I had this happen only once in South Florida in 2005. I can’t remember if they copied it and handed it back or kept it throughout the tour.
I was confused as well, but the first thing that popped into my mind is that they didn’t want to rent to an illegal immigrant. But that was a WAG…
Why would holding the original be more effective than making a copy?
Honestly, the liberty/privacy freaks should feel relieved about letting them hold the original. If they make a copy, then they have your personal information on file forever. If they just hold the original for a few minutes while you take the tour, then you can leave without leaving any trace that you were ever there.
I’m adding a vote to the “never heard of it before” camp.
If it ever happened to me, I’d probably say something to the effect of “you need to find a grownup to show your apartments” and walk out. If it became ubiquitous, I’d support a law forbidding it. No one outside of law enforcement has any business holding my license for any length of time.
If they don’t trust me, why should I trust them?
As I said - I’ve been renting 30+ years and have NEVER needed to hand over my license to look at a prospective apartment. Why should I start now?
Lots of things like this start as a bright idea one day in history and nobody really questions whether it actually improves security or not, but just follow the practise.
When you are the ONLY complex doing it, most likely it provides a lot of security - when all are doing it, not so much.
I’v never heard of this, either.
Here in Minneapolis, School Board policy requires you to surrender your license to the receptionist when you visit any of the public high schools. They also write down your info, and you have to sign in and out of the building.
Rather silly, but done in the name of “protecting our children”, and who could be against that?
I’d love to give them a fake ID for Phil McCracken, 69 Lovers Lane, Funkytown, NY. With an actual photo of me wearing a fez. And then steal a fake plant.
I’d guess if a criminal was smart, they’d get a fake ID to leave. How does the office check to make sure it’s valid and real? Or what if you don’t have a license? They can’t discriminate against non-drivers.
Unless the person photocopied my ID, carried the copy with them, and then gave it to me at the end, I’d be hard pressed to take the tour. And I am seriously not paranoid, I just see no reason for it and like to be a pain in the ass with stupid rules. I am also sick of all these bullshit policies about security and terror and fear. Nobody can be trusted! Stranger danger! Do something meaningless to make it look like you care about safety!
I’m with you on this - no way I’m parting with my license except to the appropriate governmental authorities.
OTOH, I would mind the photocopy, because like JoelUpchurch, I wouldn’t want that info where some random member of the apartment complex staff could see it.
I’ve never encountered this, but the last time I went looking to rent an apartment in a complex was 1991.
Wonder what they’d do if someone told them, “I didn’t drive here, so I don’t have my license on me.”
You can get a state ID from the DMV; it’s basically the same thing as a DL except you don’t have license to drive.
I agree, it’s a weird policy. Burglars casing the joint? You wouldn’t burgle an empty apartment, and how would it help you figure out which apartments were occupied and had valuable stuff in them?
Doing a background check on your ID? How would they do that? Is there a website that tells potential landlords if you’re an illegal alien, or have a police record, or make noise, or cook smelly food? What are they looking for?
I agree that’s it’s either just a poorly thought out attempt at security or an attempt at compelling you to behave yourself until you get the ID back. But why?
Never had to do it in TN. VA, PA, DC, or FL or even S. Korea
By going to the inside of an apartment building you can get a better idea of where emergency exits are, what the general building security system looks like from the inside, where any cameras might be, where the elevators are, which kinds of windows lead to bedrooms, etc. It can help you identify the most promising entrance and escape routes. A guy who is walking confidently down the hallway right to the elevator is going to be less likely to get caught than a guy bumbling into a hallway he’s never seen before and trying to find a way out.
I would say because it’s a pain in the neck to replace a driver’s license and it can be flagged. So if you did do something a copy might be helpful, but the actual license tells you more.
I live in Chicago but almost never use my car. It’s been a year since I have driven it. My son uses it, but I one block from a bus line and two blocks from an El stations. So I don’t need to drive. But I have been asked a lot for my license. I would have to get it replaced. I could easily see someone not caring if you had inaccurate or outdated info on a driver’s license.
It could also be use as a pressure sales tactic. This way you have to come back to the office and they can apply sales pressure for you to sign a lease, otherwise you could just say, “No” and go on your way
I’ve never heard of it, and I’ve toured apartments in Montreal and Quebec City. It sounds like a high-pressure sales tactic to me.
Actually, this is pretty much how I’d handle it if I needed an apartment and there was no way around the rules. For many years, lots of companies demanded a social security number for their records although they had no real need for it (it was an easy ID number for their systems). I carried a fake SS for that reason. Anytime a doctor’s office, retailer, etc. demanded an SS, I gave them the fake one. Only employers and those who had a need to know my credit history got the real one.
It seems that companies have caught on now, and no longer ask for SS’s.
I wonder if a fake driver’s license is illegal as long as it is *never *given to law enforcement?
If you were visiting Moscow, you’d have to hand your passport over to the hotel reception so that they can register you with the police. Often you won’t get your passport back for several hours.
[hijack]The quarter is so you will return the cart to the bay and not leave it hanging around the parking lot. If you really wanted to steal cart, a quarter isn’t going to stop you. However, it greatly decreases the need to have an extra employee to round up carts.[/hijack]
This is a big “ymmv” thing; we saw it in St. Louis and LA and never saw it in Pittsburgh.
Usually they were happy with a student ID (I’m not leaving my license with a stranger, thanks!)
Palm Beach County, Florida did that as well. I guess if I go into the school and end up shooting 17 students, they have my DL so the police can catch me. That, of course, ignores the fact that if I’m going to kill 17 students:
It also ignores the fact that school shootings have all been done, not by visitors, but by students already in the school. But I suppose if it makes rich white people feel safe, then it is a good policy.