Landlords demanding renters send photo, CV and character references

theguardian.com:

Renters are being subjected to extreme vetting procedures by letting agents and landlords who are demanding personal statements – and even photographs – to choose between prospective tenants.

Amid the worst rental market conditions to date, campaigners say that letting agents and landlords are increasing the potential for discrimination by telling renters to submit personal biographies to try to sell themselves as desirable tenants.

Tenants are being encouraged to “put their best foot forward” by including as much personal information as possible in their applications, renters told theObserver, with details such as having attended Oxbridge or a Russell Group university and high salaries seen as an advantage.

Prospective tenants also reported being asked to give letting agents access to their LinkedIn profiles.

Other tactics being adopted include mass viewings, encouraging tenants to bid over the market price or pay multiple months’ rent upfront and not providing thorough information about energy costs.

An employee of the London letting agent Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward (KFH) asked a group of prospective tenants to each send a photo of themselves and a short profile along with their application to rent a property in north London.

When challenged about the need for a photo, the letting agent said, in documents seen by theObserver: “We ask for photos to help landlords form a connection with the prospective tenants – otherwise it would just be names on paper to them.”

Carol Pawsey, KFH group lettings director, said that while in a busy rental market it is “not uncommon” to provide landlords with personal biographies “to help them decide between multiple competitive offers”, letting agents should not ask for photos.

“It is not our