If you're looking for a new rental property this year, keep in mind that your prospective landlord can't ask about your employment, your spending habits or your relationship status.
The Privacy Commissioner's office has updated its guidelines for the rental market.
"There's often a lot of pressure on people, especially students, to find a flat quickly, which risks privacy shortcuts being taken, and that can put both tenants and landlords at risk," commissioner Michael Webster said.
"Tenants are often desperate to find a flat, so they might disclose a whole lot of personal information that isn't legally required. Essentially, they're giving others power over their own details and that isn't a great strategy."
Webster said the desire to get a tenant quickly could also see some landlords take privacy shortcuts, which puts people at risk.
"The majority of landlords care about their tenants' privacy, but there can be a lot of factors to weigh up when considering applications, and it can be tempting to over collect personal information and to get details that aren't legally allowed. It can also mean they can end up with a large amount of information with no way to manage or store it safely.
"Landlords need to know what information they can legally collect and when. They also need to make sure personal information collected during the rental application process is kept secure and is not disclosed without authorisation."
The new guidance notes tenants applying for a rental property should not be asked for information on their employment status, political opinions, religious beliefs, race or ethnicity. They also should not be asked about their disabilities or illnesses, employment status, spending habits or for their social media URLs.
The commissioner said sometimes information might be needed once a tenancy started, for example, if a disability altered the way a tenancy was managed or communication happened.
Auckland Property Investors Association general manager Sarina Gibbon said the industry had improved its approach to privacy in recent years, with more training available and awareness.
"It's getting better, but it's not perfect. Like any industry, you have newcomers who need to be shown the ropes."
People tended to be more aware of the rules around their own privacy and information than those applying to the other party, she said.
"We still do training for people where we say, if you're sitting on a plane and you're running your office, doing your admin, you need to be very aware you're not leaving your tenant's personal information lying around or things like are you properly destroying documents?"
Tenants need to be told why information is being collected and what it is being used for.
