Privacy Policy

L&Q are committed to safeguarding the rights of individuals to confidentiality.

The Data Protection Act

The Data Protection Act 1998 is designed to protect your personal data and sets rules for processing this information.

The Act says that those who record and use personal information must be open about how the information is used and must make sure it is handled properly.

The Act says that information about you must be:

fairly and lawfully processed
processed for limited purposes
adequate, relevant and not excessive
accurate
not kept for longer than is necessary
processed in line with your rights
secure
not transferred to countries without adequate protection.

By law, we are required to keep to these principles.

What information do you hold about me and why?

The information we hold on our records is usually related to your tenancy history. For example:

names and dates of birth of people in your household
telephone numbers
rent payment history
information related to a transfer application, such as information on your health.

This list is not exhaustive, as we hold records of most contacts between yourself and our offices. We keep this information so we can provide the services you need.

How do you protect my details?

Along with the Data Protection Act, it is our policy to ensure:

Information is only given to our staff and agencies on a need to know basis.
Agencies with whom we share information observe our confidentiality policy.
All records are kept securely.
Interviews with residents will be carried out in private.
Personal information is treated as strictly confidential, unless you give consent or the law permits it. For example, the law allows us to share information with Police, Benefits Agency Fraud Officers and other landlords to prevent or deal with anti-social behaviour, crime and fraud.
If you telephone our offices to enquire about your rent account or personal matters related to your tenancy, you will be asked security questions to confirm your identity.

How can I find out what information you hold about me?

The Data Protection Act allows you to find out what information about we hold about you and correct any mistakes.

If you would like to do this, you can download and print a subject access request form here.

You can also obtain the form from L&Q Direct, by calling 0800 015 6536, or your local L&Q Office.

The form should be completed in full and returned to:

Customer Relations Team
L&Q Direct
13th Floor, Marlowe House
109 Station Road
Sidcup, Kent
DA15 7ET

If you have made other requests to view information in the last 12 months, you may be asked to pay a £10 fee to cover the administration costs.

What will you send to me?

We will respond to your request within working 10 days. If we require further information or fees, we will request these before proceeding.

If not, we will agree what information will be provided and its format and send you a copy within 40 days of receiving your completed application. You may be invited to view the data at one of our offices if we are unable to send it.

Please note that your right to see certain information may be limited. For example, if it may affect a police investigation or a criminal prosecution then we are not permitted to disclose the information to you.

Can I appeal?

If you feel our records are inaccurate, you can write to us, asking for them to be amended.

If you feel we have unfairly withheld information or unfairly refused to amend our records, you can make a complaint to our Customer Relations Team using our standard complaints and appeals procedure.

Alternatively you can contact The Information Commissioners Office.