Furnished Tenancies Privacy Notice

Read the Furnished Tenancies Privacy Notice here.

Who To Contact

Data Protection Office

Knowsley Council

Westmorland Road

Huyton

L36 9GL

Email: Inforights@knowsley.gov.uk

Who will own my data once I submit it

Knowsley Council

Why do you need my information?

Providing your information allows us to process your application for a Furnished Tenancy.

What personal information do you collect?

In order to determine your eligibility for a Furnished Tenancy we require the following information:

  • Your name.
  • Contact details including phone number and email address.
  • Current address.
  • Address you are moving to.
  • Income source e.g. wages or benefits.
  • Household composition (who else will be living with you).

Does Knowsley Council receive information about me from other organisations?

Yes, as service users cannot apply to Knowsley Council directly for a furnished tenancy, applications for furniture packages are completed via a referral from a third-party organisation.  The third parties who complete referrals are as follows:

  • Housing Solutions.
  • The Whitechapel Centre.
  • Local Authority Social Services. 

What allows you to use my information?

Your information is being used to determine your eligibility for a Furnished Tenancy to support you when you sign for a property with a participating landlord. Furnished Tenancies are granted where the tenancy is likely to be unsustainable due to lack of furniture or white goods.

The Furnished Tenancies service will be processing personal data according to the following lawful basis:

Article 6(1)(e) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), which states that the processing is necessary for the performance of a public task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.  

This links in with the Local Authority’s statutory duty set out in the Housing Act 1996 as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2018 to prevent and relieve homeless maintain a housing register and ensures tenancies offered to vulnerable service users through this are sustainable.   

Who will my information be shared with?

Your information will not be shared with anyone unless they have a genuine ‘need to know’ basis to do so. 

Your data will be shared with registered providers (e.g. landlords) in order to arrange inspection of your new property to measure for flooring (if applicable), installation of your furniture and where access is required for Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and we have been unsuccessful in our attempts to contact you.

Your details will also be shared with our contracted furniture provider if they need to arrange access for repairs to be completed or for installation.

Do I have to provide this information and what will happen if I don’t?

Submitting your information to the Furnished Tenancies service allows you to apply for a Furnished Tenancy. Without providing the information your application can not be considered.

How long will you keep this data for and why?

Your information will be stored for a minimum period of six (6) years after your Furnished Tenancy ends. It will be needed should there be any claims or audit after your application is closed.

How will my information be stored?

Your information will be stored on a secure database which is housed on Knowsley Council’s secure network servers.

Will this information be used to take automated decisions about me?

No.

Will my data be transferred abroad?

No.

What rights do I have when it comes to my data?

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights with regard to your personal data: 

  • The right to subject access – you have the right to see a copy of the personal data that the council holds about you and find out what it is used for.
  • The right to rectification – you have the right to ask the council to correct or remove any inaccurate data that we hold about you.
  • The right to erasure (right to be forgotten) you have the right to ask the council to remove data that we hold about you.
  • The right to restriction – you have the right to ask for your information to be restricted (locked down) on council systems.
  • The right to data portability – you have the right to ask for your data to be transferred back to you or to a new provider at your request.
  • The right to object – you have the right to ask the council to stop using your personal data or to stop sending you marketing information, or complain about how your data is used.
  • The right to prevent automated decision making – you have the right to ask the council to stop using your data to make automated decisions about you or to stop profiling your behaviour (where applicable).

To find out more about your rights under the GDPR, please visit the Information Commissioner’s Office Guide to the GDPR Individual Rights.

To request a copy of your data or ask questions about how it is used, contact:

Data Protection Officer

Knowsley Council

Westmorland Road

Huyton

L36 9GL

Or email: Inforights@knowsley.gov.uk

Who can I complain to if I am unhappy about how my data is used?

You can complain directly to the Council’s Data Protection Team by writing to:

Data Protection Officer

Knowsley Council

Westmorland Road

Huyton

L36 9GL

Or

Email: data.protection.officer@knowsley.gov.uk

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details: -

The Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45

Website: www.ico.org.uk

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