We use different ways to collect data about you including the information you supply to us when using our services. If you fail to provide certain information, we may not be able to provide you with the service you require. The data gathered depends on whether you are an applicant wanting to just view a property, a tenant taking a property or a landlord advertising a property. We will also hold differing amounts of data depending on whether we manage the property for the landlord or not.
As necessary personal data is processed by us, we retain the following data as applicable: –
- Name, email and telephone numbers
- Personal/background information including occupation/status
- Bank details
- Verification and credit status
- Right to Rent ID such as copies of passports, driving licenses and residency permits
- Deposit (if any) including return on tenancy termination
- Tenancy details including renewals, joint tenants, other residents and guarantors
- Immigration/right to rent checks (England only)
- Rent and other payments
- Recovery of arrears, claims or possession proceedings
- Repairs/health and safety/housing conditions
- Breach of tenancy terms/nuisance/anti-social behaviour
- Council Tax liability
- Termination of tenancy
- Complaints
- Insurance
- Health or disability
- Emails texts and other communications and via our website where we operate one
- Website and online portal information
- Identity and contact details
We also generate and use data internally, e.g. our rent records if managing the property.
We also collect and receive data about you from third parties. This may be information given to us by the landlord, other tenants or residents or neighbours. It can include information from a guarantor where there is a guarantor for your tenancy or from a joint tenant or other residents. Public bodies such as local authorities or the police, or other law enforcement agencies may give us information about you. This can include the Department for Work and Pensions or the local authority where you are receiving Universal Credit or housing benefit. Information may be given to us relevant to Council Tax by the local authority. Utility companies or service providers may also give us personal information about you. We obtain information about you when we carry out credit checks or take up references. We may also receive information from you via websites or from online rental portals such as Rightmove, Zoopla or Gumtree for example.
How we use information about you
The various purposes for which it may be necessary for us to process different categories of your information include: –
- In our legitimate interests for ensure you are allowed to advertise or rent out the property
- In our legitimate interests for deciding on the suitability of a proposed tenant/resident
- In our legitimate interests for verifying the credit worthiness/suitability of tenants/residents
- Our legal obligation to check immigration status/right to rent. This is also to verify identities.
- To perform our tenancy contract to deal with joint tenants and residents who are linked to the tenancy
- To perform our contract to complete the tenancy agreement
- In our legitimate interests to secure rental payments/performance of tenant obligations, e.g. deposits and guarantors
- For contractual performance for rent collection and collection of other payments including banking details
- For contractual performance for managing the tenancy and the property
- For contractual performance and/or in our legitimate interests for record keeping
- For contractual performance for arranging repairs and maintaining the condition of the property and keeping it in a safe condition.
- For contractual performance for monitoring and enforcement of tenant responsibilities
- For contractual performance or in our legitimate interests for recovering debts and other payments due, including any possession proceedings
- In our legitimate interests for administering liability for Council Tax
- In our legitimate interests and those of the provider relating to arranging and paying for utilities and services
- In our legitimate interests for dealing with welfare benefits (including Universal Credit and housing benefit) where payable in respect of the rent
- In our legitimate interests in relation to tenancy termination including the return of any deposit
- In our legitimate interests for processing complaints
- For contractual performance or in our legitimate interests for dealing with health and disability issues relating to tenants/residents
- In our legitimate interests for obtaining and holding audio and cctv recordings
- To perform our legal obligations to provide information to public or local authorities who are legally entitled to require this information
- In your vital interests for contacting next of kin etc., in an emergency
- In our legitimate interests for the storage of emails, records of calls and other communications
- In accordance with our legal obligations if you exercise your rights under data protection law
- To perform our legal obligations for compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
- In our legitimate interests for the establishment and defence of legal rights
- In our legitimate interests for prevention, detection and investigation of crime and anti-social behaviour and the security of any website or other means of electronic communication
We may change the purposes where this is compatible for the purpose for which we obtained the data originally. If we need to use your data for a non-compatible purpose, we will notify you and explain the legal gateway that allows us to do so. We may process your information without your knowledge where this is required or permitted by law.