Gay couple wins £5,000 damages after estate agent prints 'lesbians' on advert for their house

Instead, they were left feeling ‘insulted and violated’ after a staff member outed them as a same-sex couple in a website advertisement.

Logging on to check how their period home was being marketed, they were horrified to find the word ‘lesbians’ in the space where prospective buyers would expect to see a reference number.

Suzanne Richards and Sarah Dobinson were 'shaking with disbelief' when an estate agent added the word "lesbians" to an internet advert for their home

Jackson-Stops & Staff estate agency in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, settled out of court after 'outing' their clients

And after they contacted estate agents Jackson-Stops & Staff to complain, they  received a letter which said: ‘We fail to see how we have discriminated against you.’

The firm has now paid a £5,000 out-of-court settlement after the couple threatened to sue them for injury to feelings caused by discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The company, which has more than 50 branches, has also said that staff will be given diversity training.

Miss Richards said yesterday: ‘We were both shaking with disbelief and in tears when we read the property reference. We felt so violated.’

She added: ‘Publicly linking our home address with our sexuality could have ruined our lives.’

Miss Richards, 36, and Miss Dobinson, 44, who are both graphic designers, decided to put their home near Sudbury, Suffolk, on the market in February.

Three employees from a local branch of Jackson-Stops & Staff inspected the property and an advert was subsequently placed on the Rightmove property website, where the offending comment appeared. It is believed it was placed there as a joke.

Miss Richards said it was discovered within a couple of days and the Georgian detached house was immediately taken off the market.

Solicitor Eleanor Jennings, whom the women appointed to represent them, said: ‘The message does not seem to be getting through that businesses owe a duty not to discriminate against individuals when providing goods and services.’ This type of discrimination was made illegal in 2006, adding to legislation which banned discrimination against gays at work.

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights group Stonewall said yesterday: ‘Discrimination on the grounds of sexuality will not be tolerated by the gay community.’

Last night a spokesman at Jackson-Stops & Staff’s head office described the incident as ‘a truly regrettable situation’.

Ms Richards and Ms Dobinson, who live near Sudbury, Suffolk, said they were 'shaking with disbelief" when they read the advert on www.rightmove.co.uk.

Jackson-Stops & Staff were not available for comment and did not say whether the comment was inserted by mistake or as a joke.

The couple's lawyers, Russell Jones & Walker, said the estate agent had settled the case before it reached court.