Cities like Vancouver and Victoria aren香蕉视频直播檛 the only ones suffering from snoopy landlords.
A month ago, my boyfriend and I got a taste of Kelowna香蕉视频直播檚 low vacancy rate as we searched for an apartment, competing, according to ad views, against hundreds of other potential renters.
The biggest shock wasn香蕉视频直播檛 the competition however, it was the feeling of being exposed.
A landlord who owned an apartment in the Lower Mission requested to see our social insurance numbers and annual salary.
Coming from smaller communities where the stakes weren香蕉视频直播檛 so high, we left more than a few blanks in our application as we refused to fill out optional requests for SIN numbers and 香蕉视频直播渞equired香蕉视频直播� questions of income.
A few weeks later, our application was deemed 香蕉视频直播渋ncomplete.香蕉视频直播�
According to Andrew Sakamoto, executive director for the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, landlords shouldn香蕉视频直播檛 be asking for SIN numbers, banking information, credit cards, criminal records, or taking copies of driver香蕉视频直播檚 licenses.
香蕉视频直播淎 landlord is allowed to feel confident that a tenant will be able to pay their rent. They香蕉视频直播檙e allowed to ask permission to run a credit report,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淭he fact that landlords are asking for all of this personal information and tenants are providing it, is sort of a symptom of this rental housing crisis that香蕉视频直播檚 plaguing our society.香蕉视频直播�
Sakamoto also has a first-hand experience of dealing with the issue. He said he provided his SIN number to to a landlord in order to secure the tenancy.
香蕉视频直播淚 know a lot of other tenants in the same boat,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淲ith vacancy rates so low and competition so high, there香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of desperation for housing.香蕉视频直播�
According to acting deputy commissioner Bradley Weldon at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, landlords can only request 香蕉视频直播渘ecessary香蕉视频直播� information from a tenant.
香蕉视频直播淭here is no reason for a landlord to request more information with a reputable reference,香蕉视频直播� said Weldon. More information should only be requested if a reference isn香蕉视频直播檛 available and should be only required to determine if the individual is capable of paying the rent, he said.
香蕉视频直播淭he amount of information you collect, should escalate as you have reason to escalate it. But what we香蕉视频直播檙e seeing instead is one size fits all application forms that treat an individual who has a 10-year positive reference from a landlord香蕉视频直播he same as someone who has no background whatsoever and there香蕉视频直播檚 reason to believe they might not be able to make their rent payments,香蕉视频直播� he said.
The privacy commissioner is currently investigating both private and commercial landlords which was announced after the large number of inquiries it received about tenant privacy rights. The investigation should wrap up in about three to four months, said Weldon.
To access information on tenant and landlord rights visit www.oipc.bc.ca.
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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