Landlord IDKnow the landlord is who they say they are
Anyone can send you an ownership document. We confirm the sender's legal name and tie the deposit account to that name, so you pay the person you verified.
- No account to create
- Refundable until the landlord starts the check
- About two minutes for the landlord
Verified legal name
Maria Alves Ferreira
What a document cannot tell you
An ownership document says nothing about who sent it.
You and a landlord are already talking on a listing site or WhatsApp. They have sent an ownership document you can check yourself in Portugal. What you cannot check from a chat is whether the person on the other end is really the owner named on it, and whether your deposit is going to reach them.
How it works
- 1
You ask for the ownership document
Before anything else. If you are dealing with the owner, that is the name you will compare the verified name against. Dealing with an agent or a subletting tenant? The cases further down tell you what to ask for instead.
- 2
You pay for one verification
Paying takes a moment, and we use the email address you pay with to send you the links. No account to create.
- 3
You send the landlord a link
You get an invite link to forward over whatever chat you are already using, plus a private results page. We email you both.
- 4
The landlord verifies and enters the deposit account
A short document-and-selfie ID check, run by an independent verification service. Right after, they enter the account the deposit should be paid into, tied to the identity they just confirmed.
- 5
You see the verified name and where to pay
Your results page shows the verified legal name and the deposit account, and we email you when it is ready. Compare the name with the ownership document, and pay the deposit only to that account.
Why this deters scammers
A scammer depends on staying anonymous.
Verification takes that anonymity away. Whoever collects your deposit has shown a government ID to an independent service, and the deposit account is entered in the browser of the person who passed the check, so the money goes to the person whose name was verified. That does not make fraud impossible, and we do not claim it does. It means the fraud has a name on it: you know exactly who to report to your bank and to the police. Most scammers give up at that point. And refusing a free two-minute check is a warning sign. It is not proof, but it is a reason to slow down.
Verify the right person
Whoever takes your deposit is the person to verify.
Not everyone renting out a flat owns it. Agents, property managers, relatives and subletting tenants are everywhere, especially in WhatsApp housing groups. One rule covers every case: the person whose account receives your deposit is the person who verifies. Then ask for the paperwork that backs their story.
They say the flat is theirs
The simplest case. Send them the link, then compare the verified name with the name on the ownership document. If they match, you are paying the owner the document names.
They say they act for the owner
An agency, a manager, or a relative. Have them verify as themselves, so you know exactly who is taking your money, and ask for the owner's document plus written authority naming them (a procuração, or a certidão permanente if the owner is a company). The verified name has to match the authority, not the ownership document. Better still, you can forward the link: ask them to send it to the owner, who then verifies and enters the deposit account in their own browser.
They are a tenant subletting
No ownership document applies to them. Have them verify as themselves and show you their lease. You are not paying the owner here, so knowing exactly who you are paying matters all the more.
They will not show any document
Ask for the paperwork before you pay us anything. A verified name with nothing to compare it against still tells you who took your money, but it proves nothing about their right to rent the place out. And someone who refuses both the paperwork and a two-minute check is telling you something: a warning sign, not proof.
If you only find out afterwards, you can cancel for a full refund at any time until the landlord starts verifying.
What we do, and what we do not
We attest one thing: the person who completed the check is legally named X, as verified from a government ID.
We do not attest that they own the property, that they are allowed to rent it out, or that the deposit account they enter is theirs. We never see the ownership document or any authority document, and we do not match names for you.
You make the final decision by comparing the verified name with the document.
Built to be low-risk for both sides
- The landlord gives their ID to an independent verification service, not to us. We only ever receive the verified legal name.
- The deposit account is entered by the person who passed the ID check, so the money follows the verified identity.
- The document image, selfie, and ID number never reach us.
- For the landlord it is about two minutes, on their phone, with no account.
- You can request a refund at any time until the landlord starts verifying.
Who built this
Founded by a Cambridge PhD with 15 years in the tech industry.
Landlord ID was founded by Dr Rok Strniša, who earned his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge, and was a networking research engineer at Citrix, a financial engineer at the London hedge fund Winton, and a principal engineer at the tech unicorn Improbable.
If you are the landlord
Verifying costs you nothing and helps the rental go ahead.
A prospective tenant wants to rent your place and is asking you to confirm your identity before they commit. You verify once, then enter the account your deposit should be paid into. The renter has already paid the fee.
- You verify through an independent, trusted verification service. We never see your document.
- It takes about two minutes on your phone.
- No account, no password, nothing to install.
Frequently asked questions
Do not pay a deposit on trust alone
One verification, €12.90, refundable until the landlord starts the check.