Know your rights: Your rights as a tenant
Question
Can a landlord or letting agency ask me for
personal information like my PPS number when starting a new tenancy?
Answer
Yes, a landlord or letting agent can ask
you for certain personal information, but only at a specific point in the
process of finding somewhere new to rent.
A landlord needs the PPS number of every
tenant who is renting their property so they can register the tenancy with the
Residential Tenancies Board, which landlords must do by law. See registering
a tenancy for more information.
You may also be asked for the following
information when you rent a property:
·
Recent bank statements
·
A reference from your previous
landlord
·
A reference from your employer
·
Recent payslips
·
Photo ID, such as a passport or
driver’s licence
You should only be asked for these details
when you are offered the property to rent. You should not have to give this information
when you register with a letting or estate agent, or to view a property with an
agent or a private landlord.
Any personal information you give your
landlord or agent should only be used by them in accordance with data
protection legislation.
You can
read more about tenants’
rights and obligations on citizensinformation.ie.
You can also get information and advice from:
·
The Citizens Information Phone Service: Call 0818 07 4000 (Monday
to Friday, 9am to 8pm).
·
Our national call back service: Visit citizensinformation.ie/callback to
request a phone call from an information officer
You can contact your local centre by email or phone using the details in
the Find a Centre page
on citizensinformation.ie.
