Guidance

Private Rented Sector Database: user research privacy notice

Published 24 October 2024

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 identity and contact details of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and our Data Protection Officer   

MHCLG is the data controller. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@communities.gov.uk

2. What personal data we are collecting and why  

Your personal data is being collected by MHCLG as part of the digital development of the Private Rented Sector database. The data we collect will help us to select a representative group of participants for user research to ensure the database is tested with a range of individuals and is ultimately inclusive and accessible.  

For letting agents:

We will collect data directly from you.

For landlords:

Your data may be shared with us by other organisations such as the National Residential Landlord Association or collected from you directly on a voluntary basis via the Tenancy Deposit Scheme or other similar organisations.

The following personal data is being collected for this purpose:

• name
• email address
• gender
• age
• location
• ethnicity
• digital skills rating
• accessibility needs

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 – processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority

Where we process special categories of data about you, our lawful basis is:

UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest;

4. With whom we will be sharing the data

MHCLG will collect this data and will not share it further.

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

Your personal data will be held for 24 months from the point of collection.

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.

7. Sending data overseas

Your personal data will not be sent overseas.

8. Automated decision making

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

9. Storage, security and data management

Your personal data will be stored in a secure government IT system.

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

https://ico.org.uk/