We rarely to see anyone filling out paperwork to provide information nowadays, and that is because of the convenience of online applications. This applies to renting property, because filling out applications online can not only be done from anywhere and as soon as possible, but it can keep your information safer than when you use paper.
Despite the dangers you may hear about internet security such as hackers and malware, the digital world is able to keep your online rental application in the right hands better than a physical copy or two can. If you’re applying to live in an apartment or house for the first time, here are three reasons to do it online.
Less Chance of Identity Theft
As secure as you may think file cabinets and record storage areas can be for holding paper applications, being in the physical world puts them at risk of being stolen by someone, whether it’s a criminal familiar with the rental company’s area or a disgruntled employee. Even if documents are kept in something as secure as a lock box or a safe, the burglar could possess the tools and knowledge needed to break it open and get their hands on personal information such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and home addresses.
That’s where the online world comes in, because your application can be kept in a website that holds your information and uses web-based software to keep people from trying to steal it digitally. If someone happens to break into the landlord’s office and goes through the desks and cabinets, they will find empty drawers or drawers that hold information that doesn’t provide the value they were looking for. With no physical records for thieves to take, you’ll be able to wake up the next morning without finding that someone has made purchases with your credit card.
Keeping Data in the Right Hands
Landlords need to have employees assigned to specific tasks when it comes to handling data, because some people are more qualified for information security than others. Some employees may be better-suited to hold applications than others, and when the wrong people have access to storage areas and other spots that hold information, that increases the risk of it ending up in the wrong hands.
With online applications, the number of people who have access to your data is limited. It becomes easier for you to save a copy of your application on your computer in case the landlord or another employee has trouble accessing it. Usernames, passwords and other information needed to access applications can be shared among the more reliable employees of the rental company, providing even a smaller chance of criminals being able to obtain your data.
Saving Your Data
When burglars aren’t around to steal physical information, human error can easily step in to keep significant data from staying where it should. We’ve all misplaced something important, whether it’s our car keys, cell phones or the TV remote, so an employee could leave a paper application out in the wrong place and forget where it is. A paper applications can easily be left out in the open, whether it’s at the office or at someone’s house, without anyone recognizing how important it is, and it can end up in a place where it might never be recovered.
With digital applications, you and the company you send it to have an easier time finding them. The cloud can act as a backup storage place in case the application website experiences security issues, and you and/or an employee can save a copy in a folder on a computer. This ensures that you have an easy time recovering your data in case someone forgets where they put it.
Now that you know the benefits of online rental applications, ditch the paperwork and switch to the computer so that you can rent an apartment or house knowing that your personal information is safe.