Housing benefit overpayment recovery privacy statement

Why we collect information about you

We collect information for the purpose of calculating Housing Benefit. In the event of you being overpaid Housing Benefit we will need certain data to enable us to recover the debt from you.

What information do we collect about you?

We collect information about:

  • you and your partner (name, address, contact details, NI number, date of birth, income and capital details)
  • your/your partner’s eligibility to remain and/or work in the UK
  • your children (date of birth)
  • any other members of your household (date of birth and income / capital details)
  • your rent
  • your bank account details to enable us to make payment of rent allowance directly to your account

Who do we share the information with?

  • The Council may share your personal data with partner authorities and service providers for the purpose of administering council tax. We have a duty to protect public funds and may use your information to perform statutory enforcement duties and data matching for the prevention and detection of fraud and/or crime
  • The council has a legal duty to submit information to the government as part of the National Fraud Initiative (NFI).You can read about the type of information we have to disclose to the NFI on their website
  • We may also share your data with other agencies or organisations where the law allows us to do so and for the prevention and detection of fraud and/or crime. This includes
    • Other departments within the Council
    • Other local authorities
    • Police
    • Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service
    • Department for Work and Pensions
    • Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

Is any information transferred to or stored on servers based outside the European Economic Area?

No

How long do we keep your information?

We keep information about your for a maximum period of seven years (six years + current) after the purpose it was collected for has ended.  

Who do we collect information from?

  • You
  • Property letting agents
  • Landlords
  • Previous or future occupiers of the property
  • Estate Agents
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

What are the consequences if we do not collect the data?

If we do not collect data, the council will be unable to recover Housing Benefit overpayments and this will have an effect on council budgets and will not protect the public purse. 

Are any decisions about you made by automatic means?

No