Equality and Human Rights Commission

This guide tells you about how you can expect a business to behave towards you to avoid all the different types of unlawful discrimination. We give you an overview of how equality law applies to all businesses, and then we go on to look at particular issues that businesses providing goods, facilities and services in different sectors may need to think about when considering what equality law tells them to do.

We give examples of issues that may affect how you are treated by:

• businesses selling goods, such as shops and petrol stations
• banks and other financial services providers
• builders, other trades people and companies providing similar services
• estate agents, letting agents and property management companies
• gyms, health clubs and sporting activity providers
• hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons
• hotels, restaurants, cafés and pubs
• theatres and other entertainment venues
• designers and manufacturers of goods – who are only covered in specific circumstances.

Pages also in this section include:

Core guidance: Using businesses that offer goods, facilities and services to the public

Particular types of business

Businesses selling goods

Banks and financial services

Building and trade industry

Estate agents and property management

Gyms, health clubs and sporting activities. 

Hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons

Hotels, restaurants, cafes and pubs

Theatres and other entertainment venues

Design and manufacture of goods

This guide also contains the following sections, which are similar in each guide in the series and contain information you are likely to need to understand what we tell you about using the services of a business: