Privacy notice

Right to buy - Privacy notice

This privacy notice covers the processing of your data when you apply for the Right to Buy (RTB) Scheme.

If you have any questions about this privacy notice or any concerns about how we process your data, please contact the Home Ownership team.

Please note this privacy notice will continue to be monitored and updated. You are advised to check this page from time to time

Information we collect

In order for us to provide the statutory service it is necessary to hold and collect personal information about you.  We will need to hold the information provided to us in the RTB application form and the additional form to enable us to process your RTB application.

As part of our obligations in connection with processing we may need to contact you from time to time and request further information to support, validate and process your application.

We may also receive personal information about you indirectly, from another source. This may include:

  • Financial information
  • Previous council tenancies

Why we need your information

The purpose of holding this information is to enable the Homeownership team to

  • Process RTB applications as required under Housing Act 1985 part 5

Who your information may be shared with (internally and externally)

In the course of processing your RTB application, we will contact various departments in the council and also forward your details to our external contractors for valuations/conveyancing purposes. We also contact external agencies for any required information to prevent fraud.

Our stakeholders are:

  • Council departments and stakeholders, including TLT Solicitors Limited, HB Public Law, Dunphy's Chartered Surveyors and Quilliam Property Services.
  • DWP
  • HMRC
  • NHS
  • DVLA
  • Credit Referencing Agencies
  • NHS
  • Police
  • Home Office
  • UK Border Agency
  • National Border Targeting Centre
  • National Anti-Fraud Network
  • Employers
  • Banks, Building Societies, Mortgage Providers
  • Credit Services (Credit Cards & Loans)
  • Educational Establishments
  • Housing Associations
  • Other Local Authorities
  • Insurance Companies
  • Insurance Fraud Bureau
  • Letting Agents
  • Utility Companies
  • TV Licensing
  • Companies House
  • The Student Loans Company

How long will we keep your information?

The length of time we hold data for completed RTB sales is 12 years (General Disposal Guidelines for Local authorities Ref 7.17 and 7.29.)

For unsuccessful applications, we keep the data for 7 years.

For us to monitor trends, we will retain non-personal data indefinitely. This information will be completely anonymised and will not be linked to any specific individual or association.

How we store your information

Your information is securely stored and only accessible to staff who need it to process your requests. The Council takes information security very seriously and has a number of policies, procedures and processes to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of all information we hold.

How can I request for my information to be removed from the register?

If you want your personal information taken off our database, please contact the London Borough of Hounslow's Home Ownership team on 020 8583 3721 or via email on Home.ownership@hounslow.gov.uk. Please note, we will remove personal data upon request but if you request this to be done during progression of the case, we will not be able to process your application.

Transfer outside the EEA

We use 'BOX' to store your files. BOX is a US based cloud storage service and information held on it is transferred outside of the EU/EEA. BOX participates in and has certified its compliance with the EU - US Privacy Shield Framework, which allows the secure transfer of data. 

BOX's Privacy Shield certifications 

Data Matching and Auditing

We are required by law to protect the public funds we administer. We may use the information you provide to us for the prevention and detection of crime. We may also share this information with other bodies that are responsible for auditing or administering public funds including the Audit Commission, the Department for Work and Pensions, other local authorities, HM Revenue and Customers and the Police.

The council uses data matching as a way of processing large volumes of information. While this can be a useful way of detecting fraud, it also enables us to identify information that is inaccurate or out of date, helping us comply with Data Protection law, while improving service provision.

In addition to undertaking our own data matching to identify errors and potential frauds, we are required to take part in national data matching exercises undertaken by the Audit Commission. The use of data by the Audit Commission in a data matching exercise is carried out under its powers in Part 2A of the Audit Commission Act 1998. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned.

Your rights

The Council tries to be as open as it can be in terms of giving people access to their personal information. Individuals can find out if we hold any personal information by making a Subject Access Request. 

You can make a request to the Council for any personal information we may hold about you by:

Completing the online form

Or

Emailing the Customer Relations team

The data protection law also gives you the following rights:

  • The right to be informed
  • The right to rectification
  • The right to erasure
  • The right to restrict processing
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to object
  • Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.

Depending on the lawful basis on which the Council relies on for processing your personal data you may not always be able to exercise some of these rights.  For more information about your rights please visit the ICO's website.

Data Protection Officer

The Council's Data Protection Officer can be contacted at

Information Governance Team
Hounslow House
7 Bath Road, Hounslow
Middlesex
W3 3EB.
 

or by Email

Information Commissioner's Office 

The Information Commissioner is the UK's independent body set up to uphold information rights. 

If you would like to know more about your rights under the Data Protection law, and what you should expect from us, visit the Information Commissioner's website. 

If you have any concerns regarding our privacy practices or about exercising your Data Protection rights, you may contact the Information Commissioner's Office:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane
Wilmslow, Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545 745 
Email: casework@ico.org.uk

 

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