Privacy, and your personal data
Your personal data, and your landlord
Your landlord will need to keep data on you to carry out their legal responsibilities as a landlord. They need to be able to explain what data they hold, and why they hold it, and you have rights in relation to that information.
Right to be informed
You have the right to be informed about how your personal data is collected and used, including the purpose, how long it’s kept for and who it’s shared with. This is known as ‘privacy information’ or a ‘privacy notice’. Your landlord must provide this to you, and it should be concise, transparent, easily accessible and must use clear and plain language.
Right to access
You have a right to access the data your landlord is holding about you under a ‘Subject Access Request’. This means you can ask an organisation if they’re using or storing your personal information, and you can ask for copies of that information.
If your landlord is a council, you have rights to access additional information under the Freedom of Information Act, by using a Freedom of Information request.
Other rights
There are other rights around your personal data, including:
Right to rectification
To ask your landlord to confirm that the data they are holding on you is correct and if not, to put it right.
Right to erasure
The right to have your personal data erased.
Right to restrict processing
The right to ask for your data not to be used or shared.
Right to object
The right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Some of these rights are not absolute – they are balanced against the landlord needing to use your data to carry out their legal responsibilities to you as their tenant or leaseholder.
What to do if your information is not being handled correctly
Your landlord must have a Data Protection Officer who you can contact If you have a concern about how they are collecting or using your personal data.
If you’re not happy with the explanation or your concerns are not addressed, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Officer.
Useful websites
The Information Commissioner’s Office
How to make a Subject Access request
How to make a Freedom of Information request
Your personal data, and your landlord
Chapters in this video (27 mins)
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