Paul Shamplina told a GB News show agents were just trying to make an informed decision about tenants by asking for a CV or social media profile. Property TV star Paul Shamplina has defended agents who use ‘extreme tenant vetting’ techniques to find new tenants.

Speaking on GB News hosted by Eamonn Holmes, Shamplina (main picture) said it’s not common practice to request a CV or social media profile, but agents “want to make their best informed decision”.

Isabel Webster, Presenter, GB News
Co-host Isabel Webster challenged the former presenter of TV show Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords, by saying; “Is it not a choice to be snobby?”

Of agents she said: “I’m going to choose somebody who I think has the best job or is the best looking”.

But Shamplina, founder of evictions firm Landlord Action, said tenants are being asked “to put their best foot forward”, so landlords have as much information as possible.

DISCRIMINATION

The discussion followed a report that appeared on The Guardian’s website, which described fears of discrimination with ‘extreme tenant vetting’.

The article outlined a case where London letting agent Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward (KFH) asked a group of prospective tenants to send a photo of themselves.

Carol Pawsey, KFH group lettings director, told the newspaper: “It is not our company policy to request applicant photos, which are not relevant to the application, and we will be reiterating our policy to all branches to make certain of this.”

Landlords might pick the tenants who appear more conventionally attractive”
Dan Wilson Craw, acting director of campaign group Generation Rent, was quoted as saying the use of bios and pictures could lead to discrimination.

“Landlords might pick the tenants who appear more conventionally attractive,” he said.

An NRLA said: “Practices such as this, which have the potential to lead to discrimination, are wrong and have no place in a modern rental market.”

Nathan Emerson, the CEO at Propertymark, said: “The requirement of such bios is not a blanket practice we would advocate, but a landlord may instruct an agent to find out as much as they can to assess if a prospective tenant can sustain a long-term tenancy in their property.”

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