AIBU about the letting agent request? **Thread title edited by MNHQ**

[Mesmermancer]

Lettings agent have sent me an e-mail stating: "Good day "my name". We would like to inform you that in order to avoid increasing you rent we urgently need a photograph of your I.D. Please send us a reply with a photo from your phone. Thank you."

I've lived here for three years, recently got a new passport as my old one expired before I moved here. My details were passed through this letting agent from my old property (same landlord) so I didn't have more tenant checks etc/pay anything to them. I am guessing they just need my ID for purposes related to paperwork, but AIBU that the way they have worded it and the threats of ncreasing rent is weird (even the email title was "Avoid Increasing Your Rent! (my address)". It's signed-off with all the usual things this letting agent uses so I'm sure it's legit and not a scam.

I guess my AIBU is AIBU to not send the photo of my ID until the letting agent explains why it is needed, rather than just demanding in a two line e-mail? It doesn't seem very professional to me.

Title should be "AIBU about the letting agent request" !

Email accounts are regularly hacked. Do not email anything. Phone the agency or better still go in there and talk to them before producing any ID. This sort of thing is a well known scam but it could possibly be genuine but dont deal by email to be on the safe side.

😂😂 just noticed the weird title. I'd report your thread to get the title updated

I would call the agent directly and ask. I'd never be too sure it wasn't a scam, no harm in verifying.

Ah ok, I hadn't thought about hacking. These agents are notoriously difficult to get via phone, always ringing with no answer (try calling them when something like the toilets broken!) but I will try.

dontbeoffensive I have reported it :) with the correct title...

Sounds highly suspicious to me. I'd ignore it, personally.
Worth phoning the agent (or even calling in) to advise them.

Another vote for suspicious

When you click on the email address, what does it come up with?

Yes, you're right, should never say I'm sure it's not a scam - that's how people get scammed!

99.9% sure it’s a scam.

It comes up with the email address of the sender (letting address) and who they have CC'd in - "admin@lettingagentcompany". Would they be CC'd in if it was a scam? Possibly I guess.

If it was a valid email (I will call), can they increase my rent without photo of my ID or does that seem off?

can they increase my rent without photo of my ID or does that seem off?

They absolutely cannot, but check your contract for any clauses on rent review in case they’ve fudged the wording and are doing it for any reason

However in brexit timing they can absolutely jog on if they think of increasing rent

Why would seeing your photo ID prevent a rent increase? It makes no sense

You can make any email address appear to come from another. They also may have just registered a similar domain name

I'm kind of not getting why you have not just called them to ask.

Agree with PP - don’t send them anything.

Even if it was legitimate I would not send a copy of my passport by unsecured email.

Just keep phoning them until you get a reply, leave a message every time they don’t pick up and keep a record of your calls to them.

Surely Id is no good unless you present it in person or verified. Sounds less than above board.

It absolutely still could be a scam even if the email address looks legit. At my last company I had an email from our CEO, which showed as his company email address, asking me to authorise payment. I emailed him separately (not in reply) and asked if he’d sent it, to which the answer was no.

Send the letting agents a ‘clean’ email (i.e. start a new email rather than replying to this one) and ask them what’s going on. If nothing else, I can’t imagine why you’d need a photo to stop your rent increasing.

Scam.

Look at the source code for the email and you'll find it's come from somewhere else completely.

We have had an incident at work where someone received an email from our boss requesting them to redirect a payment to a clients new bank account, it wasn't picked up as the email was genuinely from his email address but he didn't send it and we lost a chunk of money.

We've also had emails from clients where their emails have been hacked, and someone posing as them are redirecting legitimate payments to a "new bank account".

If there is anything remotely suspicious or even just an unexpected request - and the email you have received is - always follow up with a phone call - and double check the phone number independently on their website, rather than the email signature.

I'm kind of not getting why you have not just called them to ask

Honestly I just never call them because of all the hassle we've had trying to get through before, they are very bad at communication and your best best is usually e-mail. I suppose I anticipated the wait and wanted to know what others thought.

I have tried calling three times and left two voicemails, no answer - this was using the number from their website in a new internet tab search, not via the mail signature.

I've screenshotted it and attached it in a 'clean' e-mail to two contacts at the lettings agent I've used before, so hopefully they can clarify.

Thank you all.

They would CC people in because by the time it might have been seen everyone has received it and may have replied with their ID. Also makes them look credible.

I have had a reply from the clean address and it seems like it is actually from them, they say that they need to provide two valid forms of ID to their insurance company with the AST and they don't have it for mine, and if they do not provide this then their insurance for the property goes up 5% which will mean they increase me rent to make this up, and apologised for the "vague request".

Putting rent up really doesn’t work like that. They can’t just hike your rent if they feel like it. The terms are in your tenancy agreement not at the whim of your letting agents.

Also, if you happen to have signed a new ageeemebt after 1st July they’re breaking the tenant fee ban as well.

As far as I can see tenancy doesn't say anything about rent increases ? But does say I should be liable at any time to reimburse the landlord for claims on his policy or any housing benefit that the landlord has to pay back etc.

When I had to give ID to my letting agent, I went to their office with the original and they took a copy. Why don't you do that? Avoids sending things over email.