Photographic proof of identity

Waterlily24

Hi

I wonder if anyone can help me please? When you put a property on the market do your estate agents need photographic proof of your identity by law?

BitterAndTwisted

No, not an estate agent, but your solicitor probably will in order to ensure that you are the seller. Who was that mortgage broker who assumed the identities of house-owners and raised loans and second mortgages on properties they didn't own? Something like the tune of half a million before the alarm was sounded.

Waterlily24

Thank you for the reply, our estate agents are insisting on photographic proof and address proof because of money laundering so they say.

WestonDave

Estate agents are bound by the money laundering regs and are supposed to get proof of ID (which is what they have asked for). A lot of them do not, but that is because they are poor practitioners.

BornAtTheRightTime

Estate Agents do that unfortunately. It's because they don't understand that the money-laundering issue is not their responsibility but that of your solicitor - and AFAIK only necessary when you're buying. Just stand firm if you don't want them to have it and state that your solicitor is dealing with all such items.

WestonDave

Incorrect - estate agents have to register with the OFT anti money laundering scheme and comply with the AML regs - http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/aml/money-laundering/

One part of those regs is checking the identity of "people you do business with" which will include sellers as well as buyers. Its a bizarre anomaly in that they don't do anything which isn't caught elsewhere in the process (e.g. by regulating solicitors and banks) but the regs state they have to do it. Non compliance is however widespread although the OFT has started clamping down which may prompt a few more to get their act together

Londonsu

Sold my flat and bought a house WITHOUT Photo ID (dont have any)

My solicitor did take other forms of paper ID

the EA who sold my flat needed ID but again not photo ID

And the EA for the house I bought with CASH (from the flat sale) did not ask for any ID what so ever.

And no it CANT be law to produce photo ID as its not actually law to actually have photo ID unless you drive or go abroad that is and I do neither

WestonDave

You can work around photographic id but in general it requires more forms of ID to cover the gap - in general most guidelines are one photographic item to confirm that the person standing/sitting in front of you is who they say they are and one form of address confirmation. If you don't have photo ID you need to take a risk based approach to finding something else only the relevant person would have - a birth certificate might do it.

googler

Waterlily24 wrote: »

I wonder if anyone can help me please? When you put a property on the market do your estate agents need photographic proof of your identity by law?

Maybe not by law, but you have to agree - it makes perfect sense for them to do so.

Would you, if you were an EA, put someone's house on the market WITHOUT any proof of ID? Would you want to expend time and effort on it if there were a possibility that the person in front of you didn't own it, and that your efforts might be a waste of time? Or would you check?

Waterlily24

Thanks for the replies everyone.

googler wrote: »

Maybe not by law, but you have to agree - it makes perfect sense for them to do so.

Would you, if you were an EA, put someone's house on the market WITHOUT any proof of ID? Would you want to expend time and effort on it if there were a possibility that the person in front of you didn't own it, and that your efforts might be a waste of time? Or would you check?

It's just the 'photographic' one I'm worried about not the address one (have plenty that will do for that). I don't drive and my passport ran out last year and I don't intend renewing it. Our house is in three names hubby, son and me, they both have driving licenses so they are OK it's just me lol!

Jinx

At our work we take 2 forms of ID (not estate agent), one photographic and one recent bill. In the absence of photographic we move to 5 forms of non-photographic. Just takes lots of current bills, it'll be fine.