Privacy policy

‘Apply for direct rent payments’ allows landlords to request that part of their tenant’s Universal Credit payment is paid directly to them to cover the cost of the rent or rent arrears.

The Data Protection Act

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the data controller for ‘Apply for direct rent payments’ for the purposes of the Data Protection Act. A data controller determines how and why personal data can be processed.

Our personal information charter explains:

  • how we collect and use personal information
  • how to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you

What data we collect from you

The personal data we collect from you includes:

  • your name
  • details about the property
  • contact information
  • bank details

We will also ask you to provide some personal data about your tenant, such as their name, address and why you have requested a direct rent payment.

What we do with your data

The data we collect from you helps us identify if the application is valid. If the application is successful, we use the personal data you’ve provided to arrange a direct rent payment or repayment of rent arrears from your tenant’s Universal Credit payment.

We will not:

  • sell or rent your data to third parties
  • share your data with third parties for marketing purposes

We will share your data if we’re required to do so by law – for example, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crime.

How long we keep your data

We will only keep your personal data for as long as:

  • the law requires us to
  • we need for the purposes listed above

This means that we will only hold your personal data for as long as the direct rent payment is in place and for 6 years after the payments have stopped.

Where your data is processed and stored

We design, build and run our systems to make sure that your data is as safe as possible at any stage, both while it’s processed and when it’s stored.

All personal data on ‘Apply for direct rent payments’ is processed, stored and managed entirely in the European Economic Area (EEA), and will not be transferred outside of it. This means that it is covered by EU Data Protection regulations.

Your rights

You have the right to request:

  • information about how your personal data is processed
  • a copy of that personal data – this copy will be provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format
  • information about how your personal data is processed

You can also:

  • raise an objection about how your personal data is processed
  • request that your personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it
  • ask that we only process your data in certain circumstances

If you have any of these requests, get in contact with our Data Protection Officer – you can find their contact details below.

Changes to this notice

We may change this privacy notice. When we make changes to this notice, the ‘last updated’ date at the top of this page will also change. Any changes to this privacy notice will apply to you and your data immediately. If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, DWP will take reasonable steps to make sure you know.

Questions and complaints

Contact the Data Protection Officer if you either:

  • have any questions about anything in this document
  • think that your personal data has been misused or mishandled

You can request your personal information from DWP online.

The DWP’s Data Protection Officer is Dominic Hartley. You can contact the Data Protection Officer by post at:

DWP Data Protection Team
Benton Park View 5
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 1ZX

Or by email at: data.protectionofficer@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Last updated 22 August 2018