Arcon Housing Association Limited respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your personal data and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
In this privacy notice we explain how we collect and use your personal information. ‘We’ are Arcon Housing Association Limited of Quay West, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester M17 1HH and we are the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation.
You can use our Contact Form, or the information in the Contact Details section below, to contact us if you have any questions about privacy or data protection.
We must have a lawful basis to process your personal data, and this policy explains what our lawful basis is in respect of each purpose for which we keep and use information about you. Generally, we are allowed to process your personal data where it is necessary in connection with a contract between us (such as a contract to supply our products or services), where it is necessary in order for us to comply with our legal obligations, or where we have a legitimate interest to do so (but we will always consider whether your right to privacy overrides our interest).
Please note that links from our website may take you to external websites which are not covered by this statement. We recommend that you check their privacy policies before submitting any personal information to such sites. We will not be responsible for the content, function or information collection policies of these external websites.
Our website was created and continues to be managed by VerseOne Technologies Ltd and as such they will process your data on our behalf when you visit our website. They will only use your data for the purposes outlined below.
What information do we collect about you and how do we collect it?
You are not required (by law or by any contract with us) to provide personal information to us via our website. We will only require you to provide personal information to us where it is necessary for us to provide you with a service at your request (such as when you apply to become a tenant).
Information you provide to us
We may receive personal information about you whenever you contact us. For example, by doing the following:
This information may include the following:
Where you or a member of your household is, or has been a tenant, or has applied for a tenancy, this information may include:
Information we collect about you on our website
We collect information using cookies and other similar technologies to help distinguish you from other users of our website. These can streamline your online experience by saving you from re-inputting some information and also allow us to make improvements to our website. For more information about how and why we use cookies, please take a look through our Cookie Policy.https://www.verseone.com/privacy
When you visit our website we may collect the following information:
We may collect data relating to children, including age, gender and any medical requirements, in order to assist us when we place applicants in our properties. Where this includes special category data (such as data about a child’s health), we only use this data to identify any reasonable adjustments that we may need to make.
Please see the privacy notice for children set out at the bottom of this page, and either explain or provide a copy of this to the child. You and the child may Contact Us for further information.
Information we collect about you from other sources
We may collect information about you from other sources. This may include the following:
This list is not exhaustive and, in specific instances, we may need to collect additional data for the purposes set out in this policy.
Information we receive about you from other sources
Sometimes you will have given your consent for other websites, services or third parties to provide information to us.
It could also include information from third parties that we work with to provide our products and services, such as payment processors, delivery companies, technical support companies and advertising companies. Whenever we receive information about you from these third parties, we will let you know what information we have received and how and why we intend to use it.
How do we use your personal information?
We take data protection law seriously, so below we have set out exactly how and why we use your information, and what our legal basis is to be able to use your information in each way.
Supplying our products and providing our services
It is necessary for us to use personal information about you to enter into and perform the contracts that we make with you, such as when you become a tenant. Using your information in this context is necessary so that we can:
If you enquire about, or apply for, a job vacancy, it is necessary for us to use your personal information as part of the recruitment process, in order to assess your suitability for a particular role.
We use sensitive (or “special category”) personal data for the following purposes:
Telling you about other products or services that we think may be of interest to you
We may use your information to identify and tell you about our products or services that we think may be of interest to you. This includes our newsletter and annual report, meetings, training, invitations to join our Tenant Scrutiny Committee and advertising other agencies for advice or training and work opportunities. We will only do this where you have informed us that you would like to receive marketing communications.
We may also use your information to invite you to participate in market research. If we do contact you about market research, you do not have to participate. If you tell us that you do not want to receive market research communications, we will respect this.
Whether you choose to receive marketing communications, or market research communications is entirely up to you. You can choose to receive both, none, or just one or the other. Your choice will not affect any products or services that you have purchased from us, nor will it affect any quotes for products or services you buy in future.
You can update your preferences by using the links in any of our emails to you, or by getting in touch using our Contact Form.
Telling you about products or services that are similar to ones that you have already bought
If you have already bought a service from us, or you have already obtained a quote from us, we may contact you with some information about services that are similar.
We will only contact you by email, letter, telephone, text message and you can choose not to receive these messages at any time. Simply follow the instructions in the message, or get in touch using our Contact Form.
Making our business better
We always want to offer the best products, services and experience that we can. Sometimes this means we may use your information to find ways that we can improve what we do, or how we do it.
In this context, we will only use your information where it is necessary so that we can:
Contacting you
We want to stay in touch with you. Sometimes we may need to use the information that we have about you in order to respond to your questions or let you know about important changes. If you are a tenant, we will contact you using your preferred method of communication, for example, by text message, email, telephone, letter or visit.
We will only use your information in this respect where it is necessary so that we can:
Verifying your identity
We may use your information where it is necessary for us to do so in order to meet our legal obligations or to detect and prevent fraud, money-laundering and other crimes.
Protecting you and others from harm
We may use your information where it is necessary to protect your interests, or the interests of others. This may include in the event of criminality such as identity theft, piracy or fraud.
We need all the categories of information listed above to allow us:
The situations in which we will process your personal data are listed set out in the table below and indicate the purpose or purposes for which we are processing or will process your personal information.
|
Perform Our Contract With You |
Comply With Legal Obligations |
Pursue Legitimate Interests |
Verifying your identity |
x |
x |
x |
Making a decision to supply our services |
x |
|
|
Administering the contract/tenancy agreement we have entered into with you |
x |
|
|
Dealing with any complaints you may have |
x |
|
x |
Logistics management and planning, including accounting and auditing |
|
x |
x |
Making arrangements for the termination of our contract/tenancy agreement |
x |
|
x |
Making repairs, alterations and improvements to the services supplied |
x |
x |
x |
Dealing with legal disputes involving you |
|
x |
x |
Complying with health and safety obligations |
x |
x |
x |
Making reasonable adjustments for disabilities and assess suitability of properties for disabled tenants |
|
x |
x |
Equal opportunities monitoring |
|
x |
x |
To detect and prevent fraud, money-laundering and other crimes |
|
x |
|
To review and improve the performance of our systems, processes and staff (including training) |
|
|
x |
To interact and respond to any communications you send us, including social media posts that you tag us in |
|
|
x |
To let you know about any important changes to our business or policies |
|
|
x |
To ensure that the information that we hold about you is accurate and up to date |
|
|
x |
To protect your interests, or the interests of others (such as in the event of criminality such as identity theft, piracy or fraud) |
|
x |
x |
Change of purpose
We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated purpose we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please note that we may process your personal information without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
Who do we share your personal information with?
Sharing your information within our company and group
We share the information that you provide to us with our staff so that we can provide our products and services to you.
We may share the information that you provide to us with other companies within the group and other websites that we operate.
Sharing your information with third parties
We may share your data with selected third parties. For example, we may share your information with third parties, including:
There are certain exceptional circumstances in which we may disclose your information to third parties. This would be where we believe that the disclosure is:
How long do we keep your personal information?
We will only store your personal information for as long as we need it for the purposes for which it was collected. Where we provide you with any service, we will retain any information you provide to us at least for as long as we continue to provide that service to you.
If you apply for a job vacancy (or otherwise send us your CV) we will retain your CV (and any publicly available information, for example from social media) for a period of 3 months. If we are considering you for a particular role, we may retain this information for longer than that period.
If you apply for housing with us and your application is unsuccessful, we will keep your personal information for a period of one month to allow for any appeals against that decision.
In all other circumstances, we will keep your personal information for the lifetime of your tenancy and for a period of 6 years after your tenancy has come to an end, in line with the guidance from the National Housing Federation.
How do we protect your personal information?
We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this policy.
We try to ensure that all information you provide to us is transferred securely via the website. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our site; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.
All information you provide to us is stored on third party secure servers in the UK. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.
In the event of a breach of our data protections procedures Arcon employees are trained to take steps to fix the situation and minimise the damage caused. Where there is a serious breach you will be informed
What rights do you have in respect of your personal information?
You have the right to be informed
We have a legal obligation to provide you with concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible information about your personal information and our use of it. We have written this policy to do just that, but if you have any questions or require more specific information, you can get in touch using our Contact Form.
You have the right to access your personal data
You have the right to ask us to confirm whether or not we hold any of your personal information. If we do, you have the right to have a copy of your information and to be informed of the following:
In order to maintain the security of your information, we will have to verify your identity before we provide you with a copy of the information we hold.
The first copy of your information that you request from us will be provided free of charge, if you require further copies we may charge an administrative fee to cover our costs.
You have the right to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data
Where you have requested a copy of the information we hold about you, you may notice that there are inaccuracies in the records, or that certain parts are incomplete. If this is the case you can contact us so that we can correct our records.
You have the right to be forgotten
There may be times where it is no longer necessary for us to hold personal information about you. This could be if:
In those situations you have the right to have your personal data deleted. If you believe one of these situations applies to you, please get in touch using our Contact Form.
You have the right to have a copy of your data transferred to you or a third party in a compatible format
Also known as data portability, you have the right to obtain a copy of your personal data for your own purposes. This right allows you to move, copy or transfer your personal data more easily from one IT system to another, in a safe and secure way.
If you would like us to transfer a copy of your data to you or another organisation in a structured, commonly use and machine-readable format, please contact us. There is no charge for you exercising this right.
You have the right to object to direct marketing
You can tell us at any time that you would prefer that we do not use your information for direct marketing purposes. If you would not like to receive any direct marketing from us, please contact us or use the links provided in any of our marketing communications, and we will stop sending direct marketing immediately.
You have the right to object to us using your information for our own legitimate interests
Sometimes, we use your personal information to achieve goals that will help us as well as you. This includes:
We aim to always ensure that your rights and information are properly protected. If you believe that the way we are using your data is not justified due to its impact on you or your rights, you have the right to object. Unless we have a compelling reason to continue, we must stop using your personal data for these purposes.
In order to exercise your right to object to our use of your data for the purposes above, please contact us.
You have the right to restrict how we use your personal data
You have the right to ask us to stop using your personal data in any way other than simply keeping a copy of it. This right is available where:
If you believe any of these situations apply, please contact us.
You have rights related to automated-decision making and profiling
Any automated decision-making or profiling we undertake is solely for the purpose of tailoring the information which we provide to you. We will not use automated decision-making or profiling to make any decisions which will have a legal effect upon you or otherwise significantly affect you, and you have the right not to be subject to such decisions. If you have any concerns or questions about this right, please contact us.
Changes to our Privacy Notice
Any changes we make to our privacy statement in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by email. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our privacy notice.
This version was last updated on 25th May 2018 and historic versions can be obtained by contacting us.
Complaints
If you wish to make a complaint about our collection or use of your personal data, please contact us in the first instance so that we may seek to resolve your complaint.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the statutory body which oversees data protection law in the UK. Please visit the ICO website if you wish to lodge a complaint with the ICO.
Contact Details
Our key contact for data protection issues is Mark Tryers, who can be contacted at the address below.
Post: Arcon Housing Association
Quay West
Trafford Wharf Road
Manchester
M17 1HH
Email: mark.tryers@arcon.org.uk
Privacy Notice for Children
What is this notice about?
If your parent or guardian requests accommodation for you from us, then we will need to know a bit of information about you in order to arrange your accommodation.
We respect and are committed to protecting your personal privacy, and we have made this notice to explain to you how we use your personal information.
What sort of information do we need?
We will ask your parent or guardian for the following personal information about you:
What do we use this information for?
We will only use this personal information to arrange your housing and to confirm that it is suitable for you.
We may need to share your information with other choice based lettings schemes and housing providers like us, in case they will be able to provide you with more suitable housing, but we will not give your information to anyone else without telling you (or your parent or guardian) first.
Where can I find more information?
You can ask us at any time to explain in more detail how we use your personal information, and you can ask us to provide you with a copy of the information about you that we hold.
You can also ask us to correct or delete the information that we hold about you and you may object to us using your information in certain circumstances.
You should talk to your parent or guardian if you have any questions about your privacy, or, if you wish to speak to us directly, you can contact us by clicking on this link.