AIBU to wonder why they need this information?

[TheMrsClooney]

So I'm in the process of some pre-employment background checks and I have been asked by the agency conducting the checks to provide a detailed history of all my addresses. This includes every address I have ever lived at for the past 7 years or so, including the dates that I was at those addresses.

How is this information going to help them?? Is it for credit checking or something else?

And while we are on the subject, does anyone know how precise I have to be with the dates? I can hardly be expected to remember the exact dates that I moved in and out of all the places I have ever lived in! (I have moved around an awful lot).

I don't know why they want them but I had to give similar information with job applications. I was accurate to month and year but not precise days (ie address1 may 07-oct 07, address2 oct 07 - mar 08, etc).

What worked for me - depending on how many times you'll need this info - was to have a word file with addresses & dates and update it each time I moved. Then when that section of the forms come along you can write "see separate sheet". Makes life much easier!

Is it a criminal record check?

They said they would do a criminal record check, but I'm not sure if that's why they have asked for the address details.

I've had to do this before, assumed it was for credit check.

If they are doing a CRB check they will need your past addresses but month and year is sufficient

i think they would have to ask yous permission to do a credit check

how many places have you lived io seven years

I've just done a DBS (used to be CRB) check and month and year was fine, I had to give ID for a DBS and sign something though so I would think you'd know if that was why. it might be credit. really depends what the job is.

Presumably you can be sufficiently accurate that they can do their necessary checks, so MM/YY? If you are a month out I'm sure that won't be an issue.

Wouldn't it be a CRB check they would do. I can't think why they have any right to know your credit history. I mean, if you had a misdemeanour with a credit matter 5 years ago for example would that be a basis on which to decline employment? Whereas an issue coming up on a CRB would definitely be relevant.

Don't ever try and emigrate, will you? They need that information for everywhere you've been since age 18. And employers too.

We are ex military. You have no idea how many times we have moved in the last 24 years, and had to dredge up every last date and postcode.

Credit check, police check, whatever. If you are working in finance or something requiring security clearance it's very common.

I thought credit checks were now on a person not an address, so they will do a credit check on Susan Smith DOBxxxxxx, not on 7 arcacia avenue June - Oct 2002

I think this depends on the type of job you have applied for.

Years ago, I gained a p/t job working with money - lots of it zillions of pounds but not in a bank though.
I had to provide a 25 year checkable history of work, all addresses I'd lived at, several references - both work and other people who knew me, including one from a neighbour, credit history, and criminal history (if any),

I can only think it's to ensure that I was a fine, upstanding member of the community, and not someone about to commit a billion dollar heist!

I was glad when my CRB dates meant that I no longer had to record student accommodation. The 3 student addresses was tolerable. The 3 months back home with my parents to write out each time was very frustrating. I was told that I couldn't short-cut and overlap the dates.

I seem to remember, in discussion with an acquaintance who was in social work, that in Scotland, the revised SW registration process required all addresses from birth or something - and all employment history, without exception. He may have been exaggerating a tad (he was prone to that) but he certainly had a lot of backing anecdotes with regard to the problems faced by some of the people he was working with.

This is a job in finance so I presume they will check credit history and criminal records.

I also have student addresses, but I never went home during term time for longer than 14 days or so, so I haven't gone into that much detail. In cases where I have returned home for a month or longer than a month, I have listed both addresses.

I've looked up old tenancy contracts and I do have exact dates for all residences now except for one. It was either the last week of september that I moved in there or the first week of october and I have literally no idea how to confirm this. If it was a window of two weeks within the same month, I wouldn't worry but my estimation might also change the month...

Also, do you suppose they double check addresses against those on the credit file?

My suspicion (and it's only a suspicion) is that the amount of checking they do on past information will be minimal - if the info has been provided. It's probably a barrier to stop those who don't have (or don't wish to give) the information at all.

Neither would I worry too much about having a date which might just be a month out through uncertainty. I'd simply put a note to it explaining.

If its an environment regulated by the fca, credit checks are standard practice. I do them all the time but we usually only ask for 3 years worth of addresses for ours.

"I seem to remember, in discussion with an acquaintance who was in social work, that in Scotland, the revised SW registration process required all addresses from birth or something - and all employment history, without exception. He may have been exaggerating a tad"

He wasn't exaggerating, that is standard for SW's. You cannot leave any time period blank, even if you put "caring responsibilities".

It will be for background checks, not everyone's info will be checked, but occasionally, for them to be considered a reputable agency, they will be expected to check randomly.

They should also have details of clients on file, if they become involved in crime, the police will cross reference, other agencies can use this information, also.

Likewise if a body turns up, and an agency payslip was found (or something else), the info could be of help.

It is easy to be involved in criminal activity and pick up work, this just safeguards us all.

The Yorkshire Ripper would if been caught quicker if this sort if info had of been held. The Police do check agency if they think a serial criminal is picking up work, whilst moving about committing rapes etc. to put it simply.

It makes more sense when vulnerable immigrants etc are looking for work, but go missing etc, someone somewhere should know who they are.

This cuts down on people completely disappearing and nothing being known, the UK is a relatively safe place to live because of it, or at least, it is difficult for murders/kidnaps to go unnoticed.