A would-be student tenant has accused a landlord of making homophobic rules before agreeing to a house viewing.

Posting on the discussion platform Reddit, the tenant explains that he received a private message (main image, inset) after responding to an advert on a big student accommodation agency site, about the two-bedroom property in Canterbury (main image).

In the message, the landlord, who says he lives abroad, asks: “Could you first let me know a bit about yourself and your partner who would be sharing with you: your nationalities, ages, occupations, your interests, lifestyles and so on? Please note that, as per the adverts, we will only consider male-female couples. If this isn’t the case with you, then I’m afraid we couldn’t take this further.”

Warning

The would-be tenant posts that he believes it’s a genuine property – although surprisingly cheap at £400 a month - but has highlighted the response to warn others of their rights. He has also reported the landlord. However, there is no way of knowing if these claims are true as the tenant and landlord’s identity have been hidden on the site.

“I was messaged by someone who said they recognised this email and had actually rented the place from the landlord in the past,” he says. “They said the landlord is horrendous and would ask invasive questions and just be an overall nightmare to deal with.”

The tenant is aware of the law and adds: “Under section 33 of the Equality Act, refusing to let to someone based on protected qualities is considered unlawful discrimination. If you can’t follow the law, you shouldn’t be letting your property. Clearly a lot of landlords don’t seem to be aware of this.

“My guess at how he’s getting away with it is because he never actually mentioned this gender ‘requirement’ in the listing as he claimed he did.”