Identity Card and Tenancy Law: What Do You Need to Know?

Questioner

Dear RW, I have found a rental house that I can rent if I want. The landlord has asked me for a copy of my passport, in which my BSN has not been crossed out. I am pretty sure that he is not allowed to ask for this, but I suspect that he will not rent the house to me if I do not do so. What other options do I have to identify myself to him? thank you very much.

Lawyer

Dear, You are not obliged to provide a copy of your identity document. However, the landlord does want to know who he is dealing with and may ask you to identify yourself and to check your identity document for authenticity, in this context he may note down the personal data and the number of the identification document. For real estate managers it is even mandatory to verify the identity of their tenants by including an identity document in their administration. The BSN number is not required for the execution of the lease agreement, therefore it does not have to be provided. The landlord is also entitled to ask for a passport photo. The data to identify a (potential) tenant is important, especially now that it is generally known that it regularly happens that the rented property is not used for the purpose for which it was rented in that way and it is clear to the landlord who he is dealing with. I would advise you to indicate that you object to providing a copy of your ID, but that you are perfectly willing to visit the landlord and show him the ID and that he can note down the number of the ID, so that he can check your identity in this way. In this way you have sufficiently identified yourself, and if this is not sufficient then it is up to you to consider how much you want to rent the property....