Jobseeker, 18, happy after estate agency drops 'old car policy'

A 19-year-old woman has said she is happy an estate agency has dropped its car age limit policy for its staff and hopes it will make it easier for others to get a job with the company in future. Alanah Thompson French said she applied for a job as a trainee lettings negotiator at haart in Nottingham in December 2025. However, in an email seen by the BBC, she was told her application could not be progressed as her vehicle, a 2014 Citroen C1, was not under 10 years old. A spokesperson for haart said the policy was "introduced with good intentions" to ensure vehicles were roadworthy and safe but "it was never meant to prevent people from joining our organisation". Alanah, who currently works full-time in a coffee shop but is keen to build a career in the property sector, said: "I think it was a highly discriminatory policy and it's good that it's been changed. "It just wasn't really very fair, so I am very happy. Hopefully people can go to them in the future and it can be easy for them to get a job. "In my eyes it doesn't matter how old a car is. "Cars can break down whether they're three years old or 10 years old. It doesn't matter." Since sharing her story with the BBC, Alanah, from