Privacy Statement

Blackpool Coastal Housing (BCH) is committed to and respects an individual’s right to data privacy and data protection in line with data protection legislation, being governed by the Data Protection Act 1998 up to and including 24 May 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) thereafter.

This Privacy Statement has been developed to advise you of how BCH will collect, store, use, share, and protect (collectively known as ‘process’) the personal/sensitive personal/special category information (collectively known as ‘information’) it encounters.

If you have a tenancy or other written agreement with us it may contain further information about how BCH processes your information.

By giving BCH your information or by using our website or platforms you are confirming that you are accepting the practices outlined in this Privacy Statement. If you do not accept the outlined practices, please do not provide BCH with any information or use its website/platforms/portals.

BCH reserves the right to make changes to this Privacy Statement at any time and it is recommended that you regularly review this Privacy Statement to ensure that you are aware of any changes and how your information may be used.

Under the data protection legislation, BCH is the Data Controller (i.e. the company who is responsible for and controls the processing of your personal data) of the information that you provide and on occasion this information may be shared with a third party who will act as a Data Processor to carry out a specified function on behalf of BCH.

If you have any requests concerning your personal information or any queries with regard to this Privacy Statement please contact us.

Who are we?

BCH is a registered, not for profit Arms Length Management Organisation, who on behalf of Blackpool Council, manages their stock of social housing and leasehold properties. BCH's registered office is: Coastal House, 17-19 Abingdon Street, Blackpool, FY1 1DG.

BCH is listed with the Office of the Information Commissioner as a Data Controller with the reference number Z1494007:

What does this Privacy Statement apply to?

This Privacy Statement applies to personal/sensitive personal/special category information (collectively known as ‘information’) that BCH collect from or about its customers across its websites, platforms and portals.

The ways BCH collect this information include:

The Blackpool Coastal Housing website and mobile site
Third party social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter
Blackpool Coastal Housing online tenant portal ‘mybch’
Contact centre
Application forms
Personal interviews
Data from other sources - this relates to information BCH may obtain about you from other sources. An example of this is the use of a third party organisation to collect information on our behalf to conduct the annual STAR survey, to provide BCH with additional information on its tenants and a way to shape service delivery.

What information is being collected?

How you interact with BCH determines what information is collected from you. BCH aims to limit the amount of information it processes to that which is reasonably necessary to provide you with its services. To limit information requests, BCH will combine information that it receives from different sources and process it together.

The types of information that BCH collects from you can be categorised as:

Personal information

This is information that could be used to identify you as an individual:

name (including previous names)

date of birth;

marital status;

nationality;

residential status;

and national insurance number.

This type of information is what BCH would have collected from you to access a service or apply for/enter into a contract with BCH.

Sensitive personal information/Special category information

In accessing some BCH services and for legislative requirements it may be necessary to collect your sensitive personal/special category information. This type of information includes details on your:

gender;

race;

ethnicity;

physical or mental health medical needs;

incomes and outgoings; and

bank details.

Criminal convictions and offences

In order to manage anti-social behaviour cases, it may be necessary for existing tenants to disclose their unspent criminal convictions and offences.

Personal Contact information

This is the information that you have given BCH so that they are able to contact you and includes:

telephone numbers;

email addresses;

alternate postal addresses and in case of emergency; and

Next of Kin details.

Account login information

If you set up an online account with BCH through mybch this would refer to the username and password used to manage your online account.

Technical computer information

This is information about the computer/smart phone/tablet used to access a website, platform or portal. This information is usually collected through cookies and can include the IP address, operating system and browser; if accessing through a smart phone this can also include the phones unique ID.

Cookies

A cookie is a small piece of text stored on your computer, phone or whatever you use to surf the Internet. Cookies have many uses, but fundamentally they are used to store information about you on your computer. We encourage you to accept the cookies our website uses as they help us to improve the user experience for you and many others.

When you visit our website, a cookie is set to indicate that you agree to the usage of cookies for this website. If you do not wish to allow use of cookies for our website, you can block them using your browser preferences.

The cookies we use are:

First Party Cookies

Favourites Control

Name: [ID of Control]_Favourites

Typical Content: Stores favourites which have been selected by the user

Expires: Until the user clears cookies

Font Size Selector

Name: CMSFontSizeCookie

Typical Content: Stores your current font size selection

Expires: 12 months

Stylesheet Switcher

Name: CMSStylesheetCookie

Typical Content: Stores the user's current stylesheet selection

Expires: 12 months

Session cookies

These are used for remembering your selections during your visit to our site. A typical scenario may be to remember information entered in a form when navigating to different pages. We use the following cookies for session information.

Name: csession

Typical Content: Randomly generated session ID

Expires: When the user exits the browser

Name: ASP.NET_SessionId

Typical Content: randomly generated session ID

Expires: When the user exits the browser

Google Analytics

These cookies are used to help record your use of the website. They are used to collect statistics about site usage such as when you last visited the site and how long your visit lasted. This information is then used to improve the user experience on our website. These cookies contain no personal information and are used only for web analytics:

Name: _utma

Typical Content: randomly generated number

Expires: 2 years

Name:_utmb

Typical Content: randomly generated number

Expires: 30 minutes

Name: _utmc

Typical Content: randomly generated number

Expires: when the user exits the browser

Name:_utmz

Typical Content: randomly generated number, plus information on how the site was reached (for example, directly, via a link or through organic search)

Expires: 6 months

Crazy Egg

We use Crazy Egg to help us improve our site and the service we give you. The following cookies are set on your device.

Name: is_returning

Typical content: A value of 0 or 1

Expires: 5 years

Third Party Cookies

From time to time our site uses a number of third party elements to enhance the user experience or allow you to share information. These include the use of videos or maps and the ability to share content with other users. The following third party cookies may be placed on your device.

Google

Name: PREF

Typical Content: This is used for preferences for various services on Google

Expires: 730 days.

Name: NID

Typical Content: This is a unique identifier given to allow traffic analysis to Google Maps. Data is only used in aggregate

Expires: 183 days

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE

Typical Content: This is a unique identifier given to allow tracking of YouTube video views. Data is only used in aggregate

Expires: 240 days

Twitter

We use a Twitter widget on our home page and this may store the following cookies on your device: pid, k, guest_id, _twitter_sess. These store log data, including the web page you visited and a cookie that identifies your browser and are usually stored for a maximum of 10 days.

Facebook

We also use retargeting tags provided by the company Facebook Inc. (1601 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304 USA, "Facebook").

This tool allows us to follow the actions of users after they arrive on our site from a Facebook advertisement. This helps us check the usefulness of the advert. The data remain anonymous and we can not identify you from it. However, the collected data are saved and processed by Facebook. Facebook is able to connect the data with your Facebook account and use the data for their own advertising purposes, under Facebook's privacy policy.

Facebook Conversion Tracking also allows Facebook and its partners to show you advertisements on and outside Facebook. Also, a cookie will be saved onto your computer for these purposes. By using the website you agree to the data processing associated with the integration of Facebook pixel. You can revoke this permission in your Facebook settings.

Allow users to share content via Social Networking websites and email. When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. They are called SSC, SSH and SSHS. These cookies are used in recording user sharing and social activity and for optimising sharing settings for the user and will expire after 18 months. This link provides more information on their use of cookies

To delete cookies or reject cookies

We recommend you allow cookies we set by this website as they help us provide a better service. If you do not want to receive cookies from this website, select cookie settings under the privacy settings in your browser options, then add our domain to the list of websites you do not want to accept cookies from. Under settings you can also delete individual cookies or any cookies that your browser has stored. You can opt out of receiving Google Analytics cookies by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on

You can find more information on how to delete and control cookies on the All about cookies website. If you set your browser to refuse cookies, please be aware that there may be functionality on various websites that do not work.

Customer feedback

This is information you voluntarily share with BCH about your experiences with its services and includes unsolicited comments, suggestions and feedback which is typically collected in surveys, user groups, contact forms and emails.

Social network information

This refers to any information that is part of your profile on a third party platform (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) that you allow the third party social network to share with BCH. For example your name, birthday and profile picture.

Monitoring

BCH may monitor and record communications with you (such as telephone conversations and emails) for the purposes of quality assurance, staff training, fraud prevention and dispute resolution.

Use of your information

The following describes the various purposes for which BCH might process your information and the different types of information that might be collected from you.

Please note that not all of the uses will be relevant to every customer.

Tenancy management

In order to maintain your account with BCH, it may be necessary to use the information you shared when your BCH account was initially set up, this would include your personal information and contact information.

Service provision

For BCH to provide services to assist the sustainability of a tenancy, it may be necessary to process a customer’s sensitive personal/special category information. An example of this is when accessing the rents service, with consent, BCH would use a customer’s income and outgoings to establish benefit entitlements.

For the management of anti-social behaviour it may also be necessary to process information on unspent criminal convictions and offences.

Customer Service

Customer service can be provided through different means i.e. in person, by email, online and over the phone. During these contacts, BCH may collect and use your personal and BCH account information to validate your identity and your contact information to respond to your enquiry.

Customer Engagement

To encourage customer engagement BCH may collect contact or feedback information.

Competitions and promotions

On occasion BCH may run competitions either through BCH or a third party platform such as Facebook and Twitter, which for entry purposes require a customer’s personal and contact information.

For compliance purposes the winner’s names and general location may be published or shared.

Marketing and communication

BCH may collect and use your personal and contact information to send you marketing communications, such as emails, text messages, and postal mailings. These communications will keep you up-to-date on the latest news and events, from Blackpool Coastal Housing that may be of interest to you.

BCH will only send you marketing materials that you have consented to receive and consent can be withdrawn at any time.

There are communication items that BCH are legally obliged to send you and from which you cannot withdraw consent, an example of this is the annual rent notification.

If you participated in a promotion that involved a third party and you agreed to receive marketing information from them you will need to contact them directly to withdraw consent from receiving further marketing materials from them.

Website improvement and personalisation

BCH may collect and use your technical computer and account login information to improve and personalise your experience on BCH websites and platforms, it may also be used to show you specific BCH content tailored to your interests.

Where BCH have received personal information from other sources, BCH may combine this information with information you provide and information BCH collects about you. BCH may us this information and the combined information for the purposes set out above (depending on the types of information BCH receive).

Monitoring

For legal compliance and monitoring purposes BCH may use your personal and sensitive personal/special category information. An example of this is for equality and monitoring purposes BCH would collect information on your gender, ethnicity and race.

Electoral Register

The Blackpool Council Electoral Services Team have a duty to maintain the electoral register on the behalf of the Electoral Registration Officer, Neil Jack (Chief Executive of Blackpool Council). This includes Annual Canvass processes. As part of the Annual Canvass, the Electoral Services Team will request customer data sets held by Blackpool Coastal Housing to enable local data matching to be done. They are able to access such data in line with data protection provisions as there is a lawful basis for its processing; namely Article6(1)(e) “processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller”

Protecting your personal information

BCH are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. At all times BCH will take both technical and organisational measures to protect the confidentiality and security of personal information, irrespective of the method of collection.

Refusing to give BCH personal information

There are occasions where you may not want to share your information with BCH or choose to withdraw consent previously given. It is within your rights to refuse or withdraw consent however it may mean that the services BCH are able to offer you are limited and you are unable to access personalised features.

Please note that there are some items of information that you cannot refuse or withdraw consent from if you wish to enter into or remain in a contract with BCH.

Disclosing your personal information

BCH will never share information with any third party that intends to use it for direct marketing unless BCH has received specific consent from the individuals involved.

Information may be shared with BCH parent company Blackpool Council, which controls BCH through direct ownership as defined in section 1162 of the UK Companies Act 2006.

There are occasions where BCH will need to share your information with selected third parties, on these occasions BCH will have a Data Sharing Agreement in place which ensures that the third party keeps information private, secure and processed only in the way specified by BCH.

Information will only be shared with the following types of third parties:

Contractors

In order to provide a service to you it may be necessary for BCH to appoint a contractor, an example of this would be carrying out your annual gas service and the contractor would need to know your name and address in order to carry out the appointment and correctly complete the Gas Safety Certificate.

Research companies

BCH may appoint a research company to carry out research on its tenants or communities in order to improve a BCH service, know more about its tenants/communities or establish if there are any gaps in service provision, on these occasions, if contacted, individuals can refuse to participate in the research without prejudice.

Legal and business transfers

By law there are occasions where BCH have to disclose your information, for instance if it is necessary to comply with legal proceedings, or in order to protect the safety or rights of BCH, its customers or the public.

Internet Based Transfers

Given that the Internet is a global environment, using the internet to collect and process personal data necessarily involves the transmission of data on an international basis. Therefore, by browsing the BCH web site and communicating electronically with BCH, you acknowledge and agree to BCH processing personal data in this way.

Accessing and amending your personal information

You have rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 regarding the information Blackpool Coastal Housing processes about you.

These rights include:

Marketing

You have the right to ask BCH not to process your personal data for direct marketing purposes. BCH will ask you when it collects your personal data if BCH can use your data for such purposes or if BCH can disclose your information to any third party for such purposes. You can opt-out of receiving such marketing at any time.

Right of access

You have the right to access the personal information that BCH hold about you, to know what BCH hold, what format it is in, and to have a copy of it if you wish. This is called a Subject Access Request. This is a more formal process than, for example, simply requesting a second copy of your rent statement. BCH staff will explain when your enquiry falls under the Subject Access Request process.

Right to rectification

If the information BCH hold on you is incorrect, you have the right to ask BCH to correct it without undue delay and free of charge. You can exercise this right at any time by contacting BCH at enquiries@bch.co.uk. There may be occasions where BCH require additional information to process your request – such as a name change needing proof of the change of name – and you will be required to specify the information that is incorrect and what it should be replaced with.

Right to be forgotten

You have the right to request that all data held by BCH which identifies you is deleted. You can also make this request at any time by contacting us at enquiries@bch.co.uk but please note that BCH may be compelled to maintain your information due to specific legislative or regulatory requirements, for example BCH keep copy invoices in line with HMRC regulation.

Consent

In some instances BCH will require your specified and informed consent to process your information, on these occasions the consent will be recorded and you have the right at any time to withdraw the consent.

Tracking technology

For BCH to gain understanding of how visitors use its website and platforms as well as to improve a visitor’s experience, cookies are used. The storage of cookies on your computer enables BCH to personalise your experience. The information contained within the cookie can include the IP address, operating system and browser information.

Spamming

Spamming is where unsolicited e-mails are sent to you containing advertisements or marketing related materials without your consent.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation, BCH will not send you spam emails and will not share your email address with third parties for them to use in this way.

No information you share with BCH will be used for direct marketing unless you give us your consent, which can be withdrawn at any time.

If for some reason you believe you have received spam e-mail from BCH please contact us.

Where does BCH store your personal data?

BCH will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.

All information you provide to BCH is stored on secure servers. Any payment transactions will be encrypted.

Where BCH have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of its website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential and are advised to not share a password with anyone.

How long does BCH keep your personal information?

BCH will only keep your information for as long as is reasonably necessary and in line with its Data Retention Schedule. This does mean that your information may be retained for a period of time after you have stopped using BCH services or the website/platforms.

Children

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, BCH will also seek consent from children to process their information as of their 16th birthday.

Links to third party sites

On occasion the BCH website/platforms may have links to third party sites, visiting these sites is done so at your own risk and BCH do not control or have any responsibility or liability for the content or practices of any third party site, application or feature. Please check the relevant third party’s privacy policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.

Contacting us

Blackpool Coastal Housing (BCH) registered office is: Coastal House, 17-19 Abingdon Street, Blackpool, FY1 1DG.

Phone: 01253 477900

Email: enquiries@bch.co.uk

Legal notice and version control

On occasion BCH will make amendments to this Privacy Policy and it is recommended that you check this Privacy Notice regularly to see the changes and how they may affect you.

To review our corporate retention schedule please click here