According to BBC undercover investigation, letting agents keeping prospective tenants away from viewing the rental property based on nationality - when requested by the landlords.

As revealed by the BBC on 4^th August 2009, British property agents are illegally abandoning the right of the prospective Eastern European tenants to view the rental properties when being encouraged and requested by the landlords.

The BBC did an undercover investigation by sending a Polish worker and a BBC employee separately to a housing agency in Boston, East England - to ask to arrange an appointment to view an advertised rental property. Based on the investigation, the agent informed the Polish worker that the advertised property was no longer available while allowing the BBC employee to view the same property.

It has been highly criticised that discrimination based on one’s race, religion, skin colour, nationality or ethnicity is illegal in Britain. Human rights lawyers challenged this kind of behaviour as a “shocking and disturbing” breach of Race-Relations Act of 1976.