daiske

Hi,
We are going to rent a condo and they are asking for a lot of personal information on the rental application: SIN Number, Driving License, Date of birth, Salary...
The place is rented through an agency.
Now, we have seen the place, it is a brand new condo, so the guy has the keys.
The problem is that we cannot find any information about the agency, we have only a phone number and an email address (gmail), and the name of the agent. That's all.
Any advice on this? Should we ask for any proof of identity?
Having the keys of the condo should be enough?

Thanks for your help

haggis88

i was advised only to give my SIN number when applying for a loan or mortgage, or to my employer

on the rental applications i didn't fill out the SIN number or my driving license number, just showed the agent my ID and that was all good

justkidding

That does sound a little bit strange. Are you living in Calgary at the moment? Have you tried googling all the names, phone numbers, etc.? Have you asked about ownership?

Geordie Lass

Sounds a bit dodgy to me. You shouldn't be giving your SIN number out to anyone.

We weren't asked for this when we rented. We did have to provide a letter stating the salary my husband was on. He also asked us to send him our new driving licence numbers which we never did. A landlord doesn't need that type of info.

We met with our landlord and gave him postdated cheques and he handed the keys to us straight away. He wouldn't have got the cheques without the keys.

If you are wary then do what we did. Meet in person and exchange money for keys. Is that an option?

Hope that helps.

Siouxie

I would want to know for certain that the agent is acting for the owner. I find it very strange that you can't find out anything about the agency.

Ask to see a copy of the lease, ask for confirmation he is acting for the owner and don't give personal info like your SI # - they cannot insist on it.

You should try reading some of the info on these websites:

http://tenant.landlordandtenant.org/...onrenting.aspx

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/reh...h/fash_001.cfm

daiske

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

We are relocating to Calgary, we are now in a hotel until we find something.

We have seen the apartment already and meet him in person.
We asked him for evidence that he is the representative of the owner, and he said something like: "oh yes! It is just a paper", but did not seem very happy about the question.

What make me feel suspicious is:
-I cannot find any information about the agency or his email address.
-At the bottom of the rental application, in small print, there is a different email address with a different agency name.
-We only have from him a telephone number, a name (Jacky), and an email address (gmail).
-He has on the net some other apartments available, all of them available on the 1st of April. When we asked him if he had some other aparments to rent he said "no".

Finally I sent him the rental application without filling the SIN number and the driving license.

I don't know, maybe we are being a bit paranoic. If finally we sign a rental agreement I guess we will ask for proof of identity.

Steve_P

Sounds way to much like a scam. Personally I would walk away from this as fast as I could.

Siouxie

Red flags abound.

Different email address and agency name on the application form? If nothing else, I would be asking him about that before you sign anything or pay any money over.

Have you tried googling the actual address of the property to see if it is a genuine rental property or if there is another rental agency that is handling it?

You could also contact the agency that was on the application form and ask if this person represents them.

There are some useful tips to ascertain whether it's a scam or not here: http://www.fraudguides.com/tips/august7.asp

Steve_P

In complete agreement with the above plus with some of the information requested i.e. SIN Number, DL and D.O.B. likelihood of identity theft is a possibility.

Rick b

Although I agree with the obvious comments to be careful I do think maybe others on here are not really in the same position so are not understanding why the info is being asked for. I moved to Calgary in September and at every apartment viewing I went to, there were at least 6 or 7 others trying to get the same place. It was ridiculous. Thankfully I was living with friends so was not too pressured. But it was explained to me that because there is so much demand, the onus is on the renter to prove they can afford the property and not only afford, but can prove they have a good credit record as well. As we had only just arrived we obviously had no credit and in the end paid 4 months rent in advance to get a place. The rental market in certain parts of Calgary is ridiculous, it moves extremely fast so although the advice to be careful is correct, unless you are trying to rent in this market you may not understand what the OP is saying.

haggis88

i have

twice

never gave them any of the information that the OP is saying has been asked for - only thing i told them was my monthly wages and who my bank account was with

Rick b

Sigh. There are obviously always anomolies. Are you honestly saying that back in the UK if you rented your house out you would be fine renting to someone who had just arrived in country with them telling you their wages and which bank they were with and give no other proof?

haggis88

i don't know, never owned a house!

but two separate landlords in Calgary were obviously okay with it. Both the viewing times there were at least 4 other people/couples there at the same time

I did give them my employers phone number though, i dare say they could call up and confirm my wage...and with them being a reputable employer, that may have helped too?

Rick b

I did say "if". Im pretty sure that if someone has the ability to move to another coutry they just might be able to answer a hypothetical question........... maybe not.
Id suggest you got lucky. My advice was more for the general person and what they have to provide. I have met a lit of expats here from the UK and elsewhere, they all have similar experiences in renting.

Siouxie

I don't dispute that in the rental market there is a need to 'prove' oneself. When I first arrived in Canada I was stuck in a hotel for weeks because nobody wanted to rent to me and I ended up having to pay 12 months in advance to obtain an apartment.

However, the fact that this so-called agent has a gmail email account, has no traceable office, is using forms issued by a different agency and is vague about whether he is acting on behalf of the owner all ring major alarm bells.

Whilst there is undoubtedly a need to give details to establish your credibility, I would not be giving someone with such undefined credentials any personal information. If they are a legitimate agent then they should have no problem showing proof that they are.

There are several scams that are instigated by someone legitimately 'renting' an apartment then showing that apartment to potential renters; obtaining security deposits, first and last months' rent etc., (and from several different renters, not just one) and then they take off with the money.

At least think ahead and use due diligence and check up on the person beforehand.