Is it normal practice for a letting agent to ask for copies of 3 months bank statemen

tbs624

jenniferfluff29 wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies.

Do I have to sign another 6mth agreement and incur another charge of £100 or can I just let it roll over? What if the LA insists that I need to sign up again?

You could try writing to the LA, just saying "thanks for your letter/phone calls about renewing for a further 6 months. However, please note that I am happy to continue on a statutory periodic tenancy"

If you have your LL's address send a copy direct to him/her - if you don't have it, again, write to the LA - whilst you are a tenant they have to comply with such a written request within 21 days of receipt by law (criminal offence not to do so) and it is useful to have this info case there are any problems with getting your deposit back at the end of your tenancy.

jenniferfluff29 wrote: »

T Also, the LA told me that our deposit is put into "another account" that they can't touch. Should I look for further clarification on this and what should they be giving me as an answer to this question? ie is there some body which protects the deposits.

Yes, they have failed to comply with the law that requires them to let the tenant have "prescribed information" on the particular scheme that the deposit has been registered with (if indeed it has been registered), in addition to actually registering the deposit. Both of these things should be done within 14 days of receipt of the tenancy deposit. Don't believe any LL or LA who tells you they simply haven't had time - it can be done online on the day of receipt.

One of the schemes is custodial, ie the deposit is physically paid into it, and the other 2 are insurance-based with the LA/LL retaining the actual funds. You can check for yourself whether or not they have actually registered your deposit via the links on here

Snooze

Morning all,

Not posted on these forums for a long time now but this thread caught my eye . As some of you know, I'm a bit of a dark horse and am involved in, umm, some things I probably shouldn't be .

You are right to be concerned about handing over personal info to letting agencies, and in fact anyone for that matter. Underground/black market websites exist not only selling credit card info, but also selling full ID info, ie. full name, address, dob, current acc no., sort, job info, salary, contact details, time at bank, time at current address etc - this info is known as "fullz" in the underground world. The info is available in the 1000s every single day with one set of info selling for about $15-20. Driving licence details and valid driver numbers are also sold for "pence", used either to put on novelty licences or used as verification when buying cars or hiring a car.

Now where do you think all this info comes from? The full info as described above usually comes from loan applications when an employee can click copy & paste and voila! (and don't think that it's only the "back street" companies that are to blame because it's not; it goes on in just about every major bank as well). Other info such as name, address, dob, bank acc, sort, DL details comes from pretty much anywhere, but letting agencies are one of the biggest culprits.

Your name, address, bank acc + sort code on its own is pretty worthless; as someone pointed out, this info is on every cheque anyway (acc no. + sort) but if you add the dob into the equation then you've got all you need to empty your accounts, open new ones and empty them too and basically leave your credit file in tatters, and the worse part is that you'd never know anything about it til after the event. Now from what I recall, the LA requires you to give them your dob so you should be very worried because that, couplied with your acc no. and sort code is potentially like giving them £10k - £100k of your money on plate (depending on how good your credit file is) as one of the ways the CC companies verify you when you make an application is through the current acc no. and sort code you provide (ie. no requirement to send them any docs as proof of ID).

Knowing the underground market like I do and seeing what is traded, my advice to you all is to (in order of importance)

1. NEVER use credit cards or bank cards, pay for EVERYTHING with cash
2. NEVER use internet banking
3. NEVER apply for loans
4. NEVER hire a vehicle or let anyone take a copy of your DL (remember, your dob is on your licence)
5. NEVER give your real dob to ANYONE unless it can't be helped (IR etc)

The problem with the above is that no. 1 is virtually impossible for most people as their wages are paid into their bank account but if you truly want to be safe from having your accounts emptied then you need to ditch your bank accounts I'm afraid.

Now getting back to the original issue of having to provide LAs with 3-6 months bank statements, that is easily overcome as you can buy novelty bank statements with any details on that you want. I know a good genuine source for them and they're 100% like for like with the real thing. PM me if interested.

Rob

sooz

Snooze wrote: »

Now getting back to the original issue of having to provide LAs with 3-6 months bank statements, that is easily overcome as you can buy novelty bank statements with any details on that you want. I know a good genuine source for them and they're 100% like for like with the real thing. PM me if interested.

Are these from the same people that advertise genuine wage slips & P45s with ads tied to lampposts?

Snooze

sooz wrote: »

Are these from the same people that advertise genuine wage slips & P45s with ads tied to lampposts?

No, those people are just ripper's and you won't see !!!! for your money. When I was young and naive I've been there, done it and got my fingers burnt so trust me, I know , but it's actually a contact of mine that does them and he doesn't advertise anywhere to my knowledge. I can provide anyone with a high res photo of the finished product before any monies are sent so you know it isn't a scam.

Rob

sooz

Snooze wrote: »

1. NEVER use credit cards or bank cards, pay for EVERYTHING with cash
2. NEVER use internet banking
3. NEVER apply for loans
4. NEVER hire a vehicle or let anyone take a copy of your DL (remember, your dob is on your licence)
5. NEVER give your real dob to ANYONE unless it can't be helped (IR etc)

Rob, there is healthy paranoia & then there is insanity.

How can you possibly do all of the above legally? How can you either rent or buy a house? How are you paid enough to afford to buy everything with cash? How do you go abroad - you can't buy a plane ticket? I guess you are not on the electoral roll either..incase they find you?

Actually...don't answer....I don't think I want to know

Snooze

sooz wrote: »

Rob, there is healthy paranoia & then there is insanity.

How can you possibly do all of the above legally? How can you either rent or buy a house? How are you paid enough to afford to buy everything with cash? How do you go abroad - you can't buy a plane ticket? I guess you are not on the electoral roll either..incase they find you?

Actually...don't answer....I don't think I want to know

It's not difficult to be honest.

You can use anonymouscard to receive your wages and get your cash out, although understandably, with no ID required you get charged for loading the card and also withdrawing.

Renting a house is no problem at all - just pick up your local rag and look in the classifieds section under private LLs. You'll find plenty that don't require anything other than a months rent up front and maybe a verbal reference which is easily sorted out.

Buying a house? Well, you need a BIG wad of cash I guess .

Having enough money to pay for everything with cash? Ummm, think that's called living within your means iirc?

Going abroad? Tickets can be bought for cash easily enough.

I was on the Electoral Roll actually, but not anymore .

Rob

Sparky29

Snooze wrote: »

1. NEVER use credit cards or bank cards, pay for EVERYTHING with cash

From Martins latest e-mail:

This is a must read. The Problem: With economic demons everywhere, buy something, whether a kitchen, computer or flight and if the company goes bust before delivery, you lose your money, or after delivery you lose any redress for problems. The Solution: Buy single items costing over £100 on a credit card, and by law, it's jointly liable with the retailer, so you can get your money back, though do pay it off in full so there’s no interest.

I would have lost £400 when Courts went bust if I had followed your advice.

Snooze

Sparky29 wrote: »

From Martins latest e-mail:

This is a must read. The Problem: With economic demons everywhere, buy something, whether a kitchen, computer or flight and if the company goes bust before delivery, you lose your money, or after delivery you lose any redress for problems. The Solution: Buy single items costing over £100 on a credit card, and by law, it's jointly liable with the retailer, so you can get your money back, though do pay it off in full so there’s no interest.

I would have lost £400 when Courts went bust if I had followed your advice.

You would have lost a hell of a lot more if fraudsters had got your card details and cvv through one of the umpteen methods they use to get them. :rolleyes:

Rob

westv

Snooze wrote: »

I was on the Electoral Roll actually, but not anymore

Isn't that illegal?

lil_me

I don't see why seeing bank statements woul have show what anyone owed anyone, you don't always have to pay by DD. I would provide them, but remove all account numbers completely.