I’m looking at rental houses and on a lot of applications, it asks for bank account numbers, drivers license number and social security number. I can understand the SS# and maybe the DL# for background checks but why the bank account numbers (I hope my bank doesn’t give my balance to anyone that just asks) and why do they need photocopies of your drivers license and social security card?
I wouldn’t give them that information, personally. A lot of rental applications have not been updated for a quite a while…before the days of instant credit reports and credit reporting services, someone inquiring about your credit would need to provide an account number to verify the identity of who they were searching. This is no longer relevant for most places, and for the ones that it is…well, I wouldn’t go through them. I don’t personally feel comfortable leaving that info all written together on one piece of paper, it doesn’t take much for a landlord to lose it and screw your life up.
I would tell them that you don’t feel comfortable writing down account numbers, and tell them that if they want to qualify you, they can do so through a professional credit reporting service. Such services verify the validity of the inquiring party (the leasing company/landlord, in your case), so your information is more protected.