Refused private rental lease

June 2024

Sarah* is an Aboriginal woman and a single parent. She lives in a remote regional town with her six school-aged children and her elderly mother. One of her children has learning and behavioural disabilities. 

Sarah’s application for a four-bedroom rental property was declined even though she could pay the bond and gave proof of enough income to pay rent. After initially refusing to provide reasons, the real estate agent let her know that the landlord had decided to rent the property to another applicant. However, the property remained available for several weeks. Sarah asked her child’s NDIS advocate for help. The real estate agent told the advocate that the landlord was concerned that the property was not large enough for the family and that the child with behavioural disabilities would damage the property.

Sarah lodged a complaint of race and disability discrimination with ADNSW.

ADNSW held an immediate conciliation conference with Sarah, the real estate agent and the landlord due to the limited availability of rental properties in the area. The conciliation led to the landlord agreeing to lease the property to Sarah and this resolved her complaint.

*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the individual.