Reference Request Estate Agents - Privacy of New Address

thenugget2018

Hi All

I have a question about references that Estate Agents ask for.

I have no objection against my new Estate Agent knowing my old address, but do not want my old Estate Agent knowing the address that I potentially am moving to.

The reason why is essentially moving out of an area, and effectively want to cut out a number of people that I know. I know what people may say, just do not tell people where you are moving to, or even do not tell people that you have moved. But the estate agent I am currently with know people in the area that I need to drop from my life, the estate agents are very small and can be close to there tenants, so essentially they know them socially.

Please note that I am all paid with bills and everything. I just need a fresh start in life away from people something that I have been mean to do for too long.

Do referencing companies when asking for a reference provide the potential new address of the applicant?

Thankyou.

Emmia

You could set up a mail redirection (I'd do this anyway), or get a PO Box set up for a bit for communication, or seek for all communication to be sent electronically to a new email address that you *forget*, the password to, or to check...

Why would the agent legitimately need to contact you on an ongoing basis? And for how long after your move date would that contact be for? Are you getting your new place via a different agent, or is the same agent handling both properties? (I'd avoid that if you're looking to cut ties)

Referencing companies (or indeed the agents) giving out your address to all and sundry raises issues with data protection, especially if you expressly tell them not to.

theartfullodger

Is this rental (lettings) agents please?  If lettings then ignore request from old agent, other than provide email/'phone number.

Arrogant stupid ignorant untrained lettings agents are very common.

HampshireH

theartfullodger said:

Is this rental (lettings) agents please?  If lettings then ignore request from old agent, other than provide email/'phone number.

Arrogant stupid ignorant untrained lettings agents are very common.

Sounds like OP is asking if the referencing company for their new place would state.

 "please give a reference for thenugget2018 of my house, London road, madeuptown".

And then giving the new address to the former agency.  Doesn't sound like the old agent is requesting info? 

But I can't see how there is a need under data protection for them to be given it.  OP I would write to them stating it's important the new address isn't disclosed just to cover all basis

Slithery

thenugget2018 said:

Do referencing companies when asking for a reference provide the potential new address of the applicant?

In my experience as an employer I've never been given this information when filling in reference forms for lettings agencies.

Ksw3

I'm not sure how it works but could you mention to the new agent that you have some concerns and that you wish them to carry out the referencing manually without notification of your new address (thereby avoiding any inadvertent notification of your new address that might be automatic?). 

I'd be happy to do that especially if there were some safe-guarding concerns. 

Maskface

Maybe I'm missing something but surely there's a bit of a leap from an agent being close to their tenants to divulging personal information about them? They shouldn't be telling people your new address even if they did have it but what's the worst case scenario here? Is there a risk of people turning up on your doorstep? I did this 6 years ago and was also moving away from people I didn't want contact from. I did a mutual exchange so the person who moved into my old place knew where I was. I worried that people I was avoiding might ask the person I swapped with where I had gone, in fact some time after I left one of the people I was avoiding changed his Facebook home town location to the name of the town I moved to which may or may not have been to put the frighteners on me and let me know he knew where I had moved to, but there was never any come back and nobody ever came looking for me. I just moved on with my life and forgot about them and for all I know they did the same. 

user1977

If somebody really wants to find you, it's not going to be rocket science for them to get your address one way or another, unless you go full witness-protection.