A landlord has been accused of discrimination after he banned vegans from applying to live in his spare room.
The live-in landlord, named as Alex on the SpareRoom advert that went live on Monday, warned viewers in block capitals if youre vegan, dont bother before continuing to list other requirements.
His duplex apartment, located in Manchesters Northern Quarter, boasts a spacious living room, bathroom and two bedrooms for £700 per month.
The 27-year-old even did his best to scare off flatmates by writing if youre untidy in general – forget it.
Alex brags that he is a pretty nice guy, laidback and not your typical landlord that everyone hates – though goes on to warn prospective tenants not to take the p**s.
He also claims he cant be arsed with a 24/7 hour party animal either, sorry.
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Now the Vegan Society are urging the landlord to reconsider his decision and reminded Alex that vegans have excellent cooking skills.
Alexs original advert reads: Hi, Im Alex and Ill be living with you as a live in landlord. Im 27 years old.
Id like to think Im a pretty nice guy – definitely not your typical landlord that everyone hates, Im pretty laidback with everything, but dont take the p**s.
If youre Vegan, dont bother. My room is right above yours, on the second floor. On your level, theres a kitchen, a bathroom and the front door. My bedroom is next to the living room upstairs.
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There is no wardrobe in your room, only a set of drawers, a small table and a bed which is enough for most people.
There wont be a TV in the living room until at least December, as Im only just coming back from being abroad for 6 months. Ill buy one as soon as I can.
Its a great flat, in an even better location, especially if you work in the city centre. If you dont, Piccadilly Station is a 5 minute walk away. Youll also be a 2 minute walk away from all the bars/restaurants in the [Northern Quarter].
Please tell me a little about yourself when you get in touch.
I can tell you right now that if you arent keen on doing your own dishes or if youre untidy in general – forget it. I cant be arsed with a 24/7 hour party animal either, sorry.
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After being made aware of the advert, the Vegan Society pointed out that had Alex been trying to rent out the whole house, such discrimination would not be appropriate.
However he enjoys a loophole as a live-in landlord and is able to ensure only meat eaters are welcome.
A spokesperson for The Vegan Society said: While we can appreciate that the landlord was aiming for the advert to be humorous, we dont quite understand why he would be opposed to living with a vegan.
Its worth noting that if he was letting out a whole house, discrimination would not be appropriate but there is an exemption in certain situations such as if youre a live-in landlord.
It is a well-known fact that many vegans are good cooks who pay attention to what goes into their meals.
Vegans are often happy to cook for their housemates too, which we think might make Alex reconsider his decision to ban them from his home.
SpareRoom, the website where Alex posted his advert, have called his views contradictory and claim they prefer users to be a bit more positive in how they word things.
A spokesperson for SpareRoom said: When people are advertising for someone to live with its common for them to have preferences in terms of their new flatmate.
We prefer it if people are a bit more positive in how they word things though.
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Saying Im pretty laid back with everything, followed by If youre vegan, dont bother, feels like a bit of a contradiction.
Ultimately, wed always prefer it if our users take people on the basis of who they are, rather than which boxes they tick.”
When Alex was approached for comment, he said: Are you interested in the room or not?
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