The Disability Discrimination (Service Providers and Public Authorities Carrying Out Functions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007

Deposits in respect of the provision of goods and facilities: circumstances in which less favourable treatment is justified

8.—(1) Where, for a reason which relates to the disabled person’s disability, a provider of services treats a disabled person less favourably than he treats or would treat others to whom that reason does not or would not apply, that treatment shall be taken to be justified for the purposes of section 20 of the 1995 Act in the circumstances specified in paragraph (2).

(2) The circumstances referred to in paragraph (1) are that—

(a)when goods or facilities are provided, the disabled person is required to provide a deposit which is refundable if the goods or facilities are undamaged; and

(b)the provider of services refuses to refund some or all of the deposit because damage has occurred to the goods or facilities for a reason which relates to the disabled person’s disability, and the damage is above the level at which the provider of services would normally refund some or all of the deposit; and

(c)it is reasonable in all the circumstances for the provider of services to refuse to refund some or all of the deposit.