VerifyNowVerify tenants, buyers and landlords — in minutes
Purpose-built identity, trace and screening checks for South African estate agents, letting agents, property managers and body corporates. Built around FICA accountable institution obligations and POPIA-safe by default.
How VerifyNow fits this workflow
A focused toolbox for property professionals — each check is a real service you can run from the dashboard or the API, priced per lookup.
SA ID Verification
Match a tenant, buyer or landlord against Home Affairs in seconds and pull back the official ID photo — the first record an estate agent needs under FICA Section 21.
Learn moreConsumer Trace
Resolve an SA ID to recorded addresses, contact numbers and employers for deposit trace, previous-address corroboration and absconded-tenant fraud response.
Learn moreBank Account Verification (AVS)
Confirm that the bank account paying a deposit or receiving a refund actually belongs to the named tenant or landlord — before money moves.
Learn moreFace Match
Compare a live selfie to the Home Affairs photo for remote lease signings, absent co-tenants and off-site landlord mandates — no in-branch visit required.
Learn moreAML / PEP / Sanctions Screening
Screen buyers and high-value rental counterparties against sanctions and PEP watchlists to meet enhanced due diligence expectations on property purchases.
Learn moreWhere it gets used
Four everyday moments in a property business where a quick verification saves a long dispute later.
- 01
Tenant onboarding
When a new application lands, run SA ID Verification to confirm identity, a Consumer Trace for previous-address and employer corroboration, then Bank AVS on the account paying the deposit.
- 02
Buyer vetting for a sale
On a property purchase, run SA ID Verification on each buyer and AML/PEP screening on the parties — the screening record forms part of your FICA file for the transaction.
- 03
Landlord mandate take-on
Before signing a sole mandate, verify the landlord with SA ID and confirm their pay-out bank account with AVS so rent settles to the right person from day one.
- 04
Remote lease signing
For tenants onboarding from another province or abroad, pair SA ID Verification with Face Match so the person signing the lease is demonstrably the person on the ID.
Compliance basis
Estate agents are accountable institutions under Item 8 of Schedule 1 to the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA). That brings residential sales and letting work inside the customer due diligence, record-keeping and reporting obligations set out in Sections 21 through 29 of the Act, and the requirement to maintain a documented Risk Management and Compliance Programme (RMCP).
The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) applies to every tenant, buyer and landlord file you handle. You may only collect information you genuinely need for the lease or sale, you must store it securely, and you must retain it only for as long as your legal obligations require — typically the five-year FICA minimum. Every VerifyNow check is logged with a transaction ID and timestamp so retention and access-request obligations are easy to honour.
Where finance is arranged as part of a transaction — for example rent-to-own or owner finance — the National Credit Act (NCA) and its regulations may also apply, and our consumer trace service is provided strictly for fraud detection and fraud prevention under Regulation 18(4)(b) of the NCA and Section 11(1)(f) of POPIA.
Questions, answered
Are estate agents FICA accountable institutions?+
Yes. Estate agents are listed as accountable institutions under Item 8 of Schedule 1 to the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA). That means any business conducting estate-agency work — including residential sales and letting — must apply customer due diligence, keep records of verification and transactions, and file suspicious and cash threshold reports to the Financial Intelligence Centre where applicable.
What records must I keep for tenant and buyer verification?+
Under FICA Sections 22–23, you must keep records of the identity of each client, the steps taken to verify that identity, and the nature and terms of the transaction, for at least five years from the date the business relationship ends or the single transaction is completed. The VerifyNow dashboard stores a full audit trail of every check you run, with a transaction ID and timestamp, so the record side of compliance is handled automatically.
Can I verify a non-South African tenant?+
Yes. SA ID Verification is designed for South African ID holders, but our Africa verification coverage extends to six African countries, and our Identity Document Authentication service reads passports and foreign ID documents globally — useful for expat tenants and cross-border buyers.
When does AML/PEP screening apply to a property transaction?+
AML/PEP screening is most relevant for sales, high-value purchases, transactions involving companies or trusts, and any counterparty who raises risk indicators during onboarding. It is also the right check when a party appears to be a politically exposed person or falls within a higher-risk geography under your risk-management and compliance programme (RMCP).
Does POPIA apply to tenant application data?+
Yes. The Protection of Personal Information Act applies to every estate agent and property manager that handles tenant, buyer or landlord information. You must collect only what you need for the specific purpose (lease or sale), keep it secure, and retain it only for as long as required — typically the five years mandated by FICA.
Start verifying your next tenant
Create a free account, add credits and run your first SA ID check, consumer trace or AVS in under five minutes.