Real Estate
19 April, 2025
New ID law baffles managers
THE Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) is strongly opposing the state’s new standardised tenancy application form, which the peak body says takes tenant privacy to the point of impracticality.
From May 1, the standardised rental application will be used for general tenancies. This reform is part of the former state government’s stage two rental reforms, now carried forward by the LNP.
The REIQ believes the form’s approach to verification of identity (VOI) could cause significant risk for property owners and their managers. The peak body is also warning the application form may undermine the prospects of success for applicants seeking to rent property in Queensland.
REIQ chief executive officer Antonia Mercorella said the most glaring issue with the proposed form was its wording in relation to requirements surrounding VOI.
“The form positions VOI in such a way that it would have applicants believe that they should exercise their right to refuse to provide proof of identification to support an application.
“While we respect the right to privacy, it is in the best interests of tenant applicants to provide proof of identification, in line with property owners and overall community expectations.
“You can’t so much as open a library account to borrow a book without needing to show identification to confirm your identity.
“The same goes for checking into a hotel, hiring a car, renting a scooter and joining a gym where providing ID is routine because it serves an important purpose in protecting against damage and theft and ensuring safety and compliance.
“It is simply ludicrous to think a person should have the right to rent such a valuable asset without the need to prove they are in fact the person stated in the application form.
“Property managers who are responsible for managing the vast majority of tenancy relationships in Queensland, may be negligent if they approved an application from a person who was unwilling to prove their identity.
“No property manager with an ounce of professional integrity or respect for the fiduciary obligations they owe to their client would offer a rental property to a total stranger.”
Ms Mercorella said the REIQ believe the current wording in the form was setting up tenants for failure by creating a misleading expectation that they will be able to secure a rental property without providing ID.
“While the new laws, commencing May 1, make it clear that an applicant must expressly consent to copies of their ID being retained in the circumstances where they will only agree to have their ID sighted, the new application form goes much further than this by directing the tenant to potentially refuse to provide documentation to verify their identity,” she said.
