Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Virginia

Personal Information Requests

Upon recently qualifying for an apartment I was told that I must provide copies of both--name removed--birth certificate and social security card for my child. I am very concerned, with the increase in identity theft, that this information be handed over to the leasing office as--name removed--provision of my residency. I understand and accept that MY SSN is necessary for their records, but they did not ask for MY birth certificate and I am the one paying all of the bills. Birth certificates offer sensitive information (date of birth, parents names, city of birth...etc) which, when combined with--name removed--SSN, would offer--name removed--distrustful employee of the leasing office to obtain that information for fraudulent use. Is it legal to refuse to offer this information on--name removed--child? Is it legal for the leasing office to request it be provided as--name removed--provision to my ability to rent from them? Am I legally able to maybe offer the birth certificate but refuse the SSN or only offer--name removed--partial SSN by blacking out some of the numbers on the copy?


Asked on 5/26/04, 11:04 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: Personal Information Requests

In reality there are probably few if any laws whatsoever implicated here, either for or against your position(s)(with the possible exception of your child's SS# which might be legally shielded from the landlord under federal social security law and, perhaps, other state and/or federal privacy laws.

Your concern(s)nonetheless, strike me as somewhat overwrought and without evidence indicating otherwise, you should not be presuming that the rental office of your apartment community is populated by employees bent upon stealing the ID's of tenants and/or of their children or of perpetrating other frauds against those whom they are entrusted with serving.

Read more
Answered on 5/27/04, 7:53 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Landlord & Tenants questions and answers in Virginia