Privacy notices

This Privacy Notice is designed to help you understand how and why the Housing Standards Team processes your personal data. This notice should be read in conjunction with the Council’s Corporate Privacy Notice.

Who are we? 

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is a ‘Data Controller’ as defined by Article 4(7) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). 

The Housing Standards Team offers housing advice to all residents and property owners of the Borough. The Housing Standards Team is a regulatory service that enforces housing and public health statute where appropriate. The Team also investigate complaints of nuisance/statutory nuisance (premises, accumulations and animals kept in such a state). We inspect and issue licences in relation to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) and properties within designated Selective Licensing Areas. 

In addition, the Team also operate a ‘Warm & Well’ advice service for our residents. We offer tailored advice and signposting to grants and assistance to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty for residents across the borough.

The Housing Standards Team in partnership with Thirteen Housing also support refugees who have arrived in Redcar & Cleveland as part of the Government’s Resettlement Schemes and the Homes for Ukraine Programme.

What personal information do we collect?

We collect and use information about people and businesses to enable us to carry out specific functions for which we are responsible and to provide you with a service.

These records may include; 

• details about you, for example, name, address, date of birth, medical and financial information,
• unique identifiers (such as your NI number or Refugee Number)
• contact we have had with you, for example, appointments & letters of correspondence,
• notes and reports about your relevant circumstances,
• details and records about the service you have received,
• relevant information from other people that we have been in contact with, in relation to the service that you have received.

Why do we collect your personal information? 

We collect information about residential properties, owner/occupiers, landlords and tenants and service users to enable us to carry out specific functions for which we are responsible and to provide you with a service, for example 

• If you make a complaint of nuisance arising from a neighbouring property, we will gather information about both parties including how the nuisance affects you at your property and the detailed nature of the complaint.
• If you are a landlord, we will gather information about you, your tenant and the property in order to carry out risk-based inspections.
• If you operate a property that requires a HMO or Selective Licence we will gather information about the property, the applicant including a fit and proper person check on all applicants and any other relevant person in order to issue the relevant licence.
• If you are enquiring about how to improve energy efficiency in your home we may ask for financial and medical information to signpost to relevant grants and assistance.
• If we are providing support under the relevant Resettlement Programme or Homes For Ukraine Programme we will gather information about your support needs.

Who do we obtain your information from?

• Yourself regarding applications made to the Council to hold a relevant HMO or Selective Licence.
• Members of the public reporting a complaint about your home.
• Yourself if you make an enquiry or a complaint. 
• Government Office/Agency. e.g. DHLUC, HO, DESNZ
• Police / Fire Brigade/ Probation Services
• Other Local Authorities. 
• NHS organisations/Teams.
• Housing providers including Social and Private Landlords.
• Education establishments. 
• Voluntary Sector/ Charities. e.g. CAB, MEC
• Northumbrian Water Plc.
• Social Services, Adults and Childrens.

Information will only be shared where it is necessary, proportionate and justified to do so, for example;

• Your complaint or the investigation needs to be dealt with jointly or solely by another agency.
• Where the health and safety of others is at risk.
• Where an agreement to share the information exists and is relevant. 
• Where a legal gateway to share the information exists and is relevant, proportionate, and necessary to do so.
• Where the law requires us to pass on information under certain circumstances.
• For the prevention and detection of crime.

How long do we keep your information for? 

Data held	Retention period
Case Management Records	6 years after the case is closed. This allows us to refer to previous cases when considering any future enforcement activities.
Information collected to inspect and issue the relevant HMO or Selective Licence	6 years after the case is closed. This allows us to refer to previous cases when considering any future enforcement activities.
Investigation / Prosecution Records and Files	6 years after the case is closed. This allows us to refer to previous cases when considering any future enforcement activities.

What is our lawful basis for processing your information?

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council relies on the following lawful basis to process your personal data:

• UK GDPR Article 6(1)(c) – processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject
• UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

For the processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences, processing meets Schedule 1, Part 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018 as below:

• (6) Statutory and Government Purposes

When processing special category data, the Council will rely on the following lawful basis:

UK GDPR Article 9 (2) (g) – processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest with processing meeting Schedule 1, Part 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018 as below:

• (6) Statutory and Government Purposes

The legislations, policies and guidance that relate to this service includes, but is not limited to:

• Housing Acts and associated legislation. 
• Public Health Acts.
• The Environmental Protection Act 1990.
• The Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.
• Home Energy Conservation Act 1990.
• The Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2022.

Your rights

You have a number of rights that you may exercise in relation to your personal data. Some of the rights do not apply automatically and may not be available in certain circumstances where a lawful exception applies. 

• You have a right to access your personal data. You can request a copy of personal data that we hold about you and ask us to explain how we use your data. 
• You have a right to object to processing of your personal data. You have an absolute right to stop your data being used for direct marketing. In other cases where the right to object applies, we may be able to continue using your data if we have a compelling reason for doing so. 

If we are relying on consent as the lawful basis to process your data you can withdraw your consent at any time, and we will stop further processing. 

• You have a right to request the restriction or suppression of your personal data. 
• You have a right to have your personal data erased, if we no longer have a legitimate use for it. This right is sometimes called the ‘right to be forgotten’. 
• You have a right to rectification of your personal data if the information we hold in relation to you is inaccurate or incomplete. 
• You have a right not to be subject to any decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal or similarly significant effects. You can request human intervention or challenge any solely automated decision-making that significantly affects you. 

The Council has appointed a Data Protection Officer. Their contact details are:

Data Protection Officer

Redcar and Cleveland House

Kirkleatham Street

Redcar

TS10 1RT 

You can contact the team by emailing InformationGovernance@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk or by calling 01642 774774.

If you would like to request access to your personal data or exercise any of your other data protection rights, please contact the Information Governance Team:

Information Governance 

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council

Redcar and Cleveland House

Kirkleatham Street

Redcar

TS10 1RT 

Email: InformationGovernance@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk 

Telephone: 01642 774 774 

You can seek advice and have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is an independent body set up to uphold information rights in the UK. You can contact them through the ICO website www.ico.org.uk, their helpline on 0303 123 1113, or in writing to:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF 

For more information about how the Council uses your data, including your privacy rights and the complaints process, please see our Corporate Privacy Notice.