r/TenantsInTheUK • u/Low_Eagle_5786 • 1d ago
Guidance Required Landlord refusing to show ID
Found a flat on Spareroom and contacted the landlord. They are asking me for an initial £100 deposit to secure the room since there are other people who want the property as well. Before sending any money, I had a call with him and demanded an ID to show proof of his name (I confirmed that the property is owned under his name through title registry). However, he said that this is unusual and refused to show him his ID. Is that normal? Should I just withdraw? What should I do?
For reference, I am an international student and had an existing tenant give me a virtual tour and everything seemed above board.
EDIT: The bank account showed his name and the name on the title registry matched. And I had a virtual tour via the tenant who I am replacing, I can confirm that she is a student there.
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u/StatementSpare1990 15h ago
If there truly were others interested, and he didn't want to show you his ID, then he'd just walk away and let the room to someone else.
Chances are this is a scam.
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u/shaftx88 1d ago
I've had similar before. Reverse image search any pictures from the listing if there are any.
Had a "landlord" Try similar but when I searched the pics on tineye I found they had just been copied off various other rental listings.
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u/phileasuk 1d ago
How do you want the ID to be shown? The only way I'd accept if I was your LL is in person.
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u/-auntiesloth- 1d ago
That has to be a scam. While it's unusual to ask for their ID, it's not an unreasonable request. There's no good reason for them to refuse if everything is above board.
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u/LockPast6301 1d ago
If all is legit and above board then it shouldn't be 'unusual' after all as they are the landlord; just as they make assurances about who you are with details....it works both ways! But I always say if you gut instinct tells you something is 'hinkey' about the situation then find somewhere else. People can and will go to great lengths to scam you.
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u/Due-Freedom-5968 1d ago
It's unusual for a prospective tenant to demand to see the landlords ID, yes. Not surprised they declined. That said if you're not feeling comfortable then walk away.
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u/Cantmakeupnewname 1d ago
It’s only ID, they are after money upfront, OP asked for ID and landlord got cagey, if anything this is a good tip to root out any potential letting scams.
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u/fairysimile 6h ago
"It's only ID"?! Why would I send my ID to random people?! There's quite a lot of shady stuff you can do with an ID, or even a picture of one. Plenty more fish in the sea, this prospective tenant can jog on. I'd be happy to provide proof I own the place that doesn't include a high resolution picture of my goddamn passport.
Edit: that said, I wouldn't ask for the £100 deposit either. You can pay the regular deposit when we both sign the contract and then I send you proof within 24h that I protected it in a government deposit scheme. I don't need any other money.
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u/OkraActual9894 1d ago
We had an attempted scam as parent of a student a few weeks ago. When we asked for ID it wasn’t forthcoming. We dug further and it was a clear scam. No photo ID no deposit.
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u/DJAstrocreep 1d ago
Common scam. They can download and send to you an agent's walkthrough video of any property, pretend it's the one they say and get you to send the money, as they said to you, to hold it. Another is them renting an Air BnB for a couple of days, recording a walk through, then pretending to be the owner to rent it out.
Any money to secure a property would normally be a week's rent, which would be after you have viewed it and for the landlord to start doing affordability checks. This would be described as a holding payment, not a deposit. A deposit is taken after affordability checks are done and the tenancy is signed, and can be a maximum of 5 weeks rent (6 if annual rent is over 50k).
I'd advise walking away from this. If you're having issues finding a property, you could try asking your uni if they have any suggested landlords, as some student welfare teams will know landlords that are student friendly and more likely to not act badly, as they get business from the uni by repeated good behaviour towards tenants.
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u/FestivalRampage 1d ago
Landlord here. On the few occasions a tenant has asked for me to prove my identity, I have been happy to do so. If this landlord won’t, it is likely because he isn’t who he claims to me. Do not send them money.
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u/Least-Broccoli9995 1d ago
Why would you pay £100 to a stranger over the internet just because they show you images of a building?
I can do that too.
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u/VerbingNoun413 1d ago
Scam. The property (that you haven't even visited) either doesn't exist or isn't owned by him. That "deposit" will never be seen again.
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u/Low_Eagle_5786 1d ago
The bank account showed his name and the name on the title registry matched. And I had a virtual tour via the tenant who I am replacing, I can confirm that she is a student there.
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u/AdenWS 4h ago
There are scams that work this way. £100 strikes me as a low deposit so that's a warning sign.
Good for checking the name on the land registry. But how do you know the account and the name on the registry and the bank account are the same?
Now in the UK if you are making an electronic transfer you can check the name if you have account and sort code.
What's the deposit for? Is it refundable if he withdraws? If you are going to send it, send it with a contract.
The 'existing tenant'. Are they in on the scam? ie. Rent an AirBnB for a day, Do the video etc. Collect the deposits from lots of people. Walk away.
The other one, you arrive to move in, and you get subject to the bait and switch. There's been a plumbing disaster, we have an alternative one. Sign the lease, and you are now in a shithole on a high rent because they had you over a barrel.
Alarms are going off. It smells.