99.co Launches REGARDLESS-OF-RACE Campaign

99.C0 is back in the news again (hint: previously “famous” for Pokemon Go and Expat). This time, it is about Harmony Day in Singapore and their new campaign – REGARDLESS-OF-RACE. As a Online Property Search portal, it is nice to see them taking the initiative to promote race equality in the rental (house) market.

99c0-regardless-of-race

If you are a home owner or a landlord, most probably, you might heard “horror” stories about home being rented to irresponsible person, and thus creating a mess in the rental house. Some relate them to specific races which are not 100% true.

Darius, being the CEO of 99.co, has personally encountered such behaviors and hence decided to start the REGARDLESS-OF-RACE campaign. You can read more about his experience on the link in the Press Release.

Or you can head straight to the campaign to pledge your support. If you are already listed on the 99.co portal, you can now click on the “All races welcome” option.

Press Release

99.co pledges to end rental racial discrimination in Singapore

REGARDLESS-OF-RACE campaign aims to curb the growing trend of ethnic exclusion in the local rental market

Singapore, 18th July 2016 – 99.co, Singapore’s fastest growing property portal, today announced the launch of its REGARDLESS-OF-RACE campaign, targeted at landlords, real estate agents and renters to take a stand against rental racial discrimination.

Under this new initiative, landlords and agents are encouraged to be inclusive to all tenants through their 99.co rental listings. They can show their support for a fairer and more equal system of accepting tenants by clicking an “All races welcome” option on their existing 99.co listings. These listings will then be prominently featured on the 99.co homepage to prospective renters.

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A pledge page will also be available for landlords and tenants to show their solidarity and commitment to reject racial rental discrimination. They can take a pledge to show that they oppose these practices as well as share their personal stories of rental racial discrimination they might have experienced.

“We hear what some renters have said about renting a property in Singapore  – that they face challenges in acquiring a place to call home because of their ethnicity, nationality or the colour of their skin. That is a reality we want to change,” said Darius Cheung, CEO of 99.co.

“This campaign demonstrates our principles as a company that celebrates diversity and equality as well as staying true to our promise to help property seekers find properties they love. Awareness and education needs to be done from the ground up and we are taking the time through this campaign to accomplish that.”

Impetus for the campaign stemmed from prevailing racial discrimination faced by certain ethnic groups during their rental home search journey. Currently, rental listings on property portals containing language explicitly excluding specific races and nationalities still exist. An estimated 20 percent of renters have also gotten responses such as ‘landlord doesn’t want Indians’ or ‘Sorry owner says no to PRC’ when they enquire about a property they are interested in. The most commonly discriminated against groups are Indians and mainland Chinese, which forms about half of the rental market’s demand by 99.co’s estimate.

“With vacancy rates at over 7 percent for rental properties and an overwhelming supply of completed properties coming into the market within the next 12-16 months, it is not just a moral and societal matter, it also makes economical sense for landlords to be open to all tenants,” Cheung added.

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99.co’s CEO Darius Cheung has also written a blog post on his own personal discrimination experience here.

Landlords and tenants can take the REGARDLESS-OF-RACE equality pledge here.

About 99.co

99.co was launched in 2015 and has since been one of the fastest growing destination for online property search in Singapore, now attracting over 250 thousand users per month.

Led by founder and CEO, Darius Cheung, 99.co’s vision is to empower home buyers and renters in their property search journey in order to find the best home for their needs. It offers a selection of over 130,000 listings including thousands that are exclusive to the platform, combined with innovative tools such as an advanced map, transport and proximity search as well as comprehensive data, content and insights on transaction history tailored to make property decisions faster and easier.  It now has over 14,000 agents listing on properties on its portal, including over 2000 agents who list exclusively on 99.co.

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