‘Wild west’: Australia’s would-be tenants asked about tattoos and social media as calls grow for regulation

Another renter was told to provide a year’s worth of bank statements, with NSW minister saying applicants ‘rightly feel uneasy’ about data collection

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There are growing calls to regulate the personal information real estate agents can request from potential tenants, with renters asked to hand over 12 months’ worth of bank statements, their personal social media profiles and in one case, whether they had prominent tattoos.

Paris Zarmairian was applying for a rental at the end of May in Sydney when her agent asked her to provide 12 months’ worth of bank statements.

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