Hi OpenRent team,
I viewed a property online with the landlord and we both want to proceed further. We arranged the viewing by message. However, to proceed, for example, placing a holding deposit, I’m asked to verify with a UK number which I don’t have at the moment*. Is there a way to bypass the UK number step - and use my EU number instead - to be able to proceed through OpenRent? Thanks.
*I’m a EU national relocating soon to the UK, but not yet in the country.
Are you physically resident in the UK? It’s a simple matter to buy a phone SIM in a convenIence store, usually about £1, then top it up with £10 and use the UK number to register. Ensure that email notifications are enabled with your Openrent account in case any messages arrive that way, if you swap the SIM back.
If not physically in the UK then you may be able to buy a prepaid UK SIM on eBay. I’d not recommend entering a rental contract without personally visiting the property/the landlord meeting you face to face.
It’s about time Openrent fixed this phone number thing, mind you. Many EU people keep their EU SIM for their first few months in the UK.
No, I’m not in the UK now but I have viewed the apartment and met the landlord online so far. My plan is to get a UK Sim card when in the UK. Thanks for your suggestions.
I suppose you could give the phone number of a trusted friend in the UK as a way to temporarily validate your process.
Even so, I’d strongly recommend you have someone visit the property for you, looking out for problems. Additionally you can do a check in advance on who really owns the property.
There’s a lot of fraud going on as mentioned in other Openrent community topics.
Yes, using a friend’s number is indeed a workaround that I am considering unless OpenRent gives us an alternative. Thanks for your suggestion!
This frankly seems like a heck of a lot of work. I really don’t want to give a friend’s number to an unknown source. Get a SIM Card and buy it on Ebay just to get a viewing? Ridiculous.
You may not be, but Soraya1 seems happy with the idea.