Royal Mail

I/we do because my wife could not cope with the internet version!! (We are both over 80, but she has never got the hang of, or desire to use, t'net for other than Facebook and Messenger)

When I applied for a Highland RailCard, showing a recent statement on my RBoS mobile app, was accepted as proof of address.

Hah. That was why the HSBC cancelled my bank account. I had gone entirely paperless and the only company bills were theirs and my accountants. Sine I was running the business out of my house, no utility bills either.! Income all via paypal.

I had to supply an organisation chart as well. Total wankers

Any situation where it's not just the name on the account that needs to see the statements. People you're not going to be giving online access to. Do banks and their online access have the concept of read-only access? For community accounts, f'rinstance, where an entity may have not just a treasurer, but other involved people who need to see the statements.

Some years ago I had the farcical situation of supplying my passport as proof of ID to the Independent Financial Advisor who set up a pension for me, to satisfy money laundering requirements. Documents can be forged or altered, the fact that I had known him since we started secondary school together would not be possible to forge, but was not acceptable! To top it off, he was a reference that I would have used to obtain the passport, if I hadn't already had it.

In message snipped-for-privacy@jrenewsid.jretrading.com>, Joe snipped-for-privacy@jretrading.com writes

Ha! I have just returned from holiday to find two NHS letters with the same heading date. One saying I had failed to attend an appointment (never notified letter or text/mail) and referring me back to my doctor. The second arranging an appointment for November!

The folly in accepting utility bills as proof of address or identity is that you can construct and print one yourself.

I'm sure that most businesses have a printer to make their own paper copy of an on-line statement.

Print them off yourself for others to see.

Some people require statements printed by the bank (there are differences)

or just send them the pdf. That's what I do.

Of course, but the business will be more profitable if someone else pays for the ink and paper.

Of course, but the business will be more profitable if someone else pays for the ink and paper.

Even when applying for jobs that require security checks, they are accepting downloaded statements these days, as so few people have any paper statements - the only one I still get on paper is the annual water bill (and that is only acceptable for 3 months after the date on it).

Try BlackRock they insisted on original postal statements, they also refused a certified copy of my passport, because they didn't believe it was a wet ink signature by my solicitor (might have helped if it was blue rather than black ink).

I help my mother with some of her bills, and I'm on the company's files as part owner of her electricity bill (she pays it, I help keep an eye on it).

The most recent paper bill to her address has my name on it as well as hers - but I don't live anywhere near.

The previous ones did not. Oddly enough the online "copy" of the last paper bill that does not have my name has it inserted - it's not a copy at all.

And it's certainly not proof of address!

Andy

The business could just keep a PDF file, backed up as necessary.