Homechoice

We need to handle personal information about you so that we can provide better services. This is how we look after that information.

When we ask you for personal information, we promise:

• To ask only for what we need, and not to collect too much or irrelevant information.
• To protect it and make sure nobody has access to it who shouldn’t.
• To make sure we don’t keep it longer than necessary.
• Not to make your personal information available for commercial use without your permission.

In return, we ask you to:

• Give us accurate information; and
• Tell us as soon as possible if there are any changes, such as a new address.
• This helps us to keep your information reliable and up to date.

For more information, please see the details below :

Personal data we collect

About You :

Your name

Your Date of Birth

Your National Insurance number

Your Gender

Your marital status

Your current address including post code

Any correspondance address

Your previous address history

Your telephone number

Your email address

Your nationality

Your ethnic origin

Why we collect this Information

We use this information to check your identity and to make sure you do not have any duplicate applications.

We use the information to check your eligibility to join the scheme and the contact details to contact you about your application or any successful bids that you make

Who we share the infromation with

We may share the information with the Local Authority as they are responsible for the housing waiting list. 

We will share the information with any prospective landlord should you be successful with your nomination as they will need to assess if the property you have been nominated for is suitable. 

 

About your health :

Your medical conditions

Details of any medication

Details of any disabilities

Adaptations you have or will need

Specialists you may see

Why we collect this information

We ask for this information so that we may carry out an assessment of your need to be rehoused on medical grounds in line with the Allocations Policy and to check if you are entitled to any additional priority.

We will also check any additional needs you may have for your new property eg ground floor  to ensure we are rehousing you according to your needs.

Who we will share the information with

We may share the information with the Local Authority as they are responsible for the housing waiting list. 

If you apply for the Warrington scheme we may share this information with Nowmedical - our specialists in community medicine,  in order to gain a better assessment of your medical needs.

We will share the information with any prospective landlord should you be successful with your nomination as they will need to assess if the property you have been nominated for is suitable. 

 

About anyone who lives with you now or will be moving with you

Their full name

Their contact details

Their Date of birth

Their gender

Their National Insurance number ( if over 16)

Relationship to you

If they will be moving with you

Address details ( if different from yours )

Any medical details as above ( if moving with you )

Why we collect this information

We use this information to assess your current housing circumstances and housing  need in line with the Allocations Policy and also to calculate how many bedrooms you may need in your new home.

Who we share the information with 

Only your details and those moving with you are shared as above.  The information about those people who are in the household but not moving are not shared  with anyone else.

 

Your Financial situation:

Your Employment / Training status

Your household income

Details of your savings

Details of any capital assets

Details of properties you own or have owned

Ability to budget

If you have now or have ever had rent arrears

 

Why we collect this information

We use this information to check you are eligible to join the waiting list  under the criteria set out in the Allocations Policy. 

We may also use the information to check if you meet any local lettings criteria on a property.  We may also use the information to check if you can afford a new home.

Who we share this information with

As above

 

Your Support Needs

Care you receive and who from

Support agencies you may be involved with

Professional agencies you may be involved with

 

Why we collect this information

We use the information to assess your housing need and determine if you qualify for any additional priority band based on your circumstances. 

We may use the information to assess the type of housing you may be suitable for eg Sheltered accommodation.  We will use the information to assess if you are able to sustain a tenancy or if you require support

 

Eligibility

Details about former rent arrears

Details about any evictions

Details about any Anti-social behaviour

Details about any unspent convictions

 

Why we collect this information

We use the information to check if you are eligible to join the housing register based on the criteria in the Allocations Policy. 

We check if there are any areas that you may not be able to be rehoused in.

We check if you will be able to sustain  any new tenancy you may be successful in obtaining

 

Who we share the information with  -  As Above

 

Connections

If you are a current or former employee of any organisation involved in the operation of Under One Roof

If you are related to a current employee of any organisation involved in the operation of Under One Roof

 

Why we collect this information

We use this information to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly in the assessment of their application and the allocation of properties

 

Who the information is shared with 

This information is not shared with anyone else

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We have a duty to protect your electronic data, the table below summarises how we do it:

Risk	Measure
Flood/Fire within the Data Centre	Our Data Centres do not have any water facilities either above or below them, thereby eliminating the risk of flooding. Should any water enter the Data Center from unknown sources, there’s a leak detection system that automatically alerts staff. The Data Center also has a sophisticated fire suppression system installed that is tried and tested by Nasa. All servers are continuously monitored 24x7x365.
Loss of electrical power supply	Should we lose electrical power, our servers have a backup supply system that keeps the servers in the Data Center operational whilst the electrical supply is restored.
Loss of internet connection	Our Internet connection is designed to be fault tolerant. This means that if one of the links fails, a secondary Internet link automatically takes over.
Computer viruses/Malware	We have extensive Anti-Virus/e-mail and Internet security systems that constantly check our systems for viruses and malware.
Hackers attempting to steal data / Loss of company data	We have regular security checks by ‘ethical hackers’ – companies who try to find weaknesses in our systems so that we can fix any issues before they occur. Further, all our mobile equipment has full encryption so that should a laptop or tablet be stolen, the data cannot be retrieved. Standard USB memory sticks and other portable storage systems are not permitted on the Helena IT network, thereby preventing staff from transporting data via insecure devices. Our buildings have CCTV systems and access control systems. Our Data Centre is highly secure with a separate CCTV, access control and limited access to staff.
Hoax callers	Callers to our OneCall service will be asked to answer Data Protection questions so that we can confirm the identity of the caller before revealing any potentially personal data.