Beike Rental E-Signing Facial Recognition Covers 77 Cities Nationwide
Beike's rental business has rolled out facial recognition for online lease signing across 77 cities in China, strengthening identity verification to prevent fraudulent signings. The system checks the signer's name and ID number against facial recognition results, with a fallback to four-factor bank verification. This adds 5-15 seconds to the signing process but enhances traceability and reduces disputes from impersonation.
In 2026, a rental fraud case involving a "sublessor" drew public attention. The suspect leased multiple properties, posted false rental listings online, posed as the landlord, and signed lease contracts with several victims to collect rent and deposits. The suspect then delayed move-in dates under various pretexts and fled with the money. Following media coverage of the case, the security of online lease signing came under scrutiny.
Recently, Beike's rental business achieved nationwide coverage of facial recognition for online lease signing across 77 cities, further strengthening the "personal operation" verification during the signing process. When users sign an online lease contract using their ID card, the system verifies the name and ID number in the contract against the signer's identity, confirming whether the online signing is completed by the contract party themselves, thereby reducing risks of unauthorized or proxy signing. This feature applies to scenarios including the signing of the main lease contract, contract changes, termination, and renewal.
In terms of the specific process, users who sign online using an ID card will have the system verify whether the name and ID number in the contract match the facial recognition result upon entering the contract signing stage. After passing verification, users can proceed to complete their handwritten signature. If facial recognition fails multiple times, the system switches to a "four-factor bank verification" process, requiring the name, ID number, phone number, and bank card number to all match before the signing can continue. For users signing online with passports, Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macau Residents, Mainland Travel Permits for Taiwan Residents, or permanent residence permits, the facial recognition process is skipped, and they proceed directly to the four-factor bank verification.
Beike stated that the comprehensive coverage of facial recognition comparison can reduce the risk of subsequent disputes caused by unauthorized or proxy signing. It adds approximately 5 to 15 seconds to the signing process, but for tenants and landlords, an additional identity verification before signing helps further clarify the contract signing party. For the platform, it also helps improve the traceability of online signing activities. It should be noted that facial recognition cannot solve all rental risks; it mainly addresses the issue of "whether the signer is the person themselves" during the signing stage and does not replace other risk control measures such as property ownership verification, rental authorization confirmation, or rent payment security.
Facial recognition alone cannot determine whether a property is eligible for rental, nor can it directly identify whether a sublease relationship is legal and compliant. However, at the critical point of lease contract signing, it helps the platform confirm the operator's identity, reduce impersonated or proxy signings, and provide traceable evidence for subsequent dispute resolution. As rental services become increasingly digitalized, platforms need to rebalance efficiency and security. Online lease signing is not simply moving the offline process to a mobile phone; it requires building more comprehensive foundational capabilities around identity verification, operation traceability, and risk identification.