Salman* was on the search for a property to rent. During a property viewing with his estate agent, Salman told the agent that the property was unsuitable because, among other reasons, his wife wore a niqab and she would not feel comfortable hosting friends and family in an open plan kitchen and living room. The estate agent acknowledged Salman’s reasons and said that he would look for further, more suitable, properties.
Later that evening, Salman received a voicemail from his estate agent, intended for the current tenant of the property and not him, that made derogatory and abhorrent Islamophobic remarks about Salman. The remarks included the estate agent saying “stupid, silly Muslims”.
Salman reported the incident to the police but he was notified that the agent’s comments did not constitute a hate crime, so the police were unable to help. Salman then reported the incident to the IRU. The IRU wrote a formal complaint to the company about the unprofessional and unacceptable remarks by their employee. The company wrote an apology within two weeks of the complaint and notified us that the particular estate agent was “no longer assisting” their operations.