Common occurrence: The research showed that 62 or six in ?10 of those surveyed have come across rental advertisements with specific racial requirements.
In 2016, I had decided to move to Petaling Jaya to pursue my studies and of course, my first priority was finding accommodation. A quick Google search led to many helpful websites that connected people in need such as I to those looking to make a quick buck from their underused properties.
Unfortunately, the first thing that caught my eye about these websites was that each of the ads contained a caveat; the racial preference of the rental owner. As naïve as I was, I thought that the owners specified the preferences merely to put off those whom are intolerant of mixing with other races, so I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and contacted the ads that ostensibly would not accept a tenant of my race. I figured, “If I could start a conversation and explain to them that I have no issues with living with people of different lifestyles, they wouldn’t care about my race”.
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