Thank you for your response. 

 

You are not the first person to raise this with us, but there's a few things to note. 

 

1) Their ID checks are not checks at all. They simply use Experian to conduct a basic financial report where the tenant comes up on the electoral role. This is completely insufficient to verify who someone is and does not satisfy Right to Rent in any way whatsoever. 

 

We obtain copies of all sorts of ID documentation from passports and driving licences to residence permits and ID cards. We then use JUMIO to authenticate that ID which is verified across 120 different countries. 

 

2) The overall standard of referencing is below par. They simply call employers and landlords to obtain references and do not obtain supporting documentation for cross referencing purposes. 

 

3) The data collected is often minimal and so the cross referencing and analysis of that data is insufficient. What can you possibly gain from just doing a financial report, which what a lot of referencing companies do? It does not indicate or substantiate the overall financial health of the tenant alone, it really is just one piece of the puzzle. 

 

What we do is the following: 

 

- Obtain landlord references but realise anyone could provide this for a tenant. This is the whole point regarding our tenant histories. The data is much more reliable when the landlords themselves upload their tenants to our database and we have thousands of records uploaded every single day. 

 

- We send out forms via email to employers and landlords alike. In regards to employers, we then cross reference the stated pay with the tenant's 3-6 months of bank statements, as well as seeking supporting documentation such as proof of national insurance and address. 

 

- Furthermore, we also offer a transparent system. You can track and access all of this data as we obtain it. Instead of us just issuing a final report to yourselves, we allow you to see this data so you can understand the conclusions that we reach. What's the point in just taking our word for it? We feel transparency is an important feature and also essential so that you know that we're taking every measure to mitigate risk. 

 

I know it's important to cut down on costs, and I appreciate that, but in all honesty cheap is not always cheerful. At the end of the day, it's important for risks to be identified because ultimately if one slips through the cracks then costs can escalate pretty darn quickly and you lose your client. We do not want that for our business or customers alike. And given the volatility of the market, strong client bases are more important than ever.