By Gabriel Princewill-
Estate agents are not to provide shared accommodation for Pregnant women if it means them sharing kitchen or toilet facilities with other people, PHE England has confirmed .
The clear guidance comes as Estate Agents resume viewings following the easing of the lockdown last week. It follows the denial of accommodation to a pregnant French woman after she paid a deposit of over £2,000 to a South London Estate agent, PK Estate agents.
The guideline came in response to an inquiry following a dispute between French visitor, Venessa Domitien, and a prospective landlady after she was denied accommodation in Plumstead, South London, last month . Ms Carole had signed a tenancy agreement with PK lettings and paid the Estate Agents one month’s deposit and one month’s rent.
The landlady of the property, whose identity has been withheld, later cited government guidelines advising against pregnant women sharing a property with members of the public.
Pregnant women face risks in Covid-19 times when they mix with other people, and could transfer the virus to the woman and her unborn child.
Government guidelines state that ”pregnant women are considered to be a vulnerable group and should be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures”.
Social distance could have been achieved in the incident that cause the dispute between the landlady, the Director of the Estate Agent, and the pregnant French lady.
The Estate Agent was unable to address this issue effectively partly because the landlady was also accusing them of charging her too heavily.
Eventually, we reported the story, sparking the anger of Pauline Olubunmi, the daughter of the Director, who became rude on the phone but was promptly told off for her unprofessionalism.
PHE England concluded that pregnant women are not to share any part of the facilities of accommodation with other tenants. They can only share the front door, representative said.
A spokesperson from the PHE England told The Eye Of Media.Com that pregnant women can be granted accommodation if they are sharing with random members of the public, provided they do not share any facilities besides the main entrance of the building, that is, the entrance to the property.
Under the specific guidance, the spokesperson said that in any scenario in which a pregnant woman shares a building with a neighbour, the neighbour must wear gloves when entering and leaving the property, and must not touch anything in the building with their hands.
Sharing facilities like the same bathroom, toilet or kitchen with a pregnant woman is forbidden under this guidance from the government, the Department said.
”In circumstances where a pregnant lady shares just the front entrance with a neighbour, the neighbour must put on gloves when going in and out of the property, in order to ensure the safety of the pregnant woman. We do not enforce the guidelines, they are directions provided for the parties to use”.
The guidelines make it clear that Estate agents in the UK` should not put pregnant women in a position where they have to share facilities with anybody outside their immediate household