Peter M.

Dear Sir/Madam

I wish to make a formal complaint about SpareRoom and their landlord advertisers who placed ads on their website for single/double rooms. I also noticed how they all 'preferred female' to be of a certain age to meet their criteria which I find disgustingly sexist, ageism and clearly unfair to their male counterparts.

I joined SpareRoom in the hope of finding a room. But instead, I experienced a nightmare of rejections from all sides that nearly result in me being thrown out on the streets. I wasted five months of my hard earned money upgrading my membership trying to find somewhere to live and was never successful getting an appointment with anyone.

No one even had the courtesy to respond to any of my emails, never mind returning my calls. I was in a desperate situation, and all I get in return was a few landlords with an attitude problem asking me foolish questions like my age and telling me the rooms are only available for women.

I can fully understand if an advert is placed on SpareRoom for an all-ladies household, then by all means, a lady is required. But what really annoys me most, is when a room is advertised in a mixed household, the landlords still 'preferred female' and they have to be of a certain age too which is fact is illegal anyway.

The most ironic thing about this whole sorry episode, is that I have seen the same sexist adverts posted on four or five different websites from the same advertisers, spouting the same rubbish just to attract 'preferred females' to their lair.

SpareRoom need to get their house in order and start reviewing their policies and informed their advertisers (or landlords) to read the government's Equality Act 2010 and age discrimination laws | Age UK. It fully states that landlords cannot discriminate a person whether of age, gender, race, sexual orientation etc.

For a person searching for an accommodation, it should be fair for everyone across the board and not for landlords to choose the weaker sex just to satisfy their lust and their curiosity. All those who request such things in an advertisement are literally breaking the law and as a result, your company could face a messy lawsuit.

After the bad experience I had with SpareRoom, I will not use them ever again. Because they simply don't care about anyone but themselves. Moreover, their advertisers (or landlords) are just as bad, they are rude, callous and discriminate towards men and people's age.

(Name withheld in disgust)