Do we landlords have to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office

Do we landlords have to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office

10:22 AM, 13th March 2018, About 6 years ago 50

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Do we landlords have to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)?

I have read that all landlords need to by May 25th.

Is this true because it sure is not getting much attention?

Many thanks

Tobias

Editors Note

There is a self assessment test on the ICO site to ascertain if you need to register with them for Data Protection

Registration self-assessment >> https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/register/self-assessment/

“Under the Data Protection Act individuals and organisations that process personal information need to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), unless they are exempt.

By going through the following questions you will be able to decide if you – as an individual or on behalf of your business or organisation – need to register with the ICO.”

Number 3 is the Key Question for Landlords on the self assessment test:

Do you process the information electronically?

Answer ‘Yes’ if you process the information using computers or any system that can process the information automatically, including CCTV systems, digital cameras, smartphones, credit card machines, call logging and recording systems, clocking machines and audio-visual capture and storage systems.

If you answer NO the response is: You are under no requirement to register

Organisations that do not process personal information on a computer are exempt.  You therefore do not have to register with the ICO

However, it is important that your organisation adheres to the principles of the Data Protection Act (DPA) and understands best practice for managing information. To help ensure you are complying with the DPA, we have produced a range of training materials including practical toolkits, training videos and more.

You can still register voluntarily if you wish.

If you answer Yes the response at the end of the assessment is in nearly all cases that you will need to register with the ICO

Definition of Processing data:

“Processing, in relation to information or data, means obtaining, recording or holding the information or data or carrying out any operation or set of operations on the information or data, including –

(a) organisation, adaptation or alteration of the information or data,

(b) retrieval, consultation or use of the information or data,

(c) disclosure of the information or data by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, or

(d) alignment, combination, blocking, erasure or destruction of the information or data.”


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Comments

Ann Shaw

10:24 AM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Paul Fay at 13/03/2018 - 18:54
The RLA AST makes provision for this!

Martin

11:17 AM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 14/03/2018 - 10:23
Agreed, but when they come knocking & find you haven't registered, there may big bigger problems.

Luke P

11:32 AM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Martin at 14/03/2018 - 11:17
I see four scenarios...

Correct procedure & licence (perfect, but difficult to achieve with any kind of ease).

Correct procedure, no licence (probably not a lot of drama...IF you are caught, but have the correct procedure in place, it'll likely just be a case of coughing up the £35. But as you're not on the list they won't find you easily and any enforcement will begin with the easy targets they *do* know about).

Incorrect procedure; no licence (theoretically the worst scenario, but see below).

Incorrect procedure; licence (bad...you're *actually* breaking the rules, but have your name on the list. Possibly worse than incorrect procedure; no licence because in that scenario they have to find you first).

This is just like when letting agents had to become a member of a redress scheme...there are so many that aren't (I have reported dozens) and no action is taken. I decided to not renew this year and because they have all of my details on file (because I complied in the first place), they hounded me with all manner of threats until I caved in, paid up and rid myself of the hassle. If I could rewind the clock and knowing that so many haven't bothered, I'd have kept my head down too.

Tobias Nightingale

14:56 PM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 14/03/2018 - 11:32
Hi Luke,
I dont you could answer this question: Under the new regime GDPR are you required to reregister every year as now? Also for what its worth I read only 1 prospercution for failure to register/notify has been done in the last year.

Luke P

15:24 PM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Tobias Nightingale at 14/03/2018 - 14:56
I don't know for certain the answer, but I think once you've registered and then fail to renew, questions would be asked. Short of having closed up shop, I imagine you'll need to keep diligently paying forever more. Zzzzzzz......

Michael Barnes

16:27 PM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 14/03/2018 - 15:24
You need to keep registering until you no longer hold the data.
That is likely to be 5 or more years after you close the business. because you need to keep the data for the tax man (in case he investigates you).

Ann Shaw

16:36 PM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Michael Barnes at 14/03/2018 - 16:27
Your register will automatically renew, and you'll be sent an invoice for the current annual amount. You can pay this online. You'll also receive the ICO's monthly newsletter with updates via email too. Personally, I'd always keep accounts going back 20 years, as that is technically within the remit of an HMRC investigation.

Michael Barnes

17:09 PM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

I have re-read the DPA, and it seems that you only have to register if the data are processed by a computer or are held in a computer-readable form (e.g. backups) (DPA section 17 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/section/17).

However, you still have to comply with the Act and with GDPR when it comes in.

Therefore you should be able to stop being registered if, when your business stops, you print everything out and delete all computer records of it (including backups)

It is an offence under S21 of the act to hold or process data in a computer readable format if you are not registered.
S60 says the penalty is "a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum".
The statutory maximum appears to be an unlimited fine, under S85 Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/10/section/85/enacted). Previously it was £5000.

Michael Barnes

17:16 PM, 14th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Ann Shaw at 14/03/2018 - 16:36
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/register/change/ says you can cancel your registration.

TheMaluka

10:42 AM, 17th March 2018, About 6 years ago

Overpaid housing benefit can be reclaimed without time limit so anything relating to direct payment of housing benefit must be retained forever. Nice little earner for the information commissioner.

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