Privacy Policy
Privacy Notice for Housing Register and Advice
What this document is for
This privacy notice provides details on how we, Broadland District Council and South Norfolk Council (“the councils”), use your personal information for the purposes of ascertaining any duties owed to you under the Housing Act 1996 (Part 6) including the provision of advice and guidance, and assessing and maintaining your inclusion on the Housing Register. By ‘use’ we mean the various ways it may be processed, including storing and sharing the information.
The Councils are what is known as the ‘Data Controller’ for your data, and act as independent, sole data controllers. The Council that you apply to is the ‘Data Controller’ for your personal data for the duration of your application.
Further details
We also provide the following details in our general privacy notice on our websites
- Your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) and
- How to exercise them
What we use your information for
South Norfolk and Broadland Councils will use your information to:
- provide advice and guidance in relation to your housing situation
- Ascertain solutions in respect of your housing situation
- Assess and maintain your inclusion on the Housing Register for Social Housing
- Make enquiries and referrals to other agencies or internal council departments
What personal data we collect and use about you
We will collect and use the following information in relation to yourself (the main applicant or joint applicants) and your household or anyone included on your application:
- Contact Information - this could include your name, property address, email address, and telephone number(s)
- dates of birth
- gender
- National Insurance Number
- marital status
- Nationality
- Immigration Status
- Circumstances relating to your housing issues
- Previous address history (last 10 years)
- Details of any previous instances of arrears (if applicable)
- Details of previous incidents of anti-social behavior (if applicable)
- Financial/employment circumstances for Income, Capital, Savings, and equity (including bank statements, pay slips)
- Health and Social care information and assessments – this could include disabilities, long term health issues relevant to the application etc.)
- Care leaver status
- Details of any service in the armed forces
- Pregnancy- need to add more
- Details of any child residency
- Details of unspent convictions relevant to the application (if applicable)
- Optional data requested includes ethnicity
- Any relevant risks or vulnerabilities
Who provides this information
We receive most of this information from you, but we may also obtain some of this data from the following agencies where relevant:
- Other local authorities
- Your GP or health care provider
- Private landlords and Registered Housing Providers
- Probation services
- Any other organisations providing you with support
- Other internal council departments
- Police
- Department for Work and Pensions
How we share your information
South Norfolk and Broadland Councils do not own or manage social housing stock. Social housing in the Districts is owned and managed by several Registered Housing Providers. A full list of these is available in Allocations Scheme for each Council
Personal data will be shared with Registered Housing Providers for the purposes of deciding whether an offer of accommodation should be made and for discharging any duties under the Housing Act 1996 (Part 6).
The Allocations Scheme for each Council allows applicants to move between the Councils’ (South Norfolk and Broadland) areas. Therefore, while housing register applicants will be asked which area they would most like to live in you are able to apply for properties in the other area. However, your ‘Data Controller’ will remain as the Council to which you applied.
We may also use the information provided to us to suggest referrals or to signpost you to other departments within the councils and other organisations (including those located within the Help Hubs) to assist you.
This can include (but is not limited to):
- Debt and Welfare Advice
- Community Activities
- Registered Housing Providers
- Children’s Services
- Adult Social Care
- Health and Mental Health services
We will always seek your consent to making such a referral unless we feel that to do so would put an individual or family at risk of serious harm.
In order to make our decision or to provide suitable advice and guidance, we may seek to make enquiries regarding the particulars of your housing situation with other departments within South Norfolk and Broadland Councils and other outside organisations as detailed elsewhere in this Notice.
Information may also be shared externally with the Police and other agencies in order for the Council to carry out their statutory duties. Apart from where previously stated, we do not pass your details to third parties unless we are lawfully able to do so for the prevention and detection of crime and fraud, or for the collection of taxes.
Any information which is shared will only be shared on a need to know basis, with appropriate individuals. Only the minimum information for the purpose will be shared.
How the law protects you and the legal basis for processing your information
We have legal grounds under the GDPR to process this information because it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and the task or function has a clear basis in law under the under the Housing Act 1996 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
We also rely on consent in relation to providing additional services and advice as detailed elsewhere on the Notice.
In addition to the above, we process any unspent conviction data under Article 10 of the GDPR.
Under Article 9.2 (g) of the GDPR, we may also process special categories of data such as health data.
How long will we keep your personal information for
The information you provide will be held securely by us for a period of no longer than 5 years following the closure of your case unless we are required by the Inquiries Act 2005 to retain the information for longer including, up to indefinitely.
How we keep your information
The information is stored electronically, on the Council’s network including records management systems.
Changes to this notice
We may amend this privacy notice at any time so please review it frequently. The date below will be amended each time this notice is updated.
This notice was updated in March 2021.