I hope this isn't one of you -

[d000hg]

If they won't sell to gay people they will get punished as no estate agent will touch them and that's the bed they made for themselves

So you're saying it's OK for an agent to discriminate who they take as customers based on protected characteristics?

[d000hg]

But if they wanted to use a proper estate agent, they won't have the opportunity to find out the background of the buyer until they have accepted an offer.

1)'proper' is pretty subjective. Modern disruptors are a breath of fresh air to an industry which is money for old rope.
2)That's a huge stretch. Many people do their own viewings. We prefer to and we prefer to meet the owners when buying since the agent invariably knows absolutely nothing about the property compared to the people who have spent 30 years there.

[northernladuk]

I'll doubtless get shot down for this by the bedwetters on here but...

Surely it's entirely up to the house owner who they sell their house to, regardless whether the potential buyer is gay, green with orange spots, a horned dwarf alien from the planet Zarg or a property developer?

The world's gone soft.

And I'd totally agree. If people don't like it then they don't deal with them. If they won't sell to gay people they will get punished as no estate agent will touch them and that's the bed they made for themselves. If they are OK with that then let them do what they want. Let society and business deal with them and their poor attitude, not an angry mob who has different opinions. In a situation like this I think Karma will sort it out quite nicely.

[northernladuk]

It is up to them.
This cake baker didn't want to bake a gay marriage cake, it went to the UK supreme and European court of human rights https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...case-rcna11191 (He was right ,he didn't have to)

Its not as black and white as that as I explained in my summary near the top. They wouldn't put the message on the cake. It wasn't because the customer was gay. They wouldn't have done that cake if straight people had bought it. If the gay guy had just asked for one saying Happy Birthday John he would have got it. That case is about the message on the cake not the people that bought it.

[Eirikur]

I'll doubtless get shot down for this by the bedwetters on here but...

Surely it's entirely up to the house owner who they sell their house to, regardless whether the potential buyer is gay, green with orange spots, a horned dwarf alien from the planet Zarg or a property developer?

The world's gone soft.

It is up to them.
This cake baker didn't want to bake a gay marriage cake, it went to the UK supreme and European court of human rights https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...case-rcna11191 (He was right ,he didn't have to)

[WTFH]

I'll doubtless get shot down for this by the bedwetters on here but...

Surely it's entirely up to the house owner who they sell their house to, regardless whether the potential buyer is gay, green with orange spots, a horned dwarf alien from the planet Zarg or a property developer?

The world's gone soft.

Totally, and if they don't want to sell their house because they have a check list of requirements, that's entirely up to them. But if they wanted to use a proper estate agent, they won't have the opportunity to find out the background of the buyer until they have accepted an offer.
It is only because they decided to do it privately that they were able to apply their personal opinions to people who wanted to view the house.

The world hasn't gone soft, the bedwetters are getting to decide who they can and can't sell property to based on their personal bias, which isn't necessarily the best way to sell a property if you're wanting the money to buy another.

[SueEllen]

I'm surprised the bible (and similar fairy-tale books) is still legal to sell as it is homophobic literature

The holy books are open to interpretation which is why people study them for years and argue/discuss the meanings of sections.

[Dark Black]

I'll doubtless get shot down for this by the bedwetters on here but...

Surely it's entirely up to the house owner who they sell their house to, regardless whether the potential buyer is gay, green with orange spots, a horned dwarf alien from the planet Zarg or a property developer?

The world's gone soft.

[SueEllen]

I saw this and was looking for the other thread on this similar theme and the gay cakes and tack it on to the end.

The gay cakes gate ended in the appeal from the cake makers being upheld in the supreme court
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-32065233

Looks like the cake appeal will provide case law for instances like the house but it won't as they appeal went on the message of the cake not the orientation of the purchaser. They would have refused to do the cake with that slogan whatever the sexual orientation of the customer so it wasn't discriminating directly against the orientation of the customer so not discrimination. In this case it is direct discrimination against the two gentlemen wanting to buy it so will be an interesting one. I expect the couple will lose if this goes to court.

The couple could only take PB to court as they don't have a contract with would-be house sellers. As PB has taken appropriate action e.g. told the would-be sellers where to go, no court action is needed.

The only other action would be for old Bill to get involved and do the would-be sellers for hate speech or something else, but as this is now in the public domain there is no need. In fact it's even worse for the couple as the media have stated where one of them works and most employers/companies have policies written into contracts that you can't bring their name into disrepute.

[MasterBait]

I'm surprised the bible (and similar fairy-tale books) is still legal to sell as it is homophobic literature