Rotterdam launches anti-discrimination housing rent website
The municipality of Rotterdam is set to unveil a website, scheduled for Friday launch, where prospective renters can anonymously express interest in privately rented properties. This initiative aims to combat discrimination practiced by landlords. Rotterdam intends to expand this six-month trial to other municipalities if it proves successful.
Although the law prohibits landlords from selecting tenants based on characteristics like nationality, gender, or religion, the municipality notes that "residential discrimination" is still prevalent in practice. Prospective tenants with names that sound foreign are 23 percent less likely to receive invitations for property viewings.
Alderman Chantal Zeegers (responsible for Climate, Building, and Housing) deems this situation "unacceptable" and emphasizes that "no one, absolutely no one, should be excluded from the housing market based on their background." Zeegers asserts that equal housing opportunities are a fundamental right.
The website, www.eerlijktehuur.nl, enables housing seekers to complete a housing passport containing details such as income, family size, and the type of home they are seeking. Once the information is verified, the housing passport holder can anonymously express interest in available properties, with landlords only seeing a response code, not the applicant's name. The applicant's name becomes visible only when they are invited for a property viewing. If a viewing is subsequently canceled by the landlord, the system alerts the municipality, prompting a potential investigation.
The website will initially feature around 200 properties from the Rotterdam Private Landlords Platform, with over half of them categorized as social rental homes.
