What is your landlord entitled to ask you? According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, a lot less than you think, reports Dan Satherley for Newshub.

Next time you’re looking at a rental and the property manager asks to see a bank statement, feel free to decline.

It’s one of several questions that are “almost never justified”, according to new guidelines on what personal information landlords can request from prospective tenants issued by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC).

The guidelines, colour-coded for easy reference, come in response to reports landlords were asking to see tenants’ bank statements.

“I see a lot of people who are low socio-economic and their bank statements literally will read, ‘KFC, McDonald’s, the dairy, KFC, McDonald’s, court fine’, trucks that they buy, goods that they can’t afford,” a property manager told a select committee hearing last year.

NZ First MP Darroch Ball, who was at the hearing, called it a “gross invasion of privacy” – and the OPC agrees. “It may be lawful for landlords to collect information to assess whether a tenant can pay rent, however, collecting their bank statements to determine their money management style may be unfair or unreasonably intrusive,” said Privacy Commissioner John Edwards. “Landlords should only collect the minimum amount of personal information necessary to make that decision.” So what can landlords and property managers ask for? There is a limited amount the OPC deems “always justified”. Name and proof of identity

Contact information

Name and contact information for current landlord

One or two previous landlords as references

Expected length of tenancy applied for

Whether the applicant has ever been evicted

Pet ownership

Whether the applicant must give notice at their current accommodation

Authorisation to perform a criminal record check

Number of occupants who will live in the unit The following queries are “sometimes justified”, according to the OPC: Personal references – where landlord references aren’t available

Current income verification (e.g. pay slips, redacted bank statements) – where satisfactory references aren’t available

Authorisation to collect a credit report – where satisfactory references aren’t available

Whether the prospective tenant is a smoker – if it’s a non-smoking property

Reasons for leaving previous tenancy And “almost never justified” queries include the below: Broad consent to collect personal information from “other sources”

Driver licence number

Credit card information

Nationality, ethnicity, origin or citizenship

Physical or mental disability or illness

Personal beliefs or opinions

Marital and family status

Gender and sexual orientation

Rent paid at previous tenancy

Sports and hobbies

Current expenses

Conflicts with previous neighbour tenants or building managers

Proof of insurance

Languages spoken

Details about current accommodation

Banking history

Employment history

Age

Employment status The OPC says landlords and property managers should collect “the minimum amount of personal information necessary” to decide their next tenant. “For instance, if a credit report shows that an applicant is creditworthy, there’s no need to collect their bank statements.”

Once you’ve been chosen as the property’s next tenant, the landlord or property is entitled to ask for a bit more information, including the below. Payment information you’ll need to collect rent

Name and number/address of an emergency contact person

Vehicle information, such as vehicle registration number, make and model, if the tenant will be parking on your property

Name and number of emergency contacts “These guidelines are designed to help landlords make a reasonable decision about what personal information to collect from prospective tenants,” said Edwards.