The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has released guidelines about what personal information a landlord may collect during the tenancy application process. Googling, for example, is now prohibited under the Personal Information Protection Act. In addition, landlords can only request a prospective tenants credit history or score if the applicant is unable to provide satisfactory references or employment and income verification. They can, however, always confirm an applicants name and proof of identity by viewing government-issued ID; contact information; references; and whether the applicant has ever been convicted. Rules also have been set out about information that landlords must provide to applicants, like the reason for the collection of personal information and the effects requesting a credit report would have on the applicants credit score.
