The WRC dismissed two Equal Status Act complaints against an estate agent in a decision dated 6 October 2017. The accommodation seeker alleged that an online advert stating “Rent Allowance not Accepted” and a phone call were discriminatory. The adjudication officer found no sufficient evidence linking the agent to the website and considered the account of the call improbable.
The second complaint alleged discrimination on gender and race grounds in an email to the WRC. The officer found no clear indication of discrimination, noting that the parties had not met and that the respondent could not have known the complainant’s skin colour. Neither complaint established a prima facie case.