Link Housing Tenants

To allow us to provide the service you would expect from us, we process the personal information you provide us with, which includes

• Your name
• address
• telephone number(s)
• e-mail address
• National insurance number
• Date of birth
• Details of your next of kin
• Names and dates of birth of those living in the property with you
• Notes from conversations we have with you in relation to arrears or complaints
• Details of when you have contacted us to request a service, for example for a housing officer to call or visit you

We collect this information as the tenancy agreement we have with you is a legally binding contract.  We need the information to make sure we are abiding by the law in providing you with the house in the first place and then to allow us to continue to provide you with the services and support required by that contract.

As a tenant you have a number of rights and we need to make sure that you are aware of them if your circumstances change and this information allows us to do that. 

As a landlord we also have a duty to charge and collect a fair rent for the property, we use the information you provide to make sure we keep in touch with you and keep you informed of any action, including legal action we are taking if we have not been able to collect the rent for the property.

We also collect some information that is called ‘special category data’.  We collect this as we are legally required to make sure we provide services fairly and equally.  This will include information such as:

• Ethnicity
• Disability
• Religion
• Marital Status
• Sexual Orientation

We do not share this information, and it is reported on in an anonymous format.

We store your information in what is called a ‘Housing Management System’ – this is basically a large database, an electronic information storage system.  We also keep some information on paper based forms; these are stored in the area office for your location.  It’s also possible, if you have contacted us by email, that some information will be held in the email system. 

We also have an electronic filing system or document management system, where any forms or correspondence are scanned and stored.

We continually look at how long we hold onto information you have provided to us and how long it should be kept for.  Generally once it has served its purpose it will be destroyed, however there are some instances when we will need to keep some of the information you have supplied.  For example once your tenancy has ended we will only keep any information received during that tenancy for 6 months, unless you left owing money for rent or repairs.  If money is due, we will hold on to the relevant information required to help us to pursue that debt.

We will generally keep your information for the following minimum periods after which this will be destroyed if it is no longer required for the reasons it was obtained.

Our full retention schedule is available here. 

The tenancy agreement between Link Housing and you, as a tenant, is a legally binding contract. We rely on the contractual legal basis for processing to ensure that are able to meet the requirements of the contract. 

In addition Link relies on legal obligation as a basis for processing as there are a number of pieces of legislation that require us to process personal data about you, including: 

• Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (as amended)
• Housing (Scotland) Act 2001
• Housing (Scotland) Act 2006
• Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 

In some instances, Link may rely on the legitimate interest legal basis for processing. For example, when sharing the personal data with a new or former tenant with a utility company to allow accurate bills to be processed. 

The information you provide to us will be treated by us as confidential.

We may disclose your information to third parties who act for us for the purposes set out in this notice or for purposes approved by you, including the following:

• Repair contractors
• Any company we engage to carry out surveys
• Local authorities
• Police (if necessary for the prevention or detection of crime)
• Department of Work and Pensions
• Utility companies (where you a new tenant or where a property has been left with unpaid bills preventing the relet of the property)
• Council Tax

We may receive the following information from third parties:

• Benefits information, including awards of Housing Benefit/Universal Credit
• Payments made by you to us
• Complaints or other communications regarding behaviour or other alleged breaches of the terms of your contract with us, including information obtained from Police Scotland
• Reports as to the conduct or condition of your tenancy, including references from previous tenancies, and complaints of anti-social behaviour

If your details change, please contact 03451 400 100 to inform us to ensure that all of the information we hold about you is up to date. 

You can contact our data protection officer at datamanagement@linkhaltd.co.uk or by post to Link House, 2c New Mart Road, Edinburgh EH14 14L. 

You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. 

You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. 

You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances. 

You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. 

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances .

You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.