Coronavirus: view the status of our services
We are providing information for residents, businesses, and communities which we will review and update regularly. View the latest updates, advice and guidance.
We are providing information for residents, businesses, and communities which we will review and update regularly. View the latest updates, advice and guidance.
This Privacy Notice should be read in conjunction with Colchester Borough Council’s Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Notice provides information on how we process your personal information with regards to all applications relating to licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation and for the Student Accommodation Accreditation Scheme, Immigration Inspections, paid advisory services for landlords and all of our reactive and proactive enforcement work.
Certain personal data is required from you in order for Colchester Borough Council to decide whether or not a Mandatory HMO licence shall be granted or refused. We may share it with other organisations such as other Local Housing Authorities or the police, as part of our joint approach to ensuring that HMOs are operated and managed by persons who meet the fit and proper person’s criteria (Housing Act 2004, section 66). We may also use it to ensure that licence conditions are being met and that the HMO is being operated in accordance with other legal requirements. We may also use it for prevention and detection of fraud.
We will keep your personal data safe and secure and will not disclose it to anyone else without your consent, unless we are required by law to do so. Certain data held by this Authority in respect of HMO licensing shall be stored in a Public Register as required by Section 232 of the Housing Act 2004. The information in this Register shall be available to Third Parties.
We may share your name and address with:
The Council has a legal obligation to grant and enforce licensing for houses in multiple occupation and it does this under the Housing Act 2004 and Regulations issued as part of this.
The information the Council is obligated to publish in respect of each HMO Licence and Temporary Exemption Notice issued under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004 is as follows:
This information is kept for the duration of the licence/TEN and for a further period of five years after the licence/TEN has expired.
Whilst this scheme has closed for new applications, an accreditation certificate is valid for five years from issue.
SUHomes (at the University)
In order to process applications for student accommodation accreditation schemes we are required to collect the above information. We only collect the minimum amount required and ensure that it is stored securely.
This information is kept for the duration of the Accreditation Certificate and for a further period of five years after the Certificate has expired.
Home Office and other agencies
In order to process applications for immigration inspections we are required to collect the above information. We only collect the minimum amount required and ensure that it is stored securely.
This information is kept for a period of seven years from the completion of the case.
This is a discretionary service that we provide for a fee at the request of an applicant and on completion of an application form. We may share the information provided on the application form with Colchester Borough Council’s Planning and Building Control departments.
This information is kept for the period of 7 years from the completion of the case, unless this period is exceeded by the time periods detailed within any of the above specific areas of work, in which case that time period would be relevant.
General Private Sector Housing enforcement activity including reacting to service requests, proactive enforcement activity, empty dwellings and overcrowding, illegal evictions and harassment.
We may need to share limited information with:
The Council has a requirement to process the above information in order to comply with its duties under Section 3 of the Housing Act 2004 to keep the housing conditions within the Borough under review and to identify any action that may need to be taken. We only request the minimum amount of information and ensure that is it stored securely.
Information is kept until the case has been concluded and for a further period of five years from the completion date.
We will continually review and update this privacy notice to reflect changes in our processes and procedures, as well as to comply with changes in the law. When such changes occur, we will revise the "last updated" date on this notice. We encourage you to periodically review this notice and to be informed of how we are protecting your information.
Page last reviewed: 30 October 2020