Homes for you Privacy Notice
This privacy notice explains what personal information we will capture and how it will be handled when you apply for housing through the 'Home for You' common register.
Who we are
'Home for You' is a joint partnership between Bield Housing & Care, Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association Limited and Trust Housing Association Limited (collectively known as "Landlords", "we", "us" or "our").
We operate a common housing register (known as 'Home For You') enabling applicants to apply for housing with one or all three associations at the same time. When you apply for housing through the 'Home for You' common register, you will be asked to provide your personal information that will be used to assess your application.
We take the issue of data protection seriously and strictly adhere to the guidelines published in the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the Data Protection Act 2018. The Landlords will be the data controller for any personal information you supply us when applying for housing through 'Home for You'. The data controller determines what personal information is captured and how it will be used.
The 'Home for You' website is hosted by Housing Partners Limited, who will be the data processor for any personal information you supply to us through the website. The data processor will only use your personal information in accordance with our instructions and will not share your personal information with any other organisation.
When do we collect your personal information?
We collect personal information from you when you:
- apply for housing using the 'Home for You' application form; or
- apply for housing using the 'Home for You' website.
What personal information do we collect?
The application also poses questions about the applicants' current housing circumstances, which then enables the Landlords to determine their need for housing. Following is the type of personal information we will request:
- Your name
- Your contact details e.g. phone numbers, postal address and email address
- Date of birth
- Gender
- National Insurance numbers
- Residency details
- The contact details of relative, friend or carer who you nominate to discuss your application on your behalf.
- The applicants' address history for the previous three years in the event that tenancy references need to be requested
- The personal information of any other people currently living with you.
- Language
- Any rent arrears details
- Any criminal history i.e. anti-social behaviour, sexual offences
- Any disability details - to determine any special adaptations requirements.
- Health, wellbeing and support details
- Next of kin, guardianship and power of attorney details
Why we need to collect your personal information
We are required under GPDR to specify a valid lawful basis for every activity where we will process your personal data. The table below lists the lawful basis we use when you apply for housing and the relevant processing activity.
| Lawful basis |
Meaning |
Our processing activity |
| Consent |
The individual has given clear consent for us to process their personal data for a specific purpose.
When we use this lawful basis, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time and request us to stop processing your personal information.
|
- - To assess application for housing
- - To allocate points
- - Assess suitability to determine the correct housing
- - To share personal information with other agencies i.e. council & NHS providers
- - If the Associations are participating in another common housing register, applicants' details may be held centrally by the party responsible for administering the register and be accessible by other participating landlords. Applicants will be advised that their information will be shared for these purposes only and must give their permission for this when applying.
- - Applicants also give their permission for the Associations to make any tenancy, financial or medical enquiries deemed necessary when considering their application.
|
| Legitimate Interests |
Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests.
This lawful basis is most likely to be an appropriate basis where data is used in ways that people would reasonably expect and that have a minimal privacy impact.
|
We will capture the personal information of individuals who provide you with support or you have nominated to discuss the application on your behalf:
- - Any relatives, friends or carers who can discuss your application on your behalf.
- - Your next of kin, guardianships and power of attorney when assessing your suitability for housing.
- - Doctor details
|
Who we may share your personal information with
As part of the application process the landlords may share applicants' personal information with other agencies, such as the Council and NHS providers, for the purposes of fully assessing their housing and support needs. Similarly, if the associations are participating in another common housing register, applicants’ details may be held centrally by the party responsible for administering the register and be accessible by other participating landlords. Applicants will be advised that their information will be shared for these purposes only and must give their permission for this when applying.
Applicants also give their permission for the Landlords to make any tenancy, financial or medical enquiries deemed necessary when considering their application.
How long will we keep your personal information?
Applications will be cancelled and removed from the housing list under the following circumstances:
- The applicant has requested their application is withdrawn.
- The death of the applicant.
- No response to review correspondence.
- No response to repeated requests to undertake a pre-allocation assessment.
- The applicant has been rehoused by one of the three Associations.
An application may also be cancelled after it has been suspended for a significant period of time due to concerns that the applicant’s housing support and/or care needs do not match the service(s) provided and they remain unable to secure a package of additional support from other sources which would enable them to sustain a tenancy. In such circumstances the decision to cancel must be taken by the relevant head of department or service within the Association dealing with the application.
If you are rehoused by one of the three associations, then your personal information will be transferred across to their systems. Please read their Privacy Notices to understand how they will manage your personal information:
Confidentiality
The Landlords will comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the Data Protection Act 2018 and will treat all personal information provided by an applicant in the strictest confidence. Your personal information will be held securely and will only be accessed by Landlord staff for the purposes of assessment, review or allocation.
Storage and Security
The 'Home for You' website is hosted by a third party supplier and any personal information entered into the system will be stored on their servers. We have a joint data protection contract in place with our website provider, to ensure they will only process your personal information in accordance with our instructions and will not share your information with any other organisation. Furthermore, they will store your information securely within the UK and EEA for a period instructed by us.
About Cookies
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Our use of cookies is in compliance with The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 and the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679.
What Cookies we use and how you can manage them
We use the following cookies:
- Strictly necessary cookies. These are cookies that are required for the operation
of our site. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure
areas of our site.
- Analytical/performance cookies. They allow us to recognise and count the
number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our site when they are
using it. This helps us to improve the way our site works, for example, by
ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.
- Functionality cookies. These are used to recognise you when you return to our
site. This enables us to personalise our content for you, greet you by name and
remember your preferences.
You block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse
the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block
all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of
our site.
For more information about cookies, including how to change your browser settings
and find and delete cookies on your hard drive, please visit www.aboutcookies.org.
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Changes to the HFU privacy notice
Our privacy notice is regularly updated. This version was last updated on 01/05/2019.