More Dutch rental agents request sensitive financial information before viewings

An increasing number of complaints have been reported to the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) as Dutch rental agencies request even more sensitive financial information from potential tenants, sometimes even before viewing the rental property. 

Rise in reports of Dutch rental agencies requesting sensitive financials

When renting in the Netherlands, everyone knows that you’ll have to provide payslips and bank statements before you can sign the lease. However, some rental agencies have taken this a step further, asking potential tenants for a bank link, which allows them to view the income and outgoings listed in their bank accounts.

What’s shocking is that some rental agents request this sensitive information before house hunters are even allowed to view the rental home. The AP has received 50 reports of such cases so far this year and is seeing the number rise. 

"If you request a lot of privacy-sensitive information from someone, there has to be a good reason," vice-chair of the AP, Monique Verdier, told NOS. "The reports we receive about this often show that real estate agents don't have clear reasons for this and don't communicate them to the home seeker."

Dutch agents claim bank links needed to prevent fraud

According to real estate agent Britt Orchard from Verra Makelaars in Rotterdam, the bank link request is an additional step to prevent fraud. "It sometimes happens that someone falsifies a bank statement or payslip," said Orchard. "But we only request a bank account link after someone has viewed a property with us and expressed interest. And not before."

Orchard claims that they can’t see details such as payments made, but only a report of potential fraud from the data-sharing app where applicants enter their information. However, they couldn’t say for sure which of the banking details are visible.

Lower chance of getting Dutch rental home without sharing financials

While the AP and Woonbond (the National Association for Tenants) both agree that asking for the usual financial data before a house viewing is problematic and that this should only be done after the potential tenant applies, house hunters are still under pressure to comply to have a chance of nabbing a rental home on the overheated housing market. 

"On average, we're receiving more and more applications for rental properties. Ultimately, those who are able and willing to provide all the required documents have the best chance of securing the property," Orchard explains. Despite privacy concerns and questions about how well real estate agencies protect their databases, many home seekers will likely give in and provide bank links due to the severe housing shortage. 

"The fact that, on average, many more home seekers are now responding to an increasingly smaller rental market is, in our opinion, no reason to request so much information," says Verdier. "There must be other ways to ensure the selection of the right tenant without requiring so much from the home seeker upfront."