LANDLORDS are getting away with racial discrimination when selecting tenants due to the lack of anti-discrimination laws in Malaysia.

Particularly, Africans and Indians are frequently targeted in such cases, which makes house-hunting much more difficult, the South China Morning Post reported.

A Malaysian Indian tenant said she frequently encountered disclaimers saying “no Indians” when she was looking for a place to stay and it took her six months to find a house.

Another Chinese Indian tenant recounted a landlord’s probing questions about her ethnicity and the colour of her skin.

A property agent acknowledged the problem but said there was little agents could do as there are no laws barring such practices.

The South China Morning Post also cited cases where two entire housing complexes barred Africans from staying there and had instructed homeowners to evict those already staying there.

The article also noted the thousands of listings on a local property rental site that are seeking “Chinese only” tenants.

Landlords often justify the move by saying Africans cause “nuisance and problems in the community”.

Despite the prevalence of racial discrimination in the property sector, Prime Minister Najib Razak had said late last year that the government has no plans to propose anti-discrimination laws.

Analysts say an oversupply in the property market may force landlords to be more inclusive out of necessity but it would do little to address the issue in the long run. – January 9, 2018.