NEC Housing Management System

This privacy notice sets out what personal data we will use, how we will use it, and why we need to in respect of holding tenant and leaseholder details on our management system.

This Privacy Notice should be read in conjunction with Colchester City Council’s privacy policy.

This Privacy Notice sets out what personal data we will use, how we will use it, and why we need to in respect of holding tenant and leaseholder details on our management system.

Information Collected

We collect and process personal data that you provide to us, which may include:

  • Name
  • Contact details (such as address, telephone number, and email address)
  • Date of birth
  • National Insurance Number
  • Banking or payment details
  • Dependants
  • Image
  • Marital Status
  • Birth Sex
  • Any temporary or ongoing reasonable adjustments that you require in relation to delivering our services to you

Special Categories of Personal Data Being Processed (If Appropriate)

  • Race
  • Ethnic origin (including nationality)
  • Health (mental or physical)
  • Sexual orientation
  • Gender identity
  • Religion
  • Criminal convictions or offences

Agencies We May Share Your Data With

Whilst working with you, we may share your information with some of the following third parties:

  • Suppliers of mailing services, currently Financial Data Management, both via Hi-Mail and direct printing when generation of letters is required in relation to your tenancy.
  • Contractors, through issuing of works orders by email, in order to carry out repairs and maintenance visits.
  • Police or safeguarding officers (should this be required).
  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) regarding Universal Credit via direct interface.
  • Internal Colchester City Council Payments Team and BACS systems for direct debit processing.
  • Internal Housing Benefit Teams and systems for calculation of Housing Benefit entitlements and direct payment to rent accounts.
  • Internal income management teams and systems to display balances on automated phone lines and online payment portals.
  • One Advanced Data is transferred to the DRS system for enabling repairs appointment scheduling and associated text messaging.
  • Suppliers appointed to undertake surveys of our tenants and leaseholders that are required for regulatory compliance or to ensure that the data we hold about you remains valid.
  • Software suppliers who provide support to the NEC Housing System, DRS Opti-Time, and any systems listed above that receive interfaced data.
  • Employees of Colchester Borough Homes as the Arms-Length Management Organisation.
  • Customers via the Housing Online Portal, with access to their own records.
  • Contractors via the Contractor Portal, with access to carry out and update repairs issued to them.

The Purpose and Lawful Basis for Processing

The lawful basis for the processing of your personal data is Legal Obligation, GDPR Article 6(1)(c).

Colchester City Council requires the above information to comply with our obligations under:

  • Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended).
  • Homelessness Act 2002.
  • Localism Act 2011.

When we collect your special categories of personal data (such as health information), we rely on the following legal basis under GDPR Article 9(2)(g):

Substantial Public Interest Conditions

We only request the minimum amount of information and ensure that it is stored securely.

How Long Will We Keep Your Personal Data?

We will only hold your personal data for as long as necessary and in line with our retention schedules.

We hold your details for six years, based on the end of tenure or the last activity on the record.

How We Protect and Store Your Personal Data

We take the confidentiality of personal information very seriously and use recognised security and access controls to protect your information from:

  • Unauthorised access
  • Loss
  • Misuse
  • Alteration
  • Corruption

We have procedures and processes in place to ensure that your personal information is managed appropriately.

Your information may be held outside of the UK. Where this is the case, we ensure that additional measures are in place to protect your data and to ensure that we continue to comply with data protection requirements.

We use cloud providers and online application providers to help us run our business. Therefore, the use of some of our systems may include the transfer of your personal data to other countries.

Your data will only be transferred to countries that have adequate provisions in place to protect personal data to an equivalent level as personal data held in the UK.

Updates to This Privacy Notice

We will continually review and update this Privacy Notice to reflect changes in our processes and procedures, as well as to comply with changes in the law.

When such changes occur, we will revise the "Last Updated" date on this notice.

We encourage you to periodically review this notice and to remain informed of how we are protecting your information.

 

Page Last Reviewed: 26 August 2026