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Housing Service

 

How we use your personal information for Housing Service purposes

 

The Council provides services for local communities and the people who live in them.  Undertaking this work means that we must collect and use information about the people we provide services to and keep a record of those services. Because we collect and use personal information about individuals we must make sure that they know what we intend to do with their information and who it may be shared with. 

We have summarised in this privacy notice some of the key ways in which we use your personal information for Housing Service purposes. This information should be read in conjunction with the Council’s corporate privacy notice.

 

1.    Who we are, what we do.

This privacy notice explains what personal data is collected by RCT’s Housing Strategy and Investment Service and how and why we use this data.

The Service works effectively with partners regionally to ensure that growth is delivered in South East Wales which communities within Rhondda Cynon Taf benefit from, via investment and opportunities right across South East Wales. This involves leading on the development of interventions (including grant funding) and projects; and influencing the shape of regional delivery in the future.  

We also assist in the development of employment and housing, through partnership working, to maximise the delivery of homes and jobs, supporting the economy and ensuring a range of homes (affordable, market, adapted, re-use of empties and innovative) are developed.

 

2.    What and whose personal information we hold?

We hold information about you whether you contact us online, over the phone, face-to-face or when applying for a grant, a loan, Building Control, Homestep, or energy efficiency grant applications. We will collect personal data about you and other people connected to you if necessary.

The types of information we process will typically include (where relevant):

  • Name and address
  • Job title and Company Name
  • Contact information including mobile or landline telephone number and email address
  • Date of birth
  • National Insurance Number
  • Proof of Identity
  • Utility bills, local electoral registration
  • Bank Account details
  • Evidence of financial information including payslips, income, benefits entitlement, debts and savings account statements, self-assessment details, mortgage details
  • Mortgage in principle offers
  • Confirmation of your entitlement to Council Tax Reduction
  • Evidence of ownership of property (including Land Registry Title documents), Tenancy Agreements, Business accounts andSelf Assessment details,
  • Property valuation and mortgage details.
  • Details of any disability / medical condition
  • Benefit entitlement and supporting information 
  • Income information
  • Welfare assessments for unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller encampments

Other personal information submitted as evidence in support of your Grant, Building Control, Homestep or Energy measure application. This may include, for example, details of your partner and other members of your household, business partners and property owners etc. 

The information held is likely to include:

  • personal details eg name address
  • contact details eg email address
  • date of birth
  • evidence of income & savings
  • Evidence of expenditure/outgoing (in respect of loan application)
  • Council Tax Demand Notice
  • Deeds of property
  • Utility bill, local electoral roll registration and bank statement
  • H M Revenue and Customs under ‘VAT431NB:VAT refunds for DIY house builders’
  • Proof of an approved self build or custom build mortgage from a bank or building society
  • Proof of a specialist self build or custom build warranty
  • Declaration in respect of state aid received when assessing Community Infrastructure Levy exemption or relief
  • Affidavit for lawful development certificates or Community Infrastructure evidence of being “in-use”
  • S106 legal agreements (including all triggers relating to an agreement, which will include financial information)
  • Grant of Faculty – permission from the Church in Wales to undertake building works on churches. Contract of employment
  • Property lease
  • Development appraisals to assess financial viability
  • Information on health conditions relating to a member of your household that are relevant to your application

We may receive/collect information from others to support your application. For example:

  • Name, Address and Date of Birth
  • Contact information, including email address
  • Bank details
  • Confirmation of your Ownership of your property (for which grant aid is sort), 
  • Council Tax confirmation of the length of your occupancy of property
  • Confirmation of your entitlement to Reduction in Council Tax
  • Confirmation that you have registered that you will be living in the property
  • Confirmation of your National Insurance Number
  • Details of aids and adaptations required to your property
  • Evidence of earnings
  • Evidence of ownership / tenancy of property
  • Planning history
  • NNDR
  • Energy Performance Certificates
  • Technical Survey data from 3rd partner companies to support recommendations for energy measures
  • Information relating to what improvements can be made to your home, such as financial savings/reductions, energy savings

 

3.    Where does the service get my information?

The service obtains your information from a number of sources. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Other Council Departments
  • Grant and Building Control applications forms
  • The applicant, when an enquiry is made via telephone, email, letter, online enquiry
  • Information obtained by members of the public in respect of complaints regarding Building Control, Dangerous Structures
  • Local Land Charges Searches
  • Consultation / survey responses – if you agree to take part
  • Formal consultation forms
  • Neighbour responses
  • Petitions
  • Social Media
  • Record of attendance at an inquiry / hearing (which could become available to the public).
  • Companies House Search
  • Internet Search
  • Land Registry Search
  • Information provided by other organisations i.e. Natural Resources Wales, DVLA, Welsh Government, energy measure installers, energy companies ECO funders or their Agents
  • National schemes such as Welsh Government’s NEST, Arbed am Byth scheme or UK wide ECO Flex scheme, Robert Owen Community Banking
  • Information provided by other public sector organisations e.g. referrals by Health Services including GP, Health Visitors, DWP, Citizens Advice
  • Information provided by private sector organisations e.g. data subject’s solicitors, mortgage provider, agents or employers; private or social landlords
  • Information provided by third sector e.g. Care and Repair Agency
  • Other service areas within the Council eg Council Tax, Housing Benefits, National Non Domestic Rates (NNDR), Legal Services, Public Health and Protection, Resilience Team
  • Information provided by other local authorities e.g. Merthyr & Bridgend Council.

 

4.       What we will do with your personal information?

  • To provide pre-application advice
  • To refer you or a member of your household to the appropriate support/service based on your needs and circumstances
  • Liaise with other partners to determine your eligibility for other types of grant assistance
  • Register your details on Priority Service Registers with energy suppliers and/or network operators
  • Make a payment to you or your chosen contractor in respect of your grant application
    • As part of our provision of our Pre-purchase and Completion Certificates services
    • To process and administer Building Control statutory function
    • To process and administer Section 106 legal agreements
    • To check with other Council departments such as NNDR, Council Tax, Licensing, Enforcement to assess eligibility
    • To assess and approve and make payments in respect of your application for Statutory Disabled Facilities Grant and Discretionary Grant Assistance
    • To facilitate the assessment and potential approval of your application for Home Improvement Loan by RCTCBC or a 3rd party provider
    • To enable assessment of Statutory and Discretionary Grant and Home Improvement Loan applications made by members of your household/family
    • For the provision of your Minor Works of Adaptation
    • To enable calculation of a preliminary means test contribution in respect of potential Disabled Facilities Grant application
    • To enable completion of a pre referral assessment of works in respect of a potential Disabled Facilities Grant application
    • When appointed to act as your as your agent.  To engage the services of private contractors, utility companies, specialist engineers, providers of specialist equipment to plan and undertake grant aided work.
    • To make payments to 3rd parties in respect of your grant approval
    • To make payments to you in respect of services provided
    • As part of your appointment for procured services to the Housing Grants team
    • As part of the process of registering of a Legal Charge in respect of your grant award or loan
    • To gather customer feedback information in respect of Grants, Minor Works of Adaptation ,loan applications and energy grant assistance applications, this includes internal/external reporting and social media
    • To contact you for research purposes to enable us to improve the services we offer
    • To contact you for marketing purposes to enable us to promote the services we offer and services that we think you might be interested in
    • To administer the Council’s Homestep scheme
    • Maintain an expression of interest list of residents interested in the Empty Homes Grant scheme &domestic energy schemes and use this list to develop potential energy schemes and initiatives and inform those residents, when schemes become available.
    • To administer and manage the Council’s Gypsy and Traveller site
  • Administer grant assistance for energy efficiency measures from the Capital Housing Programme
  • Administer application for Flexible Eligibility under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO Flex), to allow residents to access external funding from installers, energy companies or their agents.

 

5. What is the legal basis for the use of this information?

Data Protection law says that we can use and share personal information only where we have a proper and lawful reason for doing so.

Our lawful basis for processing personal information to meet the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is as follows:

Personal Information:

Article 6 1.(c),(e)  and Article 9 2.(g) - to fulfil our legal and statutory obligations under the following pieces of legislation:

  • Housing Wales (2014) Act
  • Building Act 1984
  • Building Regulations 2010
  • Housing Grants, Construction & Regeneration Act 1996
  • Housing Renewal Grants Regulations
  • Regulatory Reform Order, Private Sector Housing Renewal 2002
  • Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Private Sector Housing Policy 2014
  • The Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2014
  • Energy Act 2016
  • Climate Change & Sustainable Energy Act 2016
  • The Home Energy Efficiency Schemes (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018
  • Planning & Energy Act 2008
  • Well Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
  • Warm Homes & Energy Conservation Act 2000
  • The Clean Growth Strategy 2018 (BEIS)
  • Fuel Poverty Strategy 2010 (WG)
  • Vulnerable Consumer Strategy 2013
  • WG Prosperity for All: A Low Carbon Wales (2019)
  • Environment (Wales) Act 2016
  • UK Housing: Fit for the Future? Committee on Climate Change (2019)
  • WG Better Homes, Better Wales, Better World: Decarbonising existing homes in Wales (2019)
  • Contractual obligations where individuals are required to enter into or performance of a contact

We will not collect and use personal data for purposes beyond our statutory and contractual duties except where we have your consent or notified you of the relevant legal basis for processing.

 

6. Does the service share my personal information with any other organisation?

For the Service to undertake its duties in relation to Housing, we are required to share information with the following:

Other Council departments:

  • NNDR
  • Council Tax
  • Housing Benefits
  • Licensing
  • Enforcement
  • Legal Services
  • Finance
  • First Response/Social Services
  • Trading Standards
  • Communities to Work
  • Resilient Families Service
  • Equalities Team
  • Community Housing
  • Environmental Health – Public Health and Protection
  • Planning

Other organisations:

  • Department of Work and Pensions
  • Welsh Government
  • Care and Repair Agency
  • Robert Owen Community Banking
  • Other Local Authorities
  • Land Registry
  • Health
  • Companies House
  • Mortgage Providers
  • Fire Service
  • Interlink
  • Citizens Advice Agency
  • Priority Services Register – energy suppliers and/or network operators
  • Energy Saving Trust & Power Up Scheme
  • Dwr Cymru ( Help You Scheme)
  • Warm Wales (Energy Champion Project & Gas Connection Voucher Scheme)
  • National Energy Action
  • Ofgem
  • FoodBanks
  • Age Concern
  • Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy
  • Energy Suppliers and/or their Nominated Agents (e.g. SWALEC/British Gas)
  • Speakeasy
  • Ofgem approved tariff cost comparison sites

Other individuals:

  • Local Members, AM’s, MP’s
  • Developers, Builders, Architects
  • Residents
  • Private and social landlords
  • Your legal representatives
  • Your agent / representative
  • Contractors appointed by yourself

 

7. How long will my information be kept?

We will only keep your personal information for as long as we need it, to provide the relevant service and to deal with any questions or complaints that we may receive, this will be for a period of 10 years.

 

8. Your information, your rights

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you important rights, including the right to access the personal information the services hold about you.

Click here  for further information on your information rights and how to exercise them. 

 

9. Contact Us

If you have any concerns or would like to know more about how the Housing Strategy and Investment Service is using your personal information please contact us in one of the following ways:

By email:  housingstrategy@rctcbc.gov.uk 

In writing : Housing Strategy and Investment

                 Sardis House

                 Sardis Road

                 Pontypridd

                 CF37 1DU