For many years I’ve used OpenRent’s property advertising, contract creation, and referencing service - it has always seemed so detailed and so simple.
However, today I learnt that OpenRent’s “Comprehensive Reference” service is not comprehensive at all.
Their process: send an online form link to the “referee” who completes the form online. No phone call or LinkedIn or other checks that the referee is actually at the employer company or that the employer company even exists.
Likewise the applicant/tenant gets an online form, fills it in online and no phone call or LinkedIn or any other evidence of employment is required as part of OpenRent’s verification service.
So in my case, where the tenant and the referee appear to have lied on their forms, and OpenRent cannot show a digital signature to link to the person who has completed and returned the forms, I’m now up the proverbial creek without a paddle.
And OpenRent’s response:
The aim of our referencing service is to collect relevant information about applicants, verify this to the best of our ability…However, we must stress that this service is only advisory…We do not accept copies of documents, such as bank statements or employment contracts, as part of our referencing assessment…As we can’t verify the authenticity of such a document, it’s not something we can rely on in a reference report and including it as evidence would be misleading.
Thanks OpenRent. Your “verify to the best of our ability” just isn’t good enough. I fully appreciate that fraud can be difficult to detect. But if I’m paying all that money for a “comprehensive” reference, and all you are offering is having unverified people fill in online forms that don’t offer a digital signature so cannot be used in court, and you haven’t attempted any form of human to human contact… Your actual reference process needs to be more transparent to landlords so we can better assess the risks of tenant suitability.