A powerful British landlord has banned “colored people” from renting his properties because, he says, they leave the carpets smelling of curry.
Fergus Wilson, 69, has long been regarded as Britain’s biggest buy-to-let landlord, with a property portfolio of £250 million. But the real-estate tycoon he is also famous for his offensive directives on who can and cannot rent his homes.
In January, Wilson made headlines after details of rental criteria were leaked to the press. They shown he forbid rental agents from working on his behalf at Evolution Properties from renting to single parents, low-income workers, or plumbers and battered wives (because violent partners typically cause damage to property by punching holes in the walls).
In a more recent email, Wilson extended the ban to “colored people” because of “the curry smell at the end of the tenancy.”
When contacted by The Sun about the matter, Wilson defended his remarks saying his decision was based on economics and was no different from barring smokers and pet owners due to smell.
“To be honest, we’re getting overloaded with colored people. It is a problem with certain types of colored people—those who consume curry—it sticks to the carpet.
The 69-year-old then insisted he was not racist and had simply made an “economic decision” after having had to clean and replace carpets in his properties on more than one occasion.
“You have to get some chemical thing that takes the smell out. In extreme cases you have to replace the carpet.”
UK anti-racism group Hope Not Hate said Tuesday that Wilson’s comments were “unacceptable.” It added: “You simply cannot treat people like this and deny them a place to live due to their skin color.
“If people such as this man continue to choose tenants on the basis of ethnicity he should face the full force of the law.”
Banning a group from renting property is currently not a criminal offense in the UK. But racial discrimination by a landlord is punishable under civil law, and Wilson could be sued by tenant rights groups.
Roy Fever, a manager at Evolution Properties, said he didn’t condone the directive: “We would never implement a policy like that. We put through anyone to the landlord and it is up to the landlord who they take on.”
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has now promised to investigate the matter and take legal against the landlord if they think he will break the law again in the future.
Rebecca Hilsenrath, EHRC chief executive, called Wilson’s comments “truly disgusting.”
“As a country we all assume we have left the dark ages behind, but clearly there is more to be done,” she said.
