Keeping old records?

Keeping old records?

10:50 AM, 1st May 2018, About 6 years ago 26

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Hi all, whilst getting myself organised regarding the new GDPR regulations, it’s got me thinking about all the information I still hold for previous tenants. Eg, old tenancy agreements, notices etc and I still have details on DPS for previous deposits I have lodged.

Does anyone have any ideas on how long we should be keeping records such as these, relating to previous tenants. I don’t want to start deleting things and then be told I should have kept it for 5, 7, 10 years!

Many thanks

Ashleigh


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Comments

Robert M

11:19 AM, 3rd May 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Kate Mellor at 02/05/2018 - 12:15Hi Kate
A local authority near me will not offer housing to former tenants who owe them money, even if the debt is past the 6 year limitation period. The Council are powerless to recover the debt (due to the Statute of Limitations Act), but they can and do still hold the data about the former tenant debt, (and anti-social behaviour, criminal damage, etc), and they use this data as justification for withholding future offers of housing. This appears to be the same reasoning as David Price has given for him holding personal data indefinitely, so if it is okay for Councils, within the GDPR requirements, then surely it should be okay for private landlords?

Badger

14:21 PM, 5th May 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Robert Mellors at 03/05/2018 - 11:19
"...so if it is okay for Councils..."

Do you really believe that considering all the other things that they routinely get away with that the ordinary citizen is hounded and prosecuted for, Robert?

Chris Amis

22:47 PM, 20th May 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mandy Thomson at 03/05/2018 - 08:39
@Mandy

Have you a link to where google say they are GDPR compliant, it has not made it to an FAQ and emails to them result in go ask a forum responses?

Thanks

Hamish McBloggs

20:45 PM, 21st May 2018, About 6 years ago

... Firewalls, encrypted drives, safes and locked drawers. No data is permitted out of the office, no remote storage, no one else permitted access, strong passwords. (Although if held at gun point I would tell you anything). USB sticks are a sack-able offence, clear desk policy, old hard drives are smashed ...

Better than Cheltenham so how would we know if something electronic was copied by some enterprising hacker?

How do we audit and what level of detail?

How could we discover a data breach before being presented with the information by an outsider?

Hamish

Hamish McBloggs

20:49 PM, 21st May 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by David Price at 02/05/2018 - 08:05
I was told by a nice man at HMRC that there is no restriction regarding how far back they can go.

Surely I would be foolish to leave myself defenceless?

Hamish

TheMaluka

21:46 PM, 21st May 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Hamish McBloggs at 21/05/2018 - 20:49
To use 'nice' and 'HMRC' in a single sentence is surely an oxymoron‽
I have financial records going back 40 years and do not intend to delete any. Many relate to the purchase of property and will be needed for CGT purposes when the property is sold. Since Housing Benefit can, according to my local authority, be reclaimed at any time then I must keep all the HB records forever.

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