[OPINION] New four step application process for prospective tenants

These new rules take no consideration for the quiet peace and enjoyment of current tenants or the time and delay it will take for property managers to select a new tenant. It also does not take into account any consideration for Health and Safety in the current Covid-19 environment.

If landlords do not follow the prescriptive step by step process they are threatened with fines. From March 2022, the Privacy Commission will regularly check on how landlords are operating, starting with the biggest private sector rental companies.

They will also carry out mystery shopper activities to check they are asking for the right information, at the right time, in a responsible way.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner will be publicly encouraging prospective tenants to let them know they can refuse to share information, and can make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if the refusal is not accepted. Adding to this they have developed a reporting tool for tenants to confidentially email them about their rental experiences.