10 examples of discrimination

Louis, 78, and Jeanne, 77, would like to rent an apartment on the 3rd floor with a lift. The landlord refuses to rent them the apartment on the grounds that if the lift ever breaks down, they might not be able to use the stairs. 

Amandine works in a bar and has been living with Yann, an actor, for several years. The estate agent refuses to forward their application to the landlord of the apartment they wish to rent, claiming that their incomes do not appear to be stable enough. 

Guillaume is visually impaired and lives alone. A landlord refuses to rent him an apartment, fearing that he may not be able to maintain it properly and that its condition might deteriorate. 

Caroline is married and has a one-year-old son named Hugo. She wants to rent a 2-bedroom apartment so that Hugo can have his own room. The landlord refuses to rent to her, fearing that the child's crying and screaming might disturb the peace and quiet of the building. 

Marco contacts Patrick to rent his apartment. On checking Marco's social media profile, Patrick discovers that Marco is very committed to humanitarian causes that Patrick does not support. As a result, Patrick decides not to contact Marco again and instead waits for other prospective tenants. 

Chantal is a landlord who has an appointment with Nadia, a prospective tenant. When Nadia arrives wearing a hijab, Chantal explains that she personally has nothing against the hijab, but unfortunately her neighbours are racist. Therefore, she tells Nadia that renting the apartment to her would cause too many problems. 

Maxence is a very diligent estate agent. He routinely asks every new prospective tenant to complete a detailed personal information form and to provide a copy of their employment contract, their last three payslips and a letter of recommendation from their previous landlord. 

Dieudonné is of Congolese origin. When he applies to rent an apartment, using his name, he receives no response. He then asks his friend, who has a more Belgian-sounding name, to contact the landlord. Unlike Dieudonné, Antoine promptly receives an appointment to visit the property. 

Bruno and Séba are a couple. During a visit to an apartment, the landlord tells Bruno and Séba that he does not wish to enter into a shared-tenancy agreement. Bruno and Séba reassure him that this is not a shared tenancy but that they are a married couple with regular incomes and that they are very interested in the property. Following their visit, they are never contacted by the landlord again. 

Nicole receives social assistance from the Public Centre for Social Welfare (PCSW). Before visiting an apartment, a landlord asks her about the her source of income. When Nicole informs him that she is receiving assistance from the PCSW, the landlord refuses to show her the property, fearing that the rent will go unpaid and that the property will be damaged.