Rose Fisher says she was asked for her ethnic background by a prospective landlord.

An Auckland landlord asked prospective tenants for their "ethnic group" before they viewed his property.

"If I know the ethnic background then I know what they will be like," the homeowner said of his policy - but maintained it wasn't racist.

His criteria emerged after a prospective tenant contacted him about a rental in Massey, West Auckland.

When Rose Fisher asked to view the flat, the landlord replied by asking her ethnicity.

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"Can I have some of your background information. eg your ethnic group," the landlord asked via text message.

Desperate for a home, Fisher said she decided to tell him she looked European and was of Fijian and Samoan descent.

The family passed the initial screening and were invited to view the property, she said.

"We later decided we did not want to live there. The prospect of living with a racist landlord was not acceptable."

Fisher said her family was desperate to find a rental and had so far filled out 15 applications.

But this was the only time someone had asked the family for their ethnic background, she said.

Fisher later posted the landlord's message on social media, sparking hundreds of comments on a feminist Facebook page.

The landlord, who only provided a name of Steven, said he was not racist, but he would change his approach in future.

"I know certain groups will look after the house. It's my house [at] risk. I have spent lots of money because of bad experiences from before," he said.

He said if they don't like his criteria, they can buy their own house.

The man did not say which ethnic groups he wouldn't rent to, but said Chinese, Indian, Korean, Filipinos, and Europeans were "good" tenants.

"I am not racist. I will be friends with anyone."

The landlord could be breaking the law by only allowing certain ethnicities to rent the property.

A Human Rights Commission spokeswoman said a property owner or agent who discriminates against people because of their race, age, sex, sexual orientation, family status, or disability risks breaking the law.

Previous negative experience with a tenant or a guest of a particular race is not a valid reason to rule out future tenants of the same race, according to the Human Rights Commission.