To protect the leasing professionals against attacks by persons posing as potential residents, it is the policy of many companies and communities across the country to require all prospective residents to present a photo ID before they can be shown an apartment home. They ask for photo ID as a security measure. These policies’s are not in any way designed to identify the race, national origin, gender, disability, religion, or family status of prospective residents.

To avoid giving any indication that a photo ID is being used to discriminate, companies ask all team members to comply with the following rules. If you have any questions about the rules or the policies your company or community may already have in place, please consult with your supervisor or legal department.

Apartment Leasing Basic Photo ID Guidelines

1. Require ALL future residents to present photo ID.

Make certain you require a photo ID of all visitors that you take on a tour of your community. Do not ask for photo ID only of visitors you think, “Look dangerous.” It is very important that you do not forget to ask any visitor for an ID because any variation from this policy could lead to the appearance that you or your communities are discriminating.

1. Do NOT photocopy ID. Write down the information from the ID, including the driver’s license number, if applicable, on the Welcome/Guest Card. Having a photocopy in the visitors file could be interpreted as a form of “coding” (i.e., communicating the race, national origin, or other impermissible information about the visitor to the manager who reviews the file to determine the future residents’ qualifications).

1. Require visitors to leave ID while on tour. Require all visitors to leave their photo ID’s in the leasing center until they return from touring the community.  all visitors know this policy and let them know you will return their ID when the tour has been completed. For your safety and protection, do not show an apartment to a visitor that does not leave a photo ID.