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A “vile and offensive” email delivered to Perth tenants has prompted WA’s consumer watchdog to issue a stern warning to the real estate industry.
Consumer Protection Commissioner Patricia Blake has promised to stand behind any tenant experiencing and calling out racist behaviour within the WA real estate industry, following the agency’s action against Victoria Park agent Bronwyn Pollitt.
Ms Pollitt has had her licence suspended for a period of eight months and has agreed to undergo additional training and mentoring after an email she wrote to two former tenants, who are originally from India, came to light. The email was sent over the course of determining who was liable to pay a cleaning fee after the tenants had vacated a property under her management. Ms Pollitt wrote that it was “impossible to have a discussion about what is clean” with the tenants, comparing “white Australian” standards to “India and other cultures”.
As described by the consumer affairs department during a press conference on Friday, 8 September, the missive was “littered with racist and offensive language” and contained further “vile and offensive remarks around Indian immigration”.
Ms Blake used it as an opportunity to note that “this is not the first complaint of this nature within this industry”, and said that consumer affairs’ action should serve as a warning: “We are watching you and we will take action to protect any tenant in the community that is subjected to this type of appalling behaviour in the future.”
Ms Blake said she was disgusted and shocked by the content of the email and commented that her agency was quick to lead the disciplinary action against Ms Pollitt.
“There is absolutely no place for racism in the real estate industry,” Ms Blake asserted.
She said that the unequal power dynamics within the tenant-landlord and tenant-property manager relationship deter tenants from speaking up when they encounter prejudice.
“It is easy for people renting to stay quiet for fear of being kicked out or missing out on a rental,” Ms Blake commented.
“I urge anyone in the market to report any evidence of racism to us so we can investigate.
“I am putting all agents, property managers and sales representatives on notice, we will act accordingly if we receive any complaints against you.”
Ms Blake encourages anyone who has had experienced discrimination during real estate transactions to contact consumer affairs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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