German court holds real estate agents liable for housing discrimination

BERLIN

Germany's highest court ruled Thursday that real estate agents who commit ethnic-based discrimination are liable for compensation — a landmark decision strengthening the rights of immigrants.

The Federal Court of Justice upheld a lower court's decision ordering a real estate agent to pay €3,000 ($3,580) in compensation to Humaira Waseem, a German elementary school teacher of Pakistani descent who was repeatedly denied apartment viewings when using her real name.

The ruling extends Germany's General Equal Treatment Act, which previously applied primarily to landlords, to include real estate agents as liable parties. Legal experts said this significantly strengthens protections for people facing housing discrimination.

The case centered on events in November 2022, when Waseem applied multiple times through online forms to view apartments.

When she used her Pakistani name, all inquiries were rejected. But when she submitted identical applications using German names like Schneider and Schmidt—with the same income and employment information—she promptly received viewing appointments.

The ruling comes amid growing evidence of systemic housing discrimination in Germany. A recent research by the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) found that 35% of Muslim residents and 39% of Black residents experienced discrimination in their housing searches based on their names or appearance.