Photo I.D

[chas2008]

i know someone who is selling a house (jointly) the law now insists on photo ID + utility bills etc.money laundering rules ..
Unfortunately they have never had a passport or driving license & none of the bills are in there name.. (there must be many people in this situation) apart from the obvious of applying for either of them whats the alternative?
anyone else been in this situation ? and how was it resolved ????

[rowanwitch]

Same problem for years... no passport, no drivers license, no other accepted ID couldn't open a new bank account,,, they would not accept any non photo I.D although I had birth cert, marriage cert, work photo I.D, bills in my name but not utility bills, bank letters, debit card... In the end I had to get a passport it was cheaper than learning to drive.

[mrsweasley]

i was waiting for someone to answer this, last week when no debit card, i took old passport(14 years out of date), chequebook and utily book to bank, knowing i could (obviously) also answer security question. waste of time, i was allowed to have £40 out (son made me overdrawn-why cancelled card), only bcause (she said this) she recognised me. I can't really afford new passport, and won't be going abroad, but will have to get one i think, as Rowanwitch said-cheaper than learning to drive-hope someone answers this later, with proper answer, will check this afternoon

[dzug2]

I don't think the LAW says this - but many institutions have interpreted the law this way.

It can usually be resolved by finding someone in the bank, etc, who is prepared to look at their actual guidelines rather than those simplified ones they give to junior staff.

[chas2008]

dont think you actually need to have driving lessons. just apply for a provisional licence..

[Postdog]

You know reading this I'm wondering if it's a case of make do ID cards thgrough the back door.

[chas2008]

its the solicitor handling the sale insisting on this i would assume if there was an alternative he would have mentioned it

[tonywiltshire]

The money laundering regulations have a lot to answer for and as dzug2 says everyone seems to have interpreted them in their own way, one of the difficulties is that financial institutions must show due diligence which means:

Identifying the customer and verifying the customer’s identity on the basis of documents,data or information obtained from a reliable and independent source.

The object of the regulations is praise worthy but it would help greatly if everyone asked for the same proof of identity rather than the various interpretations that exist, I can only suggest they contact the firm concerned explain the situation and ask what they consider to be proof of identity, which should have been obtained from the outset.

[rowanwitch]

Provisional didn't count at the time I think the new validated photo ones are ok though

[Skyline D]

I don't know about solicitors own rules but as an accountant required to run money laundering checks on clients before acting for them, there quite definitely ARE alternatives to photo id's.

We use a computer system to run id checks which satisfies our legal requirements.

[The_Disappointer]

The most recent money laundering regulations place such an onus on the lawyer to ensure that they carry out the correct checks prior to acting for a client. Failure to check ID can result in huge fines and in some cases, prison.

In my firm, we use Equifax to carry out the required search, and have a dedicated team who will speak to clients, run through personal details, and will then have a selection of 4 randomly generated 'security' questions. This can range from how many current accounts / credit cards etc do you have; how many times have you missed payments; etc... I find the questions are too intrusive for what basically amounts to a property transaction, however there is also now a requirement from HM Land Registry that the Seller's ID has been verified, and without such confirmation, they will not process a registration.

If a person fails the online test, we will accept two forms of address ID, which can include council tax bill, water bill, shotgun license, benefits letter etc... there are ways around it... but if the lawyer has any concerns, then it is not worth bypassing the checks.