On 13 December 2023 the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) issued a warning to Housing organisations on compliance with data protection obligations. Specifically, the ICO referred to the Housing sector’s lawful obligations under the DPA 2018 to avoid unnecessary disclosures of personal data, effective record keeping, thorough staff training, being transparent and sharing data appropriately.
The ICO action was initiated after receiving a number of complaints from residents who had been failed by poor data protection practices from their housing association, company or landlord. The complaints covered inaccurate record-keeping, and necessary repairs being refused due to a misunderstanding about data sharing among others. The ICO Head of Data Protection Complaints at the ICO, said the complaints data suggested that there was a lack of understanding about data protection law by some organisations in the UK housing sector.
Our Advised Actions
- You must have a DPO if you are a public authority or if your core activities include large scale monitoring of individuals or processing special category data.
- Check your organisation has an up to date DPA policy and staff are aware of it
- Complete mandatory DPA training, which must be thorough and relevant
Source How data protection law can prevent harm in the housing sector | ICO
This alert provides information and advice about data protection, and the risks associated with non compliance. If you or your organisation has fallen victim to a data protection breach, you should report it to your Local Data Protection Specialist.
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