Estate agents asking for seemingly unnecessary information

chamberino

I've just started my house search. Had two calls from estate agents this morning. One to setup a viewing, we agreed a time and they already had my email and number from rightmove, so no questions asked.

The second said the house was no longer available but he'd register me for anything else that came up. He wanted my full name including middle name, then my partner's full name and contact details. By the time he got to her contact details I got a bit annoyed and questioned why he needed all this. He didn't really answer except for "to register you on the system". 

I don't think any of this is sensitive information, but it is irritating to be asked to hand it over particularly when there seems to be no use for it. But just wondering...

1. Is there a genuine reason, whether for their benefit or mine, why they want to know our full names and current address and other similar info? Or anything else beyond basic contact details at the stage when we're just organising viewings
2. Am I causing problems for myself if I start contesting why they need this sort of stuff and refusing to give it? Or are they not really bothered

user1977

Why are you bothered about them having your name and address? That does seem like basic contact details to me...

chamberino

He already had my name, but he was insistent he needed to know my full name, i.e. Joseph Harry Bloggs not just Joe Bloggs. And my partners as well.

I am not concerned about my address, but what is it they are going to do with it? Everything is surely via phone calls, text and email no?

babyblade41

IF you are buying a house jointly then estate agent will need both of your details so I can't see why you won't want to do this now, so at least when you get to the point of offering they already have the necessary.

They will want to know your financial position as well so they don't waste time sending you to a viewing if you haven't a cat in hells of affording it 

user1977

chamberino said:

He already had my name, but he was insistent he needed to know my full name, i.e. Joseph Harry Bloggs not just Joe Bloggs. And my partners as well.

I am not concerned about my address, but what is it they are going to do with it? Everything is surely via phone calls, text and email no?

Post something to it? I'm not sure what you're concerned about.

TheJP

This is likely a basic CRM system, the person who called you is just putting information into boxes. If you are annoyed at the stage of giving your name to an EA then buying a house is not for you. 

chamberino

Ok, I guess it's just me then! I just get wound up asking seemingly endless questions that don't seem to do anything but go into a database somewhere. We have just had to go through the same process with renting, so I'm about at my limit with it. I had a slight concern that it could be used to perform some sort of checks, but none of you seem to think that's a problem. I'll just tolerate it then and answer the questions, I am aware there's a lot more arbitrary and lengthy nonsense to come in the whole process.

Grizebeck

Its the start of KYC

molenpad

Sounds like you might be worried they are going to do some "checks" on you. They won't. 

If it concerns you this much you can ask why such information is required, how it used, and ask to be directed to their data protection / privacy policy. If they cannot do that, well, then you need to make your own decision on what personal information you are willing to provide to any third party.

Information like this is usually collected for marketing purposes, as much as anything else, so you'd be within your right to ask

Your information is likely all over the internet, in many places you have never given direct permission to hold it. That's the world we live in. A local estate agent having your details is not the end of the world. 

housebuyer143

Put yourself in the agents shoes, meeting a stranger at a house to do a viewing. It seems prudent to know who you are meeting and basic information about them just from a safety point of view. If they have it on the system they don't need to ask you every time.
You could lie I suppose, but what's really the point. 

prowla

It doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

(If they'd asked you for bank details or something like that, then that would've been a different matter.)