Will the ICO sanction my companies?

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/self-assessment/

Go through this questionnaire for a definitive answer. Paper records are not excluded.

Most legal advice is that a landlord needs to register. It’s only £35 (if you pay by DD)

Puzzler. I cant see how you come to that conclusion.
Q 3 …. Word ‘electronic’
Q8……even if electronic…. Only for those purposes
In either case does NOT require licence.

I am a leaseholder to half a dozen BTL flats where the freeholds are (at last!) owned and managed by limited companies comprised of some or all of the leaseholders. I recently phoned ICO to say that I was already registered with them in my own name as I am a lanadlord of several rental properties that I manage. I explained that I also manage a few of the blocks where I have flats on behalf of the freehold-owning limited companies. Was my ICO registration sufficient if I personally held the electronic data on behalf of the freeholder companies, or did I need to register each of the companies in their own right? The answer was that so long as I am registered, and work for myself (sole trader), holding data on behalf of the freehold companies, then they did not need multiple registrations.

Reply to the comment left by JB at 09/06/2021 – 13:51
How can that be considered sensitive Data? Would a phone containing a name and a telephone number be able to identify an individual?

Suppose you managed to get hold of my phone that had a phone number of a person called John Smith, Tel 999900011122, How would you know who that person is and where he lives and what he eats and where he sleeps, and how many times a day he has sex, and which bar he goes to? and what car he drives, who is his wife etc etc etc, It would be good if you could identify that individual, can you identify me among a group of say 100 when you know I am a member of this Forum and my user name is Mike, No, holding a phone number of any person whether he is a business customer or your mother in law does not constitute sensitive data, so it will not require any you to register for data Protection, otherwise every individual who owns a mobile phone must then also register, that means nearly the whole country.

Reply to the comment left by Mike at 12/06/2021 – 12:30And I am sure that the ICO would like every mobile phone user to register and pay £35 a year. Nice little earner!

Yes I have also received one of these letters. I hold no data. I’m already registered through my medical ltd company.

Reply to the comment left by Mike at 12/06/2021 – 12:30
It’s not to do with “sensitive” data, but “personal” data. Names, phone numbers etc are “personal” so that’s how they get you.

Reply to the comment left by Adrian Bagnall at 12/06/2021 – 09:55
I had the exact opposite. I’m a private landlord and registered with the ICO. I’m also the admin for our business and am responsible for the GDPR. When we got a letter for the company and I explained that I am the data controller and processor for both and use the same GDPR policy so don’t need to pay again, they told me that “each entity” must be ICO registered, including our dormant company as it has records with personal information included.