In the congested housing market, the search for rental property can quickly turn into a nightmare, especially in big cities. And some homeowners are not helping the situation by adding new kinds of selection criteria to their list.
These days, it’s not uncommon to find rental ads requesting vegan tenants or stating days when laundry is allowed.
Landlords already have a reputation for being a demanding group when it comes to selecting tenants, but some develop highly specific criteria as the basis for their selection, as noted in a residential ad that appeared on the New York rental market recently. It’s about two spacious apartments in Fort Greene, a Brooklyn neighborhood famous for its green spaces and family atmosphere. Rents are $4,500 (RM 20,575) and US$ 5,700 (RM 26,060), which is pretty expensive but pretty typical for New York.
However, what stood out in this ad was that it stated that no meat or fish could be cooked in the building. New York Times. The real estate agency in charge of renting these two properties explained to the American newspaper that the consumption of animal products is strictly prohibited, only that the tenants cannot cook them indoors.
The reason for this is that the host, who is vegan, does not want the smells of food to enter his own apartment in the same building. This rather unusual situation has been in effect since the owner bought the residence with her ex-husband in 2007.
“It’s not about discrimination. You have to fit inside the building,” one of the co-owners explained. New York Times.
This real estate ad caused quite a stir due to its unconventional and potentially discriminatory nature. Is it really legal for a landlord to make such a request? That’s what it looked like in New York.
City law states that there are 14 criteria that landlords are not allowed to consider when choosing a tenant, including age, ethnicity, occupation, family status or sexual orientation. But the diet, which theoretically allows landlords to have a say in the kitchen habits of their tenants, is not one of them.
In some countries such as France, such a situation is unthinkable. French law stipulates that it is prohibited to refuse a tenant on the basis of certain criteria considered discriminatory, including their customs or lifestyle. The landlord has the right to base its decision solely on the candidate’s financial situation and the guarantees it offers. For example, a tenant who smokes or owns a pet (unless classified as an endangered and/or protected species) cannot be refused outright.
In reality, however, many homeowners make demands that reach the point of being unreasonable or even oppressive. This is a state of excitement among Internet users on social networks, and they do not fall short of their sarcasm.
Real estate expert Madalina Dragalina humorously describes what the ideal tenant looks like in the eyes of German landlords. “She has a long distance relationship, travels a lot for work, doesn’t know how to cook, hates garlic, has a background as an electrician and can therefore do home repairs alone. And he doesn’t smoke or have pets,” he says in a video on TikTok.
situation in asia
This phenomenon extends beyond Europe, the United States, and the West. Many tenants in Asia complain of excessive demands from some landlords, especially when they live in cities where the cost of living is particularly high.
“If you tried renting in Singapore – at least not the whole unit, but just one room – you would find a lot of these weird rules. An Internet user known on TikTok as @lixiedixie says not to cook, to do laundry only once a week, or to do laundry after 12 PM. like not washing it. “Aren’t we all human? We just want to live together consistently.”
These videos show the extent to which the housing market is under pressure in major cities around the world. Tenants are finding it increasingly difficult to find accommodation they can afford, especially as landlords extend the list of selection criteria. It is not surprising, then, that house-seeking is becoming an increasingly common concern, especially among the younger generation. – AFP Comforting News
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