How we use your information
Aberdeen City Council holds the necessary information to allow us to assist you with setting up home in your new tenancy, as you have been assessed as being homeless and owed a statutory homeless duty.
The information you provide will be used for the purpose of tenancy sustainment, this may include the following where required:
- Application to Scottish Welfare Fund / Tenancy Set Up Fund / Furniture Leasing Scheme (as appropriate).
- Help to access any additional furnishings.
- Help to set up utilities.
- Help to establish benefits.
- Help to arrange debt / rent arrears repayments.
- Help to report repairs.
- SCARF / fire safety referral.
- Referrals to specialised support.
We will share the information you have provided with Aberdeen Cyrenians who will provide short term support to you, to help you set up your new tenancy.
If you do not wish your information passed to any of the above organisations, we will be unable to make a referral to provide you with assistance.
Aberdeen City Council will remain the data controller for your information.
The Council is obliged to participate in the National Fraud Initiative in Scotland and in terms of this passes information to Audit Scotland for data matching to detect fraud or possible fraud. Details of this exercise can be found on Audit Scotland’s website.
How long we keep your information for
Following your application, your information will be stored electronically. Your information will remain in our system while you are on a waiting list for Council housing.
If you are allocated a Council house your records will be kept securely and regularly updated during your tenancy with Aberdeen City Council. Your records will be kept securely for 7 more years from the close of your tenancy, or the last acknowledgement of debt, or the most recent contact with housing services, whichever is later.
If, for any reason, you are no longer on the waiting list for a house (for example, if you have alternative accommodation and no longer wish to be on the waiting list) we will retain your application information for a further 7 years from the time your name is taken off our waiting list.
Your rights
You have rights in relation to your data, including the right to ask for a copy of it. See the Your data page for more information about all the rights you have, as well as the contact details for the Council’s Data Protection Officer. You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office if you think we haven’t handled your data properly.
Our legal basis
Wherever the Council processes personal data, we need to make sure we have a legal basis for doing so in data protection law. The Council understands our legal basis for processing personal data as Article 6(1)(e) of the General Data Protection Regulation. This is because we are looking to provide accommodation as part of our public task under the duties of the Housing (Scotland) Acts 1987 and 2001.
In delivering our service, the Council may process special category personal data. The Council understands our legal basis for doing so as Article 9(2)(g) of the General Data Protection Regulation. This means that it is in the substantial public interest to fulfil our obligations that we have considered all relevant information when making decisions relating to your housing situation, we do this under the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.
The Council has a legal obligation under Part 2A of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000, to provide Audit Scotland with data to carry out data matching exercises for the purpose of assisting in the prevention and detection of fraud.