Is landlord asking for too much info?

edgex

clutton wrote: »

Andy et when we want to open, say, a bank account, or buy a house, we have to show a lot of documentation, including - ID - photograpic proof of our identity (passport of driving license) and proof of address via utility bills

National insurance number to me is important for tracing ex-tenants for arrears.....

if a tenant has no intention of reneging on their obligtion to pay rent, why would they be concerned ?

if someone rents an expensive car they sign (using a credit card with no limit on the amount) to say they will pay for any damage.. - no "deposit protection scheme" there - just a business attempting to keep its losses/bad debts as low as possible....

why should LLs not protect ourselves as best we can against the small number of thieving tenants.....

having become a tenant myself about 18 months ago, i do appreciate the inqusitive feel of the information required, but, i was willing to provide it in order to live where i wanted to....

to organisations, not individuals

neverdespairgirl

clutton wrote: »

Andy et when we want to open, say, a bank account, or buy a house, we have to show a lot of documentation, including - ID - photograpic proof of our identity (passport of driving license) and proof of address via utility bills

.............

why should LLs not protect ourselves as best we can against the small number of thieving tenants.....

I feel very differently about providing all that info to a bank, as opposed to some random LL or LA.

nembot

They're just doing due diligence to mitigate risk, it's tough times at the moment. It's likely they've be burn't in the past and if that happened to me, my next tenants would be vetted in the same way.

You need to accept that most people can smile, lie to your face and pretend to be nice genuine tenants, before screwing you over completely.

There are threads in this very forum, detailing the hassle some landlords have had.

Good luck!

RJP33

I agree with what certain people have said before - a driving license should be fine for ID and the rest seems reasonable but I would definately not recommend giving out your NINO. I'm a landlord and can't think of any legitmate reason why I'd need that information.

Ice_Queen_112

As a landlord who recently let one of my properties privately, I asked my prospective tenants for their NI numbers in order to pass on this info to the company who credit checked them. This company also provide me with insurance against defaulting on the rent, if I hadn't asked for / been given this info, no insurance & I would have had to decline the tenancy. I also cross checked (Facebook, LinkedIn, land registry, etc) all the info they gave me about their personal circumstances during the 3 visits they made before signing contracts. My tenants are professional people who both own their own companies. Neither baulked at providing any of the info I asked for, and am sure would have run similar checks on me were I to deal with their businesses in a professional capacity.

RJP33

Credit check companies don't need NINOs to complete a check, they aren't stored against credit reports and are for social security/tax purposes. If I was a tenant I'd quite rightly refuse to disclose that information.

theartfullodger

My partner and I are looking for a new flat and have found one through a private landlord. We haven't signed or paid anything yet but he's said he'll take the flat off the market. He has just sent us a form asking for the following information, to do reference checks:

-employer information / copies of salary details etc
-info about previous landlords
-passport numbers+photocopies of passports
-national insurance numbers + photocopies of payslips
-bank details (bank account number, address, etc).

Can't say I'm surprised:

If you don't like it rent from another Landlord, you don't have to do business with this one...

I ask for this info as well and more... Why?? Primarily so that should the entirely honest & trustworthy tenant dissappear owing funds I may track them down more easily. I've just been re-writing my application form and it has the above...

- Employer info (name, 'phone number) - which I then check so I have another contact to phone if I need to...
- Salary: To compare against payslip to confirm veracity
- Previous Landlord: Getting a ref. from current LL ain't worth much, he may want tenant out.. the Previous LL is the one who'll give you (if he remembers) the genuine view...
- Passport No & Copy - Photo!!
- NI # & copy of payslip - Checking veracity & later tracing
- Bank details - for bank ref/credit check...

I also ask for
- Emergency personal contact (which I check before proceeding with tenancy) - can be useful later to find someone...
- 2x names/addresses etc for personal references..
- DoB (tracing)
- Do they smoke, have pets,,
- Who else will be living with them (kids, lodgers): Gets thinngs out in the open, usually...
- Copy of Driving Licence (photo, DoB..) for those without Passport

If prospective tenants aren't willing to disclose this stuff then I'll thank them politely and bid them good day....


A Landlord is handing over an asset of, say, £100k+. Would you check a few things before passing over control to someone worth £100k+???

Cheers!

Lodger

(Who has successfully tracked down en-debted ex-tenants & recovered funds owed...)

donquine

theartfullodger wrote: »

I've just been re-writing my application form and it has the above...

- Employer info (name, 'phone number) - which I then check so I have another contact to phone if I need to...
- Salary: To compare against payslip to confirm veracity
- Previous Landlord: Getting a ref. from current LL ain't worth much, he may want tenant out.. the Previous LL is the one who'll give you (if he remembers) the genuine view...
- Passport No & Copy - Photo!!
- NI # & copy of payslip - Checking veracity & later tracing
- Bank details - for bank ref/credit check...

I also ask for
- Emergency personal contact (which I check before proceeding with tenancy) - can be useful later to find someone...
- 2x names/addresses etc for personal references..
- DoB (tracing)
- Do they smoke, have pets,,
- Who else will be living with them (kids, lodgers): Gets thinngs out in the open, usually...
- Copy of Driving Licence (photo, DoB..) for those without Passport

If prospective tenants aren't willing to disclose this stuff then I'll thank them politely and bid them good day....

Sorry, but this sounds excessive. I'm happy to disclose I don't smoke, have kids, pets or intend to sublet, happy to disclose proof of earnings, happy to provide you with my landlord's name and contact number... But I wouldn't want you calling my office or my friends.

In an emergency, I can be contacted via my mobile. I hate personal calls at work, I think it's really unprofessional. And if you don't want to talk to me, you want to talk to my employer, that's just harrassment.

My passport proves my right to work, but my employer has quite obviously already checked that. NI number? The only people who need it are my employer, my bank and my GP. Not a landlord!

I would walk away from the above request and so would a lot of other good tenants.

Pennylane

theartfullodger wrote: »

Can't say I'm surprised:

If you don't like it rent from another Landlord, you don't have to do business with this one...

I ask for this info as well and more... Why?? Primarily so that should the entirely honest & trustworthy tenant dissappear owing funds I may track them down more easily. I've just been re-writing my application form and it has the above...

- Employer info (name, 'phone number) - which I then check so I have another contact to phone if I need to...
- Salary: To compare against payslip to confirm veracity
- Previous Landlord: Getting a ref. from current LL ain't worth much, he may want tenant out.. the Previous LL is the one who'll give you (if he remembers) the genuine view...
- Passport No & Copy - Photo!!
- NI # & copy of payslip - Checking veracity & later tracing
- Bank details - for bank ref/credit check...

I also ask for
- Emergency personal contact (which I check before proceeding with tenancy) - can be useful later to find someone...
- 2x names/addresses etc for personal references..
- DoB (tracing)
- Do they smoke, have pets,,
- Who else will be living with them (kids, lodgers): Gets thinngs out in the open, usually...
- Copy of Driving Licence (photo, DoB..) for those without Passport

If prospective tenants aren't willing to disclose this stuff then I'll thank them politely and bid them good day....


A Landlord is handing over an asset of, say, £100k+. Would you check a few things before passing over control to someone worth £100k+???

Cheers!

Lodger

(Who has successfully tracked down en-debted ex-tenants & recovered funds owed...)

My thoughts exactly!

Pennylane

donquine wrote: »

Sorry, but this sounds excessive. I'm happy to disclose I don't smoke, have kids, pets or intend to sublet, happy to disclose proof of earnings, happy to provide you with my landlord's name and contact number... But I wouldn't want you calling my office or my friends.

In an emergency, I can be contacted via my mobile. I hate personal calls at work, I think it's really unprofessional. And if you don't want to talk to me, you want to talk to my employer, that's just harrassment.

My passport proves my right to work, but my employer has quite obviously already checked that. NI number? The only people who need it are my employer, my bank and my GP. Not a landlord!

I would walk away from the above request and so would a lot of other good tenants.

You might have a long walk then.;)

Not everybody has a passport