Z exerts more patience than Z feels

I’m taking very slow steps towards changing my name.  Fortunately, LT understands me as I understand him (we’re very alike in many ways) and knows that it’s no reluctance on my part but a sort of caution – the ins and outs of things are complicated.  For example, I’ve sent our marriage licence to my solicitor so that she can get my name changed on various documents – which seems to be quite enough to register the house, shares and other rather important things – but, when I told the agents who let my flat in London, they said that, not only would they need the licence but also my passport and a utility bill so that they could do a money laundering check.  Of course, this is ridiculous.  Total jobsworthiness.  I’ve written back good-humouredly  to say that, in that case, since I haven’t changed any utility companies or my passport, it’ll have to stay as it is but they’ll have to either pay my rent into an account not in the name they have or else it’ll have to be paid into a different account at another bank that is.  I daresay they’ll get back to me in the next day or so.  They will find nothing in my new name anyway, of course.  I’ve got plenty of credentials in my previous married name.  I’m finding it quite hard not to overreact and find it discriminatory.  But I’m a reasonable, balanced sort of woman on the whole (yes, I see you snigger) and I’ll get over my indignation.  But if it’s this much trouble, I’ve a feeling it’ll take years for me to to return to a single identity.  And there’s a sense in which I haven’t just one, of course, but you know what I mean.

4 comments on “Z exerts more patience than Z feels

  1. Liz

    Based on my experience of changing my name when I married Sir B 6 years ago, everything instantly became easier to change once I had my new passport.

    The utility bill thing is increasingly ridiculous; how many people actually have utility bills now? Almost everything is online and paperless these days.

    Reply
  2. Z Post author

    Getting everything done is just so daunting. I’ve got more important things to do at present, I won’t worry about it for a few more weeks!

    Reply
  3. Blue Witch

    Unfortuantely a lot of this ‘money laundering’ stuff necessitating these procedures is due to, (a) increased regulation in the banking industry, driven by 2008 collapse, and (b) uncontrolled immigration/illegal immigration.

    You may think these firms are being unreasonable – if they don’t comply, when threy are audited, they risk big fines and sanctions (even losing their licences to do financial things).

    I’ve just had to produce all these documents (and more) to our solicitor who has known me since I was 15. When I have to send these things in the post, I write in thick red marker pen across it: “DOCUMENT SUPPLIED TO X COMPANY, FOR Y PURPOSES ONLY, TO BE SECURELY DESTROYED AFTER INSPECTION”.

    The post is insecure, and what beter present to a thieving person than a package of identity proving documents? I use thick permanent red pen as it is impossible to remove and very hard to photocopy or digitally remove.

    Reply
    1. Z Post author

      It’s clear to anyone that proof that I’ve legally changed my name does not make me a money launderer or an illegal immigrant. If a PLC and the Land Registry take a legal marriage certificate as proof then it beggars belief that the letting agent is required legally to recheck the person who’s been a client of theirs for eight years. I would certainly not send them my passport in the post, I’d have to take a day to go there (and clearly, defacing it and having it destroyed is not an option). I have no problem with having my identity checked – when I went to the solicitor the first time to deal with Russell’s estate, I took identity documents and they were copied – whether or not I knew the person personally was not relevant. On my marriage, I was not expected to prove my identity again. When I went to the bank to change the name on my account, my marriage licence was copied but they didn’t ask for anything more. It was in itself proof.

      Reply

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