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I’m in the middle of finding a flat around Edinburgh atm but have run into something with the new landlord which I’m a little uncomfortable about and I’m wondering what others think about it.
I’ve found a flat I like and have been given an application to email to the landlord and we’re to sign a lease hopefully before the weekend. The information asked for on the application form is what’s bothering me though. I’m asked for a lot of personal details such as address, previous addresses (for refs) employer details (to check I’ve a salary etc), fair enough, then he asks for national insurance number and passport/driving license number, and finally for bank details; name, address, sort code and acc no, and it’s this that bothers me. He claims he wants the bank details so he can verify I have a bank account but I’m a bit worried what he can do with it if he’s a scammer, especially since I’ve never been asked for these details before prior to signing a lease. Should I be concerned about this?
Hmmm….I can understand most of those things, but bank details, why exactly? If you have a work, proof of payslips or a letter from your company that should be proof enough that you have the finances to rent the place.
It’s not like he can ring up your bank and say – ‘Can you verify that account 123456, sort code 54321 belongs to Mr Bob Jones ?’
Sorry, it sounds a bit dodgy to meedzachery what I thought, sounds well dodge mate.. write anything down, see if he comes back to you saying “sorry your details are incorrect… or ask him for his as a swap deal.. weird
What has you having a bank account got to do with him ? Call his bluff on this one; If he wants you to pay him via your bank account then get his details off him, set up a direct debit or any system whereby funds are transferred to him automatically every week/month.
He’s not an employer so has no need for the NI number, you can show him the passport and driving licence as proof of who you are but don’t let him go out the room with them or let him make a copy, if you feel so inclined offer him a copy of both on the proviso that any numbers are blanked off and big letters spelling COPY are pasted across the front of them before you hand them over; he has previously seen the originals so can now keep a copy of the documents if he so desires.
Good luck mate.
Sounds like a scam mate, there is no need to give him your NI numbers or any details like that,
Basically with all info, he can apply for credit in your name apply for birth certficates and passports, I’d report the fecker to the cops.
I wonder how many other people he’s turned over??Well I put this thread up because I really wasn’t getting anything useful from the citizens advice people, except for a landlord registry website (which the guy is on) and I was starting to wonder were my concerns paranoid since cab didn’t seem to think there was anything too strange going on. I also spoke with someone at shelter who advised the information the landlord was asking for wasn’t always asked for, but they wouldn’t consider it unusual (they did appreciate my concern at least). I also contacted my bank who said there was little the guy could do with my bank details as far as verification goes or anything else for that matter, since they’d have to have my signature provided along with any request from a landlord to check my account was valid, and same for anything else (essentially I’m covered if the bank authorise any payments without my written signature). Finally I’m between a rock and a hard place atm, so I took Insanes advice on this and threw a deliberate typo into my bank details, gambling that my bank are correct and he’ll not have anyway to pick it up. It’ll be interesting if he does pick up on it though as I’ll be asking how he managed to do this, and that’ll be the sign to walkaway.
As far as applying for credit in my name goes, good luck to him, I can’t even manage that atm, but this was my main concern. I decided proceed though based on the lack of alarm bells being rung at CAB and Shelter.
I’m gambling a bit but we’ll see what happens in the next couple of days.
Don’t be daft everyone. It’ll be fine. I had a word with the bloke and he said it was all fair and above board and he wasn’t off to spend Alzirs money at all.
Well if it’s a scam it’s a damn good one and I’ll get home tonight to find all my stuff cleared out and the locks changed 😉 I was encouraged a bit on Friday by an offical letting agency (whose details I could check) following up on all my references, and felt a lot better when I met the landlord in person. All the paperwork was sorted and he even accepted a cheque for the rent and deposit, having originally asked for cash. It all looks good, and it’s such a relief to finally have a place sorted!
Oh and if anyone’s ever passing through Edinburgh, feel free to give me a shout and we can go for a pint or something. Where I am is very close to the centre (about 20 min walk), and 5 minutes walk from Haymarket station which is 1 stop before the end of the line if arriving in the city by train, and also on the airport bus route. Couple of nice bars in the area too 🙂
Alzir, as you’re now in Edinburgh, will you still be at the wedding next weekend, or are you not able to make it now (I can see how living in Edinburgh might make it difficult lol)
wish i could of made the wedding Tess, sadly at the time i had plans to go to Italy, now it seems i shall be just over the border from you in Sligo!!!
Hope you guys have a great day……….
sorry for the thread hi-jack! 😀
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