmates and people with lodgers, because they are allowed to have a preference on their new flatmate’s religion.
Those stating a religious preference are advised to explain it clearly and without exclusionary wording – meaning they cannot state that the room is for ‘Muslims only.’
They can however state a preferred flatmate, and therefore an acceptable statement might be: ‘This is a halal household, so we’d prefer a Muslim housemate.’
One homeowner who advertised a room in a ‘Muslim flat’ in East London has insisted he is not racist, telling the Daily Mail he was merely highlighting ‘a cultural thing’ when he rented out ‘a luxurious single room in a shared male Muslim house’.
The man, who did not wish to be named, said he did not want to ‘discriminate against anybody’, saying: ‘It’s my house. It’s not discrimination. In this house we are Muslim’.
He added: ‘It is a Muslim household but this is more of a cultural thing. If somebody is here, we don’t drink. We don’t drink in the house. It’s our culture – it’s not being racist. I come from a multicultural place in Mauritius. All my friends are mixed.’
The man lives in a large £640,000 semi-detached home in a smart residential street close to a mosque. There is no suggestion he has acted against the law, given the exemptions provided under the Equality Act.
The ad for the room – listed on SpareRoom for tenants at £600 per month including utility bills – describes it as a ‘Muslim household, no non-halal food, alcohol etc’.
An advert for another £600-per-month room says: ‘Single room in a Muslim flat, East London’
His ad is headed: ‘Single room in a Muslim flat, East London’. Under gender, it states: ‘Males preferred’. The ad also says: ‘Single room for one person. Room is double size but letting for one person only.’ It states that ‘all sports and movies are available’.
Explaining the house rules, the ad says: ‘Always pay rent on time. Always try to have a nice relationship with fellow housemates by being considerate and respectful.’
The ad was live on Spare Room when the Mail approached the man, but he insisted it was ‘very old’ and he is no longer letting out rooms. It was later removed.
He said: ‘I don’t know why it is still there. It should be taken down. I don’t rent out rooms now. If you look at the house it’s completely different now. All the decor, I changed it completely. It was from about ten years ago, when I first moved here.’
The Mail also found a separate ad for a ‘spacious friendly Muslim female only flatshare’ in another part of East London. It said: ‘We need a Muslim female (due to halal only and no alcohol) to take up the room for short-term period.’
A SpareRoom spokesman told the Mail: ‘Unlike landlords, flatmates sharing a property, as well as homeowners advertising for lodgers, are allowed to express certain preferences when it comes to who they live with.
‘The two room-offered ads you’ve flagged don’t break any equality laws. One simply states that the existing flatmates are Muslim. The other ad hasn’t been live since 2012.
‘If it were placed today, we would change ‘female only’ to ‘female preferred’ to align with our own policies. We ask flatmates to write their ads clearly and respectfully, and we ask everyone to avoid using exclusionary wording.’
A third advert in London states: ‘Muslim girls preferred’, adding: ‘We are Pakistani family’
A third ad for another room elsewhere in London – which has since been taken down, but follows the correct wording – said: ‘Muslim girls preferred’, adding: ‘We are Pakistani family.’
The Equality Act means that if you are a landlord or letting agent, it is illegal to discriminate against someone you are renting to – whether a room or a whole property – on the basis of ‘protected characteristics’.
These include religion or beliefs; sex or gender; race or ethnicity; disability including mobility aids such as guide dogs; sexual orientation; gender reassignment and pregnancy or maternity.
These rules apply to all non-resident landlords and agents – which means someone cannot refuse tenants, exclude applicants, or use wording in adverts that discriminates on any of these grounds.
However, the rules are more flexible for someone who lives live in the property they are advertising a room for. They are then allowed to have a preference on their new flatmate, but still not when it comes to race.
SpareRoom insists it takes action on adverts that do not follow this guidance.
One website was set up in August 2023 purely dedicated to matching flatmates who share the faith of Islam.
‘Muslim Flatmate’ helps young Muslims who can ‘cook together, pray together and break fast together as they go about their busy lives’, according to its website.
Similar websites exist for other faiths – including ‘Christian Flatshare’, a non-profit organisation which helps Christians find accommodation and a local church community.
