What is an Address check?
Zinc will verify that an applicant has been residing at a given address by checking trusted address databases or physical address documents.
1. A text-based address is collected, alongside the applicant's name history, and date of birth. A search is conducted via our certified IDSP in authoritative sources: credit agencies, national postal, and electoral lists for matches. The search will return if an identity exists at that address, the strength of match, and will return connected addresses over a five-year period. Find out more here.
2. If no matches can be found via the text-based address search, a physical document collection process is shown to the applicant. The applicant is shown a list of options for the types of acceptable physical address proof documents, including:
| Documents | Issue date and validity |
| Mortgage statement | Issued in last 12 months |
| Bank or building society statement | Issued in last 3 months |
| Bank or building society statement | Issued in last 3 months - branch must be in the country where the applicant lives and works |
| Bank or building society account opening confirmation letter | Issued in last 3 months |
| Credit card statement | Issued in last 3 months |
| Financial statement, for example pension or endowment | Issued in last 12 months |
| P45 or P60 statement | Issued in last 12 months |
| Council Tax statement | Issued in last 12 months |
| Letter of sponsorship from future employment provider | Must still be valid |
| Utility bill | Issued in last 3 months |
| Benefit statement, for example Child Benefit, pension | Issued in last 3 months |
| Central or local government, government agency, or local council document giving entitlement, for example from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Employment Service, HMRC | Issued in last 3 months |
The backup physical address document proof process is built into Zinc's address check and is included in the price. No matter how many documents we process to verify an applicant's address, the applicant will just see one single flow.
Why conduct address checks?
Address checks are essential base information to check where your candidate is and has been residing. This is important to ensure other checks are run in the right locations and is often a requirement to proceed with other checks such as criminal checks in some countries.