Data Protection / UK GDPR

Data Protection - it’s all about you!

From housing application forms to satisfaction surveys, we collect a lot of information about tenants and the way that they use our services. Much of this information is what is known as personal data. Simply put, this is any information that can be used to identify a living person.

The law protects the way we use your personal data. This law is called the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). It aims to make sure your personal information is protected and used as you would expect. For example, we must ensure that access to your details is limited to those people who need to use it, so you can have the services you need. We also have to make sure we use your data in a way that reflects the reason we have it – to provide, to report on, and to improve our services as a landlord.

All the data we hold about you should be accurate. This is one of the reasons we ask you for regular updates! We also have to make sure we don’t keep your information for too long.

The law also gives you the right to request a copy of the information we hold about you. This is called a subject access request. You can also request that we delete information we hold about you sooner than we would normally do this. For full information about how we handle data, and what your rights are, please see our Fair Processing Notice.

Protecting your personal data is very important to the Association. It is also important you know your rights and our obligations. These apply to any company or organisation holding your records in the U.K. and Europe.

What is personal data?

Any information held by the Association that can be used either by itself or along with other information to identify a living person.

Don’t you need my consent to use my personal information?

Not always, we have a legal reason to use the personal data you provide to us, and we do not need consent from you to process your data for a legitimate purpose as a landlord. However, we do need your consent to process certain types of special category information.

What is special category data?

This is any personal data that can be used to identify an individual’s medical, genetic or biometric details, racial or ethnic origin, religious, philosophical or political beliefs, gender or sexual life.

How long do you hold my personal data for?

By law we are only allowed to hold data for a “reasonable” time in line with the reason why we collected the data. Each department has a schedule that describes how long it will hold onto data for before disposing of it.

What counts as personal data?

Any information about a living person that we hold in electronic or paper filing systems. This is including photographs, audio recordings, and CCTV images.

What is a Subject Access Request?

This is when someone requests their personal information held by the Association.

This can be done by asking for the information you want in writing. You can email this letter to the Governance team at governance@langstane-ha.co.uk.

The team will help you with your enquiry.

Who is responsible for Data Protection?

All of our staff are trained to handle personal data correctly, and we have a framework of processes in place to look after personal data. The registered data controller for the association is the chief executive, who has responsibility for ensuring that the law is not broken.

What happens if the Association fails to protect data?

If, as a result of a failure of processes by the Association, an individual or individuals’ data is lost, altered, deleted in error, or is passed onto an unauthorised third party then this is what is known as a “breach”. We have a process in place for staff, detailing what steps to take in the event of a breach of data protection. In all cases we will tell all people affected if there has been a breach involving personal data.

What is the Right to be Forgotten?

This allows you to request the Association removes personal data about you from its systems ahead of the pre arranged schedule. For further details on this please contact us, asking for the Governance & Corporate team. We assess each request on an individual basis.

Can Langstane share information about me without my permission?

Yes. Langstane is obliged to share information with some organisations such as the Police, and the Department of Work and Pensions. There are rules and protocols in place. For full details about who we share information with, please see our Fair Processing Notice.

How can I give my permission to Langstane to share my information to someone else?

If you have someone that supports you such as a partner, family member, or support worker you can grant them “authority to act”. Once we have thispermission in place from you, we will be allowed to discuss your details with them.

You can download a form if you want to give us permission to speak to someone about your tenancy or housing application.

What is a Fair Processing Notice?

This sets out what information the Association holds about people, the legal basis for processing personal data, who we share information with, and how long we keep personal data. It also informs people of their rights and how to make a complaint about personal data handling.

You can view our Fair Processing notice here.

Further information

For further information regarding Data Protection law and your rights please visit the website of the Information Commissioners Office – https://ico.org.uk/