Empty Property Search Privacy Notice

The Council is the data controller for purposes of the Data Protection Act (2018) and EU General Data Protection Regulation as of May 2018 and is registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Brighton & Hove City Council are committed to protecting your personal information. As a data controller we have a responsibility to make sure you know why and how your personal information is being collected in accordance with relevant data protection law. 

Purposes and lawful basis of processing 

We are collecting your data for the purpose of bringing empty properties back into use.

We have a lawful basis for processing under the General Data Protection Regulations, Article 6 (1)(e) ‘public task’:

• The Housing Act 2004 Section 235 

Who we will share your data with 

Your data may be shared internally with the Empty Properties Team, the Council Tax Team, the Planning Team, the Community Safety Team, Adult Social Care Team, Private Sector Housing Team plus the probate research company Fraser and Fraser. 

The data will be used to confirm who owns the property and advise them of their options. We will use the data to maximise the use of housing stock in the city, and it will inform any actions taken to ensure health and safety of the property. The council tax banding and rate will be checked. 

How long we will hold your data (retention) 

We will not keep your data for longer than necessary, subject to any legal obligations we have to retain the data. 

Transferring data outside the United Kingdom 

Your information is not processed outside of the UK. 

Your information rights  

Under GDPR you have certain rights concerning your information. For further information on your rights visit our Data Protection and Subject Access Requests page.

How to get advice or make a complaint

Data Protection Officer

If you have a concern about how we collect or use your personal data you can contact the Council’s Data Protection Officer.  

How to make a complaint

We aim to resolve all complaints about how we handle personal information. You also have the right to make a complaint about data protection to the Information Commissioner's Office. 

Contact them by post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF or phone 0303 1231 113.

You can also make a complaint or find out more information on the Commissioner's Office website.

If your complaint is not about data protection, find details on how to make a complaint about a council service.