Guidance

Help to Buy evaluation: Privacy notice

Published 9 January 2025

Applies to England

The following is to explain your rights and give you the information you are entitled to under UK data protection legislation.

1. The data controller

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the data controller. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@communities.gov.uk.

This research is being carried out by Verian on behalf of MHCLG. Verian are our data processors for this research.

2. What personal data we are collecting and why

Your personal data is being collected as part of an evaluation of the Help to Buy scheme. The Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme was a government scheme for home buyers providing them with an equity loan towards the market value of a new-build property. The scheme began in 2013 and closed to new applications after October 2022.

The purpose of the Help to Buy evaluation is to provide the government with evidence to:

• identify whether the scheme supported people into home ownership and boosted housing supply
• understand the scheme’s impact on house prices and mortgage financing
• understand customers’ experiences of the scheme
• gather evidence about the value for money of the scheme
• identify the lessons that can be learned for any future housing schemes

2.1 For Help to Buy customers

The following personal data is being collected for this purpose:

• contact details: name, email address, phone number, and postal address
• demographic (some of which is referred to as special category data, i.e. sensitive data): age, gender, ethnicity, family circumstances & household makeup
• financial information, property information, equity loan account performance

2.2 For developer and lender representatives

The following personal data is being collected for this purpose:

• contact details: name, email address, phone number, and postal address

3. Lawful basis for processing the data

The data protection legislation sets out when we are lawfully allowed to process your data. The lawful basis that applies to this processing is Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR – public task.

For processing of special category data, we will rely on 9 (g) - substantial public interest. The relevant substantial public interest condition in Schedule 1 (6) of the Data Protection Act 2018, Statutory and government purposes.

4. With whom we will be sharing the data

The current research does not include plans to share data with other government departments or any other organisations, however, we will update the privacy notice if that changes.

5. For how long we will keep the personal data, or criteria used to determine the retention period

Verian (MHCLG’s data processor) will keep your personal data and store them securely until 3 months after the contract ends (anticipated to be April 2026). If their contract is extended the storage time will be extended in line with this. We will update the privacy notice if the contract and/or research project is extended.

6. Your rights, e.g. access, rectification, erasure

The data we are collecting is your personal data, and you have rights that affect what happens to it. You have the right to:

a. know that we are using your personal data

b. see what data we have about you

c. ask to have your data corrected, and to ask how we check the information we hold is accurate

d. complain to the ICO (see below)

In some circumstances you may also have the right to withdraw your consent to us having or using your data, to have all data about you deleted, or to object to particular types of use of your data. We will tell you when these rights apply.

If you would like to exercise your rights, please get in touch with the MHCLG Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@communities.gov.uk.

7. Sending data overseas

Your personal data will not be sent outside of the EU: it will be securely stored in the UK or EU by MHCLG and its processors.

8. Automated decision making

We will not use your data for any automated decision making.

9. Storage, security and data management

Processes are in place to ensure the secure transfer, handling, storage, and destruction of the data. These are specified in MHCLG’s Data Processing Agreement with Verian. All Verian staff handling data will be DBS checked. MHCLG’s contract with Verian sets out requirements for cyber security processes. Verian have up to date cyber security clearance from MHCLG’s cyber security team.

MHCLG will only use your data within the terms of data protection laws, will delete your data securely and only keep it for as long as necessary for our work as a public body.

MHCLG will review dates for keeping personal details and data in the future. Where relevant, some data will be kept without personal details attached (e.g. survey results) for longer periods.

10. Complaints and more information

When we ask you for information, we will keep to the law, including the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation.

If you are unhappy with the way the Department has acted, you can make a complaint.

If you want to make a Subject Access Request, another request in relation to your rights, or If you are not happy with how we are using your personal data, you should first contact dataprotection@communities.gov.uk.

If you are still not happy, or for independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing, you can contact:

The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545 745

Website: https://ico.org.uk/