United Communities’
Privacy notice – Residential Leaseholders

Summary

At United Communities (UC) we are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected, and that data is used in accordance with the data protection legislation in force in England and Wales.

This privacy notice sets out why we collect personal information from you, how we use it and who we may share it with. It also explains your individual rights under the current data protection legislation.

If we ask you to provide information which can identify you, then we will only use it in accordance with this privacy notice.

Any queries regarding this notice and our privacy practices can be sent to the company Data Protection Officer by email using [email protected] or write to;

United Communities
Eden House
Eastgate Office Park
Bristol
BS5 6XX
Alternatively you can telephone us on 0117 942 4600

Who we are

UC is the organisation that makes decisions about your personal data. UC’s office is located at Eden House, Eastgate Office Park, Bristol, BS5 6XX.

The UC Data Protection Officer can be contacted on [email protected]

Why we collect information

We collect and process your information because you have entered into, or wish to enter into a contract with us in the form of a lease for one of our properties. This is the legal basis for processing your information and carrying out our activities.
We need your information for rent and service charge billing, to contact you about any issues regarding your property, such as repairs, to provide you with the statutory 30 day consultation period regarding major works and to provide any other services.

What information we collect about you

When you become a leaseholder for one of our properties, we will collect the following information from you:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Date of birth
  • Telephone numbers
  • E mail address
  • Family composition
  • Bank account details
  • Financial information including income and savings, if applicable
  • Contact details of any managing agent and/ or emergency contact

How we collect your information

Most of this information will already be held by UC in connection with your lease. Alternatively it may be supplied either by you when you first become a leaseholder, by your solicitor during the purchase process, or if you notify us of any changes to your personal details.

Special Category Information

Under the data protection legislation certain personal information is classed as special category. This is information relating to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning health, data about sexual orientation.

We minimise our holding and use of special category personal information and it is not normally necessary to collect this type of data from a leaseholder. However, a leaseholder may choose to volunteer information to help us better understand their needs.

We will then seek your consent to hold this data and notify you of how we will use it, including who it may be shared with. You have a right to withdraw this consent at any time. However, if you do not wish us to continue to hold this data, we may be unable to support you in the best way possible.

What we do with it

We may use the information you give us:

  • to fulfil our obligations under the lease as your landlord
  • to collect rent and service charge payments
  • to consult with you about any proposed major works
  • to contact you about repairs
  • for internal record keeping
  • to undertake credit ratings or similar and affordability checks in the event of service charge arrears
  • to contact you about improvements relating to fire safety, such as fire door requirements etc.
  • to contact you about gas safety records
  • to customise the website according to your interests
  • to comply with our legal obligations
  • to enforce your obligations under the lease

How long we keep your information

We will only retain your information for as long as is reasonably necessary for us to fulfil the purposes set out in this guide, or for a maximum of six years after you cease to have a relationship with us, or if we are in dispute with you until legal proceedings have ended, whichever is longer. We will then securely dispose of your information.
There may be a need to retain some data indefinitely if we are required to do so by law, such as permissions to make alterations and statutory consultation documents.

Sharing your information

We will only share your information where we are legally obliged or able to do so, for example:

  • to provide you with services to which you are entitled
  • to comply with the law (e.g. police, health authorities, inland revenue, government departments)
  • to progress the sale of the lease to new buyers with your permission
  • to seek legal advice or in connection with court proceedings or statutory action to enforce compliance with the lease, or when obliged to refer cases to the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Residential Property for a decision
  • where there is a clear health and safety risk
  • child protection and safeguarding issues
  • where there is a clear risk to yourself, staff and others
  • for the detection and prevention of crime, prosecution of offenders and for the detection and prevention of fraud
  • We also share personal information with the Government (Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government) for research and statistical purposes. For more information on what we share and why please see the Privacy Notice for tenants/buyers of social housing (CORE), or request a copy from the Leasehold Team.

We may share your information with third parties from time to time, such as:

  • Police
  • HMRC
  • Local authorities, the NHS and Primary Care Trusts
  • Legal Advisors, the courts and our insurers and auditors
  • Contractors providing maintenance and other housing related services
  • Consultants providing services to us
  • Language translation services
  • Your mortgage company (forfeiture action)
  • Utility and telephone companies
  • Mediation partner organisations
  • External assistance where you have agreed to a referral, e.g. to help with money problems
  • The Regulator of Social Housing
  • Credit checking agencies and debt recovery agents
  • A nominated third party where you have given us your permission
  • Organisations to carry out payments through a secure service (e.g. to set up a direct debit)
  • Financial institutions to confirm affordability
  • Companies that help us mail out newsletters etc.
  • Training providers or learning organisations – where you have agreed to a referral

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect and process.
Whilst the majority of the IT systems that we use are based within the UK, UC may use the following, which means that your data may be stored electronically outside of Europe.

  • Microsoft Cloud
  • Google
  • Dropbox

Your Rights in relation to your personal data

You have several rights under data protection legislation which are detailed below. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please email us on. [email protected] or write to;

United Communities
Eden House
Eastgate Office Park
Bristol
BS5 6XX

Right to be informed

You have the right to be informed about how we are using your data. If you think we are doing something with your information that we have not told you about in this Privacy Notice, please let us know.

Right of access

You have right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you.

Right of objection, rectification, erasure and restriction

If you think that the information that we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have a right to request that it be rectified.

If you think that we are holding information about you without a compelling reason or legal justification for doing so, you have a right to request that it be removed completely from our records, or that processing is restricted. Please note where we have a legal justification for keeping the record, we are not required to remove it.

Right to data portability

You have the right to request a copy of some your data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format. You also have the right to request that this information is transferred directly to another organisation, but only where that is technically feasible.

Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

If you are not satisfied with the way that we have dealt with your personal data, please let us know and we will try and resolve your concerns. If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can refer your concerns directly to the regulator at:

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

Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number. Or online at: https://ico.org.uk/

This privacy notice was drafted with brevity and clarity in mind. It does not provide exhaustive detail of all aspects of UC’s collection and use of personal information. However, we are happy to provide any additional information or explanation needed. Any requests should be sent to the UC Data Protection Officer.