Social housing and religion: R (Z & Ors) v Hackney LBC

A Divisional Court has held that a Jewish housing association might legitimately refuse to rent houses to those who are not Orthodox Jews.

Background

A non-Jewish woman,  Z, had four children, including a son with autism. She was at the top of Hackney Council’s list for a four-bedroom home in the area. The co-defendant, the Agudas Israel Housing Association (AIHA), was founded in 1986 to provide social housing for Orthodox Jews in north London: it does not accept applications from anyone outside the Orthodox community.  Continue reading