Guidance

Rent Officer Functions privacy notice

Updated 10 August 2023

1. Data Controller

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is an Executive Agency of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC is the Data Controller for personal data processed by VOA. Delivery of Rent Officer Functions in England is administered by the VOA.

2. How we will use the information you provide

The information you provide will be used to:

• determine Fair Rents and maintain the Register of Rents for regulated tenancies under the Rent Act 1977 and Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976
• fulfil our statutory duty to maintain a List of Rents and provide information to Local Authorities and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that helps them determine a claim to Housing Benefit, Local Housing Allowance or Universal Credit
• enable VOA to compile aggregate data which does not personally identify you, your company, or any individual properties or tenancies

3. The legal basis for processing the information

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the legal basis for processing your information is the exercise of official authority under Article 6 of UK GDPR.

4. What categories of my personal data are VOA Rent Officers processing?

The categories of personal data VOA Rent Officers are processing includes:

For market rent comparables and List of Rents for Local Housing Allowance and Universal Credit:

• tenancy details for private rented sector accommodation including the type of tenancy or licence, terms and rent payable
• details about property you let or rent including the address, type and size of the accommodation (such as number of bedrooms)
• agent contact details, when the information is provided by an agent
• organisation or company contact details when the data is provided direct by an organisation or company
• landlord contact details, when the data is provided direct by the landlord
• tenant contact details, when the data is provided direct by the tenant

For determining and publishing Fair Rents;

• contact details for the tenant
• contact details for the landlord
• details about the type and terms of your tenancy
• details about the property under the terms of the tenancy, type and size of the accommodation (such as number of bedrooms)

For Housing Benefit determinations:

• contact details for the claimant
• details about the type, terms, and length of the tenancy or licence
• details about the dwelling under the terms of the tenancy or licence including the rent payable, type and size of the accommodation (such as number of rooms)
• the number of people in the household and their relationship to the claimant

5. Where else do VOA Rent Officers get my personal data from?

• Tenants
• Landlords
• Letting Agents
• Local Authorities
• DWP
• Professional bodies representing letting agents, property managers and landlords
• Publically available sources
• Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities

6. Sharing information with third parties

We will not share your information with other parties unless it is lawful to do so.

When required, VOA Rent Officers share your data with:

• DWP for the purpose of administering social security benefits
• Rent Officers in Welsh and Scottish Governments for their Rent Officer Functions.
• The Office for National Statistics for research and statistical purposes including Private Rental Market Statistics, the Index of Private Housing Rental Prices as well as national accounts and measures of inflation

7. How long your information is held

We aim to retain your personal information for only as long as is necessary to undertake our functions and in line with our retention and disposal policy. We will also adhere to any legal or regulatory requirements for retaining or deleting the information.

8. Your rights

Note that we can restrict the application of the rights where exemptions apply. For example where compliance with a right would be likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, or the assessment or collection of a tax or duty.

Subject to some lawful restrictions in certain circumstances, you have the right to:

• request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• have any inaccuracies in the personal information corrected
• request that your personal information is erased where there is no lawful justification for us continuing to process it
• object to the processing of your personal information
• request the restriction of processing of your personal information

9. Contact us

To request a copy of the information we hold about you or to make a complaint please contact:

Complaints Investigation Team
Valuation Office Agency
8th Floor
10 South Colonnade
Canary Wharf
London
E14 4PU

complaintsinvestigation@voa.gov.uk

HMRC has appointed a Data Protection Officer to oversee compliance with data protection obligations. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted here advice.dpa@hmrc.gov.uk

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You can contact the ICO here:

The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

casework@ico.org.uk

You can find more information about data protection and your rights by visiting the Information Commissioner’s website.

10. Changes to this privacy notice

We keep our privacy notices under regular review. If there are any changes we will update this page. This privacy notice was last updated on 10 August 2023.