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Agencies & People

Another Purplebricks vendor in the news over prejudice

Can vendors be trusted to manage viewings of their own houses? Not if the example of a Purplebricks' client in the West Midlands is any guide.

The Negotiator

Purplebricks MailOnline logo

The Daily Mail’s online site reports that a vendor in Birmingham, marketing their house through Purplebricks, is refusing viewings from people from the Asian and Indian communities.

The Mail quotes the vendor, mother of three Claire May, 40, as saying to househunters Ajay and Sereena Suman, “I am no longer taking viewings from the Indian/Asian community who are not serious buyers. But just look around properties for sale…as a day out. There are many other properties you can waste people’s time on so I suggest you go view one of them.”

On seeing the report, Purplebricks withdrew as the vendor’s agent and refunded their fee. A spokesman said, “The house is no longer on the market with Purplebricks. We also contacted the buyer to express how appalled we were by this message and apologise that they’ve had this experience. The sentiments expressed in this message are completely opposed to Purplebricks’ views and values.”

When contacted by the MailOnline, Mrs May said, “There’s a lot more to the story than you know. I’m not the slightest bit racist.”

It was also the MailOnline which revealed how a gay couple Luke Whitehouse and Lachlan Mantell, were turned away from viewing another property on Purplebricks, because of their sexuality.

The owners Luke Main and Dr Joanna Brunker used Bible quotes to justify their stance and said they could not sell it to “two men in a partnership.”

Read the full MailOnline story here.

March 23, 2022

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