Landlord wants ID - risk of identity theft?

alezzandro

zappahey wrote: »

Or, they could just get real and recognise that the risk of "identity theft"* is tiny.

A made-up, make you scared buzzword if ever there was one.

Although I am sure you know what you are talking about, it is always better to have a look at the *real* figures:
http://www.cifas.org.uk/is_identity_fraud_serious

In any case, like it or not, the behaviour described in this thread indicates bad practice because it exposes people to unnecessary risks. One's Personal Identifiable Information is not something one should play with just because they are in a stronger position, because it is a very delicate matter.

Besides, if one wants to be picky, there are laws to regulate this subject.

zappahey

alezzandro wrote: »

Although I am sure you know what you are talking about, it is always better to have a look at the *real* figures:
http://www.cifas.org.uk/is_identity_fraud_serious

Indeed, and from the very first line in that document

"Identity fraud is still a comparatively rare type of crime"

For the most part, if you are impersonated for the purposes of fraud, the end result is a mild degree of inconvenience.

The extreme cases we hear of on the news are exceptionally rare.

melancholly

alezzandro wrote: »

In any case, like it or not, the behaviour described in this thread indicates bad practice because it exposes people to unnecessary risks. One's Personal Identifiable Information is not something one should play with just because they are in a stronger position, because it is a very delicate matter.

we had to provide passports, bank statements and pay slips. to prove who we were and to prove we had means to pay rent.

from my experience it's normal practice not bad practice.......?

alezzandro

melancholly wrote: »

we had to provide passports, bank statements and pay slips. to prove who we were and to prove we had means to pay rent.

from my experience it's normal practice not bad practice.......?

coming late, nevertheless...

the fact that a habit is widespread doesn't make it good nor bad.

passport is fine, but bank statements? pay slip? my friends don't know how much money I have in the bank and how much I earn, I should tell some random guy I don't even know. Is the EA going to write explicitly that by no means they will ever pass my personal details to the Landlord or to anyone else? are they going to destroy my details as soon as they can confirm that I am financially viable? certainly they don't need to keep copies of them. and is the Landlord going to give me proof that he doesn't have a criminal record for fraud?

a good practice would be for the EA to accept a statement from the bank that certifies that my salary is in line with the renting requirements and that my financial position is healthy. This would preserve my privacy and would be a better proof for the scope of deciding whether "one can afford the rent". With a computer it's very easy to create a pay slip/bank statement, it is much more risky (from a legal point of view) to fake a letter from the bank.

of course, when it comes to real life, you have to compromise and accept some rules even if you don't agree with them, but at the question "we are having to trust that they DO destroy them."the answer is:
"no, the EA is required to issue a privacy notice etc"

and if you ask if your partner is overcautious, the answer, again, is "no, because, although common, this practice is extremely bad".

melancholly

they want to know you have the means to pay the rent..... hence wage slips....?!

personally, i'd check about how they'd keep my details before getting angry about what they 'might' do. i think it's easier to work with facts rather than the whole realm of possibilities. being cautious is sensible; assuming everyone who needs to see ID is engaging in data theft is mad (i've had to provide passport, birth certificate, bank statements etc for various reasons at work - proving i had the right to work here and CRB checks. i knew how they would hold/destroy the data so it was all fine. refusing on a point of principle would just have left me unemployed.... cutting off my nose to spite my face!)

i can only imagine how difficult it would be to get the bank to generate a separate statement about whether you could afford to pay - i can't even see that as a viable option. they'd be guaranteed to charge through the nose and take an inordinate amount of time to process it. what if i get two incomes into separate bank accounts?

N79

alezzandro wrote: »

passport is fine, but bank statements? pay slip? my friends don't know how much money I have in the bank and how much I earn, I should tell some random guy I don't even know. Is the EA going to write explicitly that by no means they will ever pass my personal details to the Landlord or to anyone else?

Of course they are going to give the details to the LL - they are his agent!

are they going to destroy my details as soon as they can confirm that I am financially viable? certainly they don't need to keep copies of them.

Details of employment and identity are necessary to pursue court action if the T flits.

and is the Landlord going to give me proof that he doesn't have a criminal record for fraud?

There is no way the LL can prove this to you any more than there is a way for you to prove it to the LL!

a good practice would be for the EA to accept a statement from the bank that certifies that my salary is in line with the renting requirements and that my financial position is healthy. This would preserve my privacy and would be a better proof for the scope of deciding whether "one can afford the rent". With a computer it's very easy to create a pay slip/bank statement, it is much more risky (from a legal point of view) to fake a letter from the bank.

This used to be the standard practice but has fallen out of favour recently for the following reasons:

1. Time: Some banks could take months to respond.
2. Cost: All banks charge for these letters and many Ts did not feel they should pay the costs. These costs can be very high - see the schedule of fees for your current account to see how high!

of course, when it comes to real life, you have to compromise and accept some rules even if you don't agree with them, but at the question "we are having to trust that they DO destroy them."the answer is:
"no, the EA is required to issue a privacy notice etc"

and if you ask if your partner is overcautious, the answer, again, is "no, because, although common, this practice is extremely bad".

This would be a reasonable approach if applied to all aspects of life, but most people happily give out all this information in other contexts thus the risk of giving it out again is fairly small. Each to their own but no-one will ever be my tenant without proving their income and identity, however this is achieved!