Discrimination or Fraud? Woman has to prove that she is not pregnant

Discrimination or attempted fraud?
When looking for an apartment, a woman should prove that she is not pregnant

Before viewing an apartment in Berlin, a woman is said to have been asked by the landlord to prove that she was not pregnant. There have also been similar incidents in Hamburg. What is really behind the housing offers, however, is unclear.

Almost everyone who has ever looked for an apartment in a German city can probably tell a few stories about it. Completely dilapidated apartments that are advertised as a “charming home improvement project”, previous tenants who demand several thousand euros down payment for a few broken Ikea furniture – the list could probably be continued endlessly. But no matter how absurd the rental conditions of many apartments are – many people are so desperate for an apartment that they are willing to put up with a lot. Just last week are Photos from Berlin-Charlottenburg went viral, showing a seemingly endless line of people stretching for several city blocks. There was nothing there for free – but a three-room apartment to visit, which at just under 1000 euros rent seems cheap to many in comparison.

An unknown woman was apparently expected to do something completely different than standing in line when she was looking for an apartment in Berlin. Ssaman Mardi, until 2021 an employee of the former Green member of the Bundestag Margarete Bause, shared screenshots from the Instagram story of a person whose profile was made unrecognizable on Twitter. He writes “The completely normal madness of the Berlin rental market”. The screenshots show two e-mails, the first of which begins harmlessly: “You wrote to us about the apartment in Schöneberg at wg you were looking for.” Then follows the reference to a portal through which a viewing appointment can be booked. But only under one condition: To rent the apartment, proof must be provided that no children are moving into the apartment. But not only that: “In addition, it must be proven that there is no pregnancy. Please contact the doctor we have commissioned (…)”. After the woman says that this request is not legal, the landlord responds rudely: “We have 100% nothing to fear. (…) You will also receive a rejection for the apartment. Reason: illegal Accusation.”

Similar demands for apartment advertisements in Hamburg

The story including the screenshots was also shared on the Reddit platform. There and on Twitter, some comments raise doubts as to whether these are actually real apartment ads or a scam. Either way, the incident doesn’t seem to be an isolated case. The Hamburger Morgenpost reported on similar cases in 2021, in which those interested in apartments were asked to prove that they were not pregnant, and there was talk of a video call with an alleged gynecologist. In both cases, according to the Morgenpost, the addresses of the landlords and the email address given by the doctor only led to nothing when checked, in one case the alleged company of the landlady should not have existed. So the actual intentions of the ads seem dubious

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In any case, according to tenancy law, it is not permissible to request information from tenants about a possible pregnancy – and they are not obliged to disclose this information themselves.

Source: Twitter, Politics & Communication, Berlin newspaper, Hamburger Morgenpost I Hamburger Morgenpost II, Landlords Association