Leave prejudice at the door

For too many of Britain’s 3.6 million lesbian, gay and bisexual people, reality is still not getting the home you need because you have a partner of the same sex.

A person’s sexual orientation can affect their housing need in a number of ways.

First, there’s prejudice, plain and simple. In 2008, Stonewall found that one in five lesbian and gay people expected worse treatment from a housing officer if they were open about their sexual orientation.

Next, young gay people are often forced to leave home by their families when they come out.

But the biggest problem of all is anti-social behaviour. A Stonewall report last year, Homophobic hate crime, showed that for one in six LGB victims of hate crime the perpetrator lived locally. Seven per cent of LGB people have had their home or property vandalised. But only 4 per cent of victims reported the incident to a housing association, and 4 per cent to a local authority.

The 2007 Sexual Orientation Regulations outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services. This means that estate agents, letting agencies, local councils and housing providers cannot discriminate when deciding who gets a property, or in any other aspect of the services they provide.

The Equality Bill, now making its way through Parliament, would bring in an ‘equality duty’, making public bodies responsible for proactively advancing equality across all strands of discrimination - including sexual orientation. From 2011, when this is likely to take effect, organisations will need to demonstrate the steps they are taking to do this.

Landlords should think through their services as experienced by a lesbian or gay person, from first seeing an advert to living in a home. The steps outlined below will be a good start.

1. Welcome applications from LGB people

A reference on your website explicitly inviting LGB people to apply for housing, or advertising your services in local gay media, will send a strong message.

2. Make your reception a welcoming place

Display visible signifiers such as the Stonewall logo; ensure your frontline and call-answering staff are unfazed by gay individuals and couples; and provide a private space so people don’t need to out themselves in reception.

3. Use inclusive language and monitor

Make sure forms use the right language, such as civil partnership alongside marriage rather than as a separate category. Monitoring should include sexual orientation, ideally covering waiting lists, transfers, unsuccessful applications, reasons for homelessness and anti-social behaviour.

4. Allocations policies

Make sure that there’s no inadvertent discrimination and don’t make assumptions - lesbian and gay people may have children, for example. One lesbian told us of this experience: ‘I said I was gay and that I had two kids and they just looked at me as if to say, you know, this person is completely off their head.’

5. Tenancy and succession

Same sex couples have the same rights to joint tenancies and succession.

6. Anti-social behaviour

There should be zero tolerance shown toward homophobic language and activity by tenants, their visitors and landlords’ staff. This stance should be advertised to potential perpetrators and victims.

7. Help gay people know their rights and responsibilities

Equality for lesbian and gay people is still a new thing. Same-sex couples may not know that benefit cohabitation rules and joint liability for
rent and mortgage arrears apply to them.

8. Homelessness and care services

If you provide homelessness or care services, be sensitive to lesbian and gay service users - whether it’s the placing or provision of carers for older or disabled people, the gender of support staff, or young people requiring support.

9. Comply with the goods, facilities and services regulations

If you’re involved in private sales or lettings, make sure you don’t discriminate in how a house or flat is advertised, or to whom it is offered, or make assumptions about the number of bedrooms needed.

10. Make your organisation lesbian and gay-friendly

Landlords should consider becoming a member of Stonewall’s diversity champions scheme for employers and consider setting up a LGB staff network.

Moves like this can improve landlords’ reputations among the local gay community.

Derek Munn is director of public affairs at Stonewall. www.stonewall.org.uk

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