I went for a viewing yesterday and I really liked the flat, I was ready to start the process on OpenRent by putting the holding deposit but the guy who showed me the flat (he said the landlord was his boss) said that they usually ask for documentation (passport, bank statements, payslip, employer reference, contribution to rent, etc.) prior to the holding deposit, which can be transferred directly to his bank account.
When I told him I would feel more comfortable doing it through OpenRent he said he would ask the team but first of all they need to obtain the above-mentioned docs, and only after we can move ahead with placing the holding deposit through OpenRent.
Now, perhaps they are genuine and this is only the way they work (they want to have all applicants’ information first and then choose “the best one”) but do you think giving away my information (especially the copy of my passport, bank statement and payslips) is safe without OpenRent protection?
Many landlords, including myself, only use Openrent purely for advertising, and choose to conduct all other aspects outside of Openrent, including credit checks and taking deposit directly to their own bank.
An agent or landlord should only process one applicant at a time, once a deposit has been placed. it sounds like they are just doing preliminary checks before taking the deposit. They may be doing this with others to allow for choice of preferred tenant.
You can check who owns property via land registry for around ÂŁ3.
As a general point, I think that landlords need to start taking seriously the issue of winning the trust and confidence of the people looking to rent their properties. The imbalance between supply and demand has led to some complacency on our part.
Its important to spend time explaining how the tenancy will work, giving them a copy of the landlords GDPR privacy notice and ICO registration up front, showing proof of ownership before asking for money, giving information on any memberships of professional associations and accreditation and even showing them ID so that they know youre not going to run off with the money. If asking for a holding deposit to be paid directly, make sure you give them a copy of a holding deposit policy first, stating the terms under which it can be refunded.
I completely agree David, the imbalance you mentioned is real.
I just met that person yesterday and giving my personal details away feels like taking a leap of faith.
They are loaning you an asset worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and they know nothing about you !
If you went to a bank and applied for a mortgage of the same value they would do the same checks.
Why is it any different ?
Are you going to be respectful of their asset?
Are you going to pay rent ?
Will you be abusive, verbally or physically (!) ?
( and yes I was physically assaulted by a tenant )
The other week I was asked by a prospective tenant
Where I was from?
Why the other properties looked the same ( he was looking at posts that are let agreed)?
What my specific role was?
If I asked a tenant where they were from it would be wholly inappropriate.
I rejected him because where I come from is non of his business!
Why is he asking about properties where the let is agreed ?
Why is not interested in the property at hand ?
If he’d asked for the deeds I would have obliged and not minded .
I knew the spec of the house inside out . A scammer would not know that !!!
The reality is a lot of tenants are determining if the landlord is a pushover or not .
They don’t want to deal with estate agents as there is less give.
There is good and bad on both sides and with this government ( announcing their intentions today and the other week) we have got to be more careful than ever.
My property has been on for weeks. I’m not short of viewings I’m short of a tenant that can be respectful of the contract rather than tell me what they want and what I shall do for them !
I want to work with someone not work for someone .
I get your point, but when I go to the bank I entered a trusted establishment. I wouldn’t give sensitive information about myself to a random person met once…it’s not exactly the same situation.
I understand that they need to get to know me and see if they can trust me, but it’s exactly the same all the way around. They cannot expect someone handing over their bank information and passport without even giving evidence of who they are.
The expectations should be more balanced between the two parts, that’s all I’m saying.
To advertise on platforms that are regulated by an ombudsman those issues have already been established.
In law an estate agent, whether online or in the high street, has to have evidence that the property belongs to that person.
I recently advertised on another website.
I had to provide a passport and deeds to the property and for my mother’s property I had to provide both her and my information and the LPA code.
We’ve already handed our data over to the platform .
On certain platforms the EPC , gas certificate and EICR have also been provided.
One legally cannot advertise without those certificates being in place and one certainly cannot rent without them.
All of those documents have the owners details by law.
An ombudsman regulated website would not permit advertising without proof of ownership and certificates in place.
Every house will have a gas certificate present which also has the landlord details documented.
During the pandemic rental fraud was 1 in 20 in London and 1 in 50 in the U.K. .
Respected solicitors advise in person viewings to avoid fraud, although admittedly that’s not always possible .
There are a lot more clues to who owns a property if you know how to look.
There are less clues to who are bad tenants. Someone has posted on here that even verified tenants on this platform are not actually as it seems.
I think that there is a big difference between a landlord and a bank in terms of them asking for information. You have much more comeback with a corporate entity if they misuse your data. Most landlords haven’t even heard of GDPR or the ICO. There have also been scammers that have operated on this site in the past and we all know that Facebook marketplace is the wild west. I assume that any landlord using RentNow has to first be verified by Openrent (?) but otherwise, we are complete strangers to the applicants we meet.
It works both ways
No entity is secure from fraud not even someone pretending to be the bank or HMRC etc.
I have had my data lost by the hospital.
The comeback is for all for misusing data. The ICO penalise no matter what or who the organisation is
Anyone can be reported
I reported a locum agency for having my mobile from 20 years ago as I haven’t signed GDPR notices since legislation was introduced.
In this digital world no one is free from a scam waiting to be had anywhere in the world .
Facebook is not an ombudsman regulated body and any and all kinds of fraud is rife .
This is an ombudsman regulated site
I shall not mention it’s competitor for fear of moderation but I found their checks to be thoroughly comprehensive
The tenants that are legit never question the information I require .
The only ones I have found who are uncomfortable, are those with something to hide
I rented three houses that did not go on the student market and the tenants didn’t question why I was asking for it
The tenants that did question were the ones that told me what I should and should not accept
Good luck to them
Having just read the association email that has come through regarding the renters reform bill which will be here as soon as next year and is more severe than originally proposed landlords needs as much information to go forward
How many landlords lie about references for new tenants
Bank statements are the only way to see if the rent is paid
Changes we can look forward to ( NOT)
This government is doing all it can to protect tenants
It’s a shame a left wing Tory government didn’t help us in the last decade
Changes will apply to both new and existing tenancies at the same time – expected by summer 2025
Tenants will be able to give notice from day one of the tenancy
Grounds such as the landlord needing to sell or move in will not be available in the first 12 months of the tenancy, and will require four months’ notice
The mandatory rent arrears ground will now require three months’ arrears and four weeks’ notice
Changes to the student possession ground, which will only apply to HMOs let entirely to students
If you are doing an in person viewing and you go to a house you eliminate a lot of the scam .
Last year a father ( ex military and now a registered fire safety officer ) drove five hours to see the house before three boys signed .
He checked every fire safety aspect in the house.
That is the responsibility I want to see. I have nothing to hide . I am compliant .
In return I want to know the tenant can pay rent and is courteous and those that have nothing to hide will oblige .
I want to see statements I don’t want to keep them
I need to reduce the risk
I agree with your last post. There is no substitute for meeting and talking with people. The first thing I do when an applicant replies to my advert is phone them on the number they give and ask my sifting questions. Theyre not expecting it and youre likely to get more revealing answers.
Totally agree. We have a document called “Why rent with us” which we hand to applicants viewing a property. It details who we are, our accreditation, letting experience, the fact that we have no mortgages and no need to sell our properties so can provide secure homes, etc.
Totally understand that. It’s your prerogative. The way I see it, they need to know I’m not going to throw an S21 at them for no reason at all or on the pretext that I need to sell the place or move back in. They need security. And seeing as they’re wanting to rent my property, it’s pretty obvious that I have assets. I also don’t view them as strangers. I wouldn’t tell someone in a pub that I didn’t know info about our wealth. But these people are not only potentially providing my family with income, they’re also hopefully helping me to maintain my wealth and, in fact, increase it. In that equation, sharing that info with them balances things out.
I do not feel the need to tell potential tenants that I have no mortgages or how many children I have . I say to them " if you want to know what I am like just ask the tenants above / below the place you want"
Why would you even contemplate anyone giving info about kids? It’s handy for you that you have Ts so close to each other that they can share info.
I’ve explained why I think a T should know that there’s no risk to their home being repossessed or them being issued an S21 through no fault of their own. If you disagree, it would be useful to know why you think I shouldn’t do it if you think I’m being unwise. Alternatively, at least tell me why you wouldn’t want them to know you have no mortgage on the property. From my POV (and without either Colin or Karl telling me why) I can’t see any disadvantage to outweigh the advantage to the T of knowing they’re secure.
It’s always uppermost in my mind how uneven the sharing of data is during the application process. They get nothing from me except my name and an address for service, and I see their credit history, 6 months of bank statements, ID, references, etc.
yeah of course, I was just curious about why you and Karl wouldn’t share that info as neither of you mentioned why. Seems innocuous info to me to say you don’t have a mortgage on property to applicant.
@tatemono . Not sure I can add much to my comment above. I don’t like sharing personal financial information, and do not wish to share details of my wealth (or lack of) with strangers (& I’m sorry, a prospective tenant is a stranger… they might not be in the future, but they are now)