Rental file: our tips for avoiding identity theft

When looking for an apartment or house to rent, it's essential to compile a rental file. However, passing on personal information can entail risks, such as identity theft. This phenomenon is on the increase, and can have serious financial and legal consequences. How can you spot scams or fake ads? What are the solutions for protecting personal documents? In this article, discover all our advice on how to secure your file when looking for a property to rent.

Identity theft: a very real risk

Fraud in the rental sector is becoming increasingly common, with scams that are sometimes difficult to detect. By sharing your personal or banking documents with ill-intentioned people, you expose yourself to a number of risks. Identity theft is one of them. Let's take a look.

What is identity theft?

Identity theft is the unauthorized use of another person's identity or personal data for malicious or fraudulent purposes. Under the law, usurping the identity of a third party or using one or more data of any kind to identify him or her is punishable by one year's imprisonment and a €15,000 fine.

Rental file: a closer look at the required documents

When looking for a property to rent, you'll need to put together a rental file. This is essential to convince the landlord of your financial reliability, to justify your income and your seriousness as a future tenant. If you need a guarantor, you'll also need to provide the necessary documents.

List of required documents

• Valid identification (passport, identity card).
• Proof of address (rent receipt, recent utility bill).
• Tax assessment or employment contract.
• Proof of income (payslip, benefit receipt).
• Proof of any guarantees (documents from guarantors, bank guarantee or VISALE).

High-risk documents

Your rental file contains sensitive data. Identity card, passport, bank details... All this information can, for example, easily be used to impersonate you, create false profiles or online accounts, subscribe to paid subscriptions or even take out loans... All without your knowledge. Your pay slips and tax returns also reveal detailed financial information. They expose you to tax fraud or even embezzlement. That's why it's essential to keep this information secure, and only pass it on to people you can trust.

Identity theft: our tips for limiting the risks

• To avoid online scams and fraudulent adverts, it's essential to check them carefully. Search for your future home on recognized, professional platforms or websites. This guarantees the reliability of your ads.
• Learn to spot deceptive signs: be wary of ads offering surprisingly low or very attractive prices: they may conceal a scam.
• Before handing over your rental file to an agency or a private individual, carefully analyze the contact details provided. If in doubt, ask for a meeting in person or by videoconference.
• If you don't use a certified real estate agency, you can verify the landlord's identity online. To do this, refer to official documents such as the land registry. All these precautions considerably reduce the risk of falling into a trap.... And therefore, the risk of identity theft.
• Make sure you only send copies, and never originals, of your personal documents.
• Watermarking is a simple but effective way of protecting your documents. The government's Watermark platform lets you easily modify your documents, adding a note such as "for rental use only".
• To share your documents, use secure platforms. The French government has set up a free service called Dossier Faciles. It enables you to build up a complete, certified and secure digital file, perfectly suited to the needs of rental agencies and landlords.

What to do in the event of identity theft?

After sharing your rental file, you think you're the victim of rental fraud or identity theft? If you notice any signs of fraudulent use of your data, report it immediately to the police station or gendarmerie, providing any evidence you have. If your personal data has been disclosed or used without your consent, also inform the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés), which may intervene to protect your rights.

Contact your bank advisor as soon as possible to block any suspicious transactions and prevent any further manipulation of your data. In the days that follow, monitor your bank accounts and tax information for any further fraudulent activity.

When looking for a property to rent, identity theft remains a real risk, and one you should take into account before sharing your personal data. However, by adopting a few simple best practices, you can limit the risks and learn how to spot scams.