Published
Video duration:
7 mins
Many French people with foreign-sounding names still have difficulty finding rental accommodation. Racial discrimination tolerated by one in two real estate agencies according to a study by SOS Racisme.
His name is Afif Khaled. The cartoonist contacts dozens of owners every week looking for rental accommodation near Angoulême (Charente). But the answer is always the same, the property is already rented. He has difficulty getting a visit although this was no problem when his ex-wife, with a French-sounding name, was in charge of the search. “I’ve lived this all my life and I see that things don’t change”he laments.
Real estate agents trained to deal with landlords
In Poitiers (Vienna)the SOS racism association carried out its latest investigation. The result is clear: men of West African or North African origin often get no response. In France, one in two real estate agencies would accept discriminatory demands from owners. Real estate agents are now trained to learn how to react to owners. For those guilty of discrimination, the risks are limited, because often, the facts are not even reported.