45,000-euro fine for a case of housing-access discrimination
A local authority punishes, for the first time, direct discrimination in Access to housing on the ground of origin. The case occurred in the city after the owner of a flat in La Barceloneta and the company marketing it denied a person of Moroccan origin from renting it. The fine was 45,000 euros.
The discrimination took place when the victim expressed an interest in renting the dwelling and provided proof of a sufficient level of solvency but the estate agent failed to reply to the request and argued that another applicant had been chosen. However, the flat remained empty and on the market weeks later.
Later on, someone from the victim’s environment who was not from a Moroccan background expressed an interest in the flat, visited it and confirmed they had a similar level of solvency. Here the estate agent was ready to rent out the dwelling to the applicant. This proved that the applicant’s eligibility for renting the dwelling had nothing to do their solvency or its lack of availability.
The victim reported the facts to the Office for Non-Discrimination (OND), which studied and analysed the case alongside the Discipline and Anti-Mobbing Unit at the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation (IMHAB).
Protection from discrimination on the ground of origin is a right recognised in the Spanish Constitution, while prohibited access to goods and services is regulated by European Directive 2004/113/EC. Discrimination on the ground of origin constitutes a very serious offence, punishable with a fine of 45,000 euros.
