Help to Buy - privacy notice
This section of our privacy notice applies to all applicants for and customers of the Help to Buy scheme.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
It is important that you read this section of our privacy notice together with the main section of our privacy notice above, or any other privacy notice we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you. This is so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data.
Information we collect
Homes England collects personal data about you through the Help to Buy application process. We may sometimes collect additional information from third parties including the Help to Buy agent to whom you submit your application. We will collect additional personal information throughout the course of your Help to Buy agreement.
We will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal data about you:
- Name(s) of applicant(s)
- Address at the point of application
- Contact details
- Address details of the plot to be purchased Name of the Help to Buy Provider you are purchasing from
- Details of the date of build and completion dates
- Build type and layout of the Property to be purchased
- Contact details of your conveyancing solicitor
- Contact details of your financial advisor or mortgage broker
- Cost of the property you are purchasing
- Financial information (Bank details, income(s) etc.)
How we process your information
We will only process your personal information if there is a lawful basis to do so. Most commonly, we will use your personal information in the following circumstances:
- When processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or when processing is required prior to entering into a contract with you;
- When processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us, for example, for one of our statutory functions; or
- When processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation.
Generally we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data.
We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so. Please note that we may process your personal information without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where it is this is required or permitted by law.
We may process your data for the following purposes:
- Assessing your application
- Making a decision as to whether to accept your application
- Verifying your identity
Some of the above grounds for processing will overlap and there may be several grounds which justify our use of your personal information.
Disclosures of your personal data
We may share your data with third parties, including third-party service providers and other Government departments and agencies.
We require third parties to respect the security of your data and to treat it in accordance with the law.
We may transfer your personal information outside the EU. If we do, you can expect a similar degree of protection in respect of your personal information.
Homes England shares your data with:
- Help to Buy Agents
- Target (mortgage administrator)
- Conveyancing Solicitors
These organisations act as our “data processor” for the purposes of the Help to Buy scheme. They may also act as a “data controller” in their own right. For more information on how these organisations process your personal data, please read their own privacy notices.
Retention
Homes England has a records retention schedule that outlines how long we will retain information.
To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data collected as part of your relationship with us, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
In some circumstances we may anonymise your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you, in which case we may use such information without further notice to you. Once you are no longer participating in the Help to Buy scheme we will retain and securely destroy your personal information in accordance with our records retention schedule.