Stupid isn't it..and the sucky thing is they can do whatever they want because there is so much competition for rentals!
We have a real estate here that will only let you view a property if you've filled out an application and been approved by the landlord! Crazy! I'm not going to fill out a 5 or 6 page or longer application, along with putting together references and ID etc for a property I might not even want to live in once I've seen it! I could maybe understand if we lived in a large city where rentals are in high demand and there are heaps of applicants, but we live in a small country town and there isn't all that much competition..

Hope you can get a place without too much stress involved xx