AZE.US
A rental listing in Azerbaijan has triggered public anger after the property owner openly stated that the apartment would not be rented to wounded war veterans, other veterans or people from the city of Ganja.
Residents interviewed by Baku TV described the restrictions as discriminatory and socially unacceptable.
“It is his private property, but dividing people in this way is not right. We are all citizens of Azerbaijan,” one respondent said.
Others argued that veterans, particularly those who were injured while serving the country, should receive greater support rather than face additional barriers when searching for housing.
“Ganja is ours, and Karabakh is ours. These people are not outsiders. Who needs support more than veterans?” an elderly resident said.
Legal experts noted that the owner of a private apartment generally has the right to choose a tenant. A rental agreement is concluded with the consent of both parties, meaning an owner cannot normally be forced to rent the property to a particular person.
The legal situation may be different for hotels, hostels and other businesses offering accommodation to the general public. In such cases, excluding customers based on their origin or membership in a particular social group could raise questions about equal treatment and discrimination.
Experts said that even when a private landlord has the legal right to select a tenant, publicly announcing that people from a certain city or social group will not be accepted is ethically unacceptable.
“If we begin saying that we will not rent our homes to people from a particular district or city, or to veterans and war participants, that is clearly wrong from a moral and ethical perspective,” one expert said.
The expert added that someone could potentially challenge such a listing in court by arguing that it promotes discrimination among citizens.
The controversy has renewed debate in Azerbaijan over how far a landlord’s freedom of choice should extend and whether certain restrictions in rental advertisements should be prohibited.
AZE.US