Tenants - are you happy for your personal data to be shared ?

PrincessPlaty

ali_pasaul wrote: »

If you do not wish to be on this data base you can explain to your current landlord your vulnerability and they will not put you on it, “simple” I have many single mums as tenants in your position, I have not uploaded them nor will I disclose any information on them without their permission to another landlord if they contacted me.

However if you owe them money and trash their property then they are quite a liberty to do so, I think it’s fair to say that your relationship with your landlord is one of mutual trust and decency and it is with him you will get your first point of security.

It may seem easy to you to register and in fact I was emailed by security that you yourself and several others tried to register.

The data is controlled manually and therefore absolutely no one gets past the first pages without 2 human controllers checking and cross checking every piece of information that includes tenants and landlord both in and out.

I am not saying that maybe the odd person doesn’t get a membership number but they never get past that post because when the security starts to cross check you can spot a fraud trying to access the system and they are immediately thrown out they never get any information on a tenant.

Thank you for answering me, what about past landlords though?

Your terms and conditions state

What are the Terms & Conditions of LRS membership?
Membership to LRS requires all landlords to:
Upload ALL tenants to their "LRS File"

Does ALL refer to past, present and future? I have never given my permission to any landlord past, present or future to lodge my information anywhere. I don't have access to your database to be able to know if anything is listed about myself so how would i know if my details are on there? be they accurate or inaccurate.

Why should my experience of DV haunt me forever? Why should I have to explain to anybody i don't want to about the DV history? In 20 years time if i decide to rent again should i be telling them to protect myself? More to the point why should i have to? Do you not think i have been through enough already without having to tell prospective landlords about it when it really is none of their business?

I have the right to be a person in my own right. I'm not just another person who has been in a violent relationship. I don't label myself so I don't appreciate anybody else doing so neither, therefore I wouldn't refer to it when renting a house as it has nothing to do with myself as a tenant, the property or the tenancy.

And whilst you are at it i will correct you, I haven't attempted to register with your website neither, so wherever you have got your information from isn't very accurate.

clutton_2

i think there is one point missing here - and which maybe is causing un-necessary stress for tenants...

joining LRS is NOT compulsory - it is a voluntary choice ... if a LL chooses to register 1, 5, 25 or 100 of his tenants over the last 25 years.. WHO IS TO KNOW > (except the LL obviously)

LRS may HOPE that they get aLL tenants, but i doubt very much, i doubt it VERY much, if landlords will be bothered to spend time uploading a lot of data on good tenants.. as .. what is the point ?

A good tenant will apply to the next landlord and the next landlord will get good references via the usual channels and probably wont even bother looking at LRS....

What a LL want warning about are bad tenants.... They can check out good tenants for themselves...

I know we have had a lot of discussion here on what is a good tenant and what is a bad tenant - and we have come to no conclusion.. but i really think that LRS's hopes and expectations for a huge national database of good bad and indifferetn tenants is a bit of wishful thinking.....

clutton_2

PrincessP says ""Why should my experience of DV haunt me forever?""

much as i sympathise PP , i really cannot understand why you think LRS will do this ? how do you see your history being perpetuated ?

the only things a landlord is interested in are : - did you pay the rent .. did you trash the house ......

PrincessPlaty

ali_pasaul wrote: »

If you do not wish to be on this data base you can explain to your current landlord your vulnerability and they will not put you on it, “simple” I have many single mums as tenants in your position, I have not uploaded them nor will I disclose any information on them without their permission to another landlord if they contacted me.

clutton i was referring to this part of the post, I don't see why I should have to explain it to any landlord so that my details are not put onto the database.

My details shouldn't be entered into the database full stop as I haven't given permission for them to be but yet i have no way of telling if they have or not as I am not a landlord i don't have the right to see that. Yet according to their terms and conditions landlords must upload details of ALL tenants?

So if one of my previous landlords was to register would they then read that as they have to upload details of all tenants as past, and present and enter my details without thinking about the fact that they don't have the permission to do so, possibly thinking that if they don't upload all details of past tenants then they won't be abiding by the terms and conditions and then wont be liable to access the database in itself?

The FAQ's and the Terms and Conditions are not clear at all.

clutton_2

PrincessP says ""So if one of my previous landlords was to register would they then read that as they have to upload details of all tenants as past, and present and enter my details without thinking about the fact that they don't have the permission to do so, possibly thinking that if they don't upload all details of past tenants then they won't be abiding by the terms and conditions and then wont be liable to access the database in itself?""

i think this is one of the major points which LRS need to look at.... as i think you have a very valid point here...

Maybe LRS can issue new landlords registering with a DP sheet to give to their tenants to sign.... whether they would agree or not..

but then we are back at square one again... how do landlords inform each other of tenants who dont pay rent and damage property as those sort of tenants will certainly not give their permission ...

This will leave a landlord thinking "why does this tenant not want to allow their details to be registered.. they must have something to hide so i wont offer them a tenancy" - and then good tenants will suffer.......

a vexed question......

PrincessPlaty

So you reply and dont answer any of the questions posed to you?

Im not angry i would just like to know more about how the site works so that i can be assured of the safety of myself and my children which [STRIKE]your[/STRIKE] this site appears to risk.

Your replies are very evasive maybe if you answered the questions put to you then we wouldnt appear to come across as angry?

PrincessPlaty

PrincessPlaty wrote: »

Thank you for answering me, what about past landlords though?

Your terms and conditions state

What are the Terms & Conditions of LRS membership?
Membership to LRS requires all landlords to:
Upload ALL tenants to their "LRS File"

Does ALL refer to past, present and future? I have never given my permission to any landlord past, present or future to lodge my information anywhere. I don't have access to your database to be able to know if anything is listed about myself so how would i know if my details are on there? be they accurate or inaccurate.

Why should my experience of DV haunt me forever? Why should I have to explain to anybody i don't want to about the DV history? In 20 years time if i decide to rent again should i be telling them to protect myself? More to the point why should i have to? Do you not think i have been through enough already without having to tell prospective landlords about it when it really is none of their business?

I have the right to be a person in my own right. I'm not just another person who has been in a violent relationship. I don't label myself so I don't appreciate anybody else doing so neither, therefore I wouldn't refer to it when renting a house as it has nothing to do with myself as a tenant, the property or the tenancy.

And whilst you are at it i will correct you, I haven't attempted to register with your website neither, so wherever you have got your information from isn't very accurate.

Lets try it again shall we? You dont seem to be able to read either that or you are purposely avoiding the questions that i am putting to you.

Straight answers is what i would like.

clutton_2

Ali - over the weekend i have seen some extraordinarily calm and rational posts, with intelligent questions and clearly thought out responses from most of the tenants on this thread .. some tenants are even saying they will be prepared to sign to agree to allow a LL to search LRS for them.. THAT is not an angry response...

In spite of the length of this thread and Lynz's promise to get back to us.. we still dont have the Data Commission's response...

millym

millym wrote: »

This short checklist will help you comply with the Data Protection Act. Being able to answer 'yes' to every question does not guarantee compliance, and you may need more advice in particular areas, but it should mean that you are heading in the right direction.

• Do I really need this information about an individual? Do I know what I'm going to use it for?
• Do the people whose information I hold know that I've got it, and are they likely to understand what it will be used for?
• If I'm asked to pass on personal information, would the people about whom I hold information expect me to do this?
• Am I satisfied the information is being held securely, whether it's on paper or on computer? And what about my website? Is it secure?
• Is access to personal information limited to those with a strict need to know?
• Am I sure the personal information is accurate and up to date?
• Do I delete or destroy personal information as soon as I have no more need for it?
• Have I trained my staff in their duties and responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, and are they putting them into practice?
• Do I need to notify the Information Commissioner and if so is my notification up to date?

I copied the above information from the ICO website (link below)

http://www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/data_protection/your_legal_obligations.aspx

and it seems doubtful that this website is complying. Very doubtful.

Following text in blue, posted by Ali:

• Am I satisfied the information is being held securely, whether it's on paper or on computer? And what about my website? Is it secure?
• Is access to personal information limited to those with a strict need to know?
• Am I sure the personal information is accurate and up to date?
• Do I delete or destroy personal information as soon as I have no more need for it?
• Have I trained my staff in their duties and responsibilities under the Data Protection Act, and are they putting them into practice?
• Do I need to notify the Information Commissioner and if so is my notification up to date?

milllym :

It does comply:

The ICO give a list of 9 points of guidance to data controllers, so that they can check that they are complying with the DPA.

I have highlighted in bold the points that you omitted from your post, and remind you that you need to be able to answer yes to ALL 9 points in order to be likely to comply.

The points in bold, and the ones in italics in the top list, are the ones that concern me, and as stated in my previous post, my main concern is the second point - "Do the people whose information I hold know that I've got it...".

I would ask again that you address this point. And the ones in bold/italics.

I realise that the site is under development, so maybe the data controller should contact the ICO themselves for advice, to make sure they're doing it right, as after all, the penalties for non-compliance are quite severe.

I also have some concerns as to the security checks LRS undertakes if it can get an 80% match of an applicant's personal data with completely impersonal information contained in posts on a forum.

bitsandpieces

ali_pasaul wrote: »

If you do not wish to be on this data base you can explain to your current landlord your vulnerability and they will not put you on it, “simple” I have many single mums as tenants in your position, I have not uploaded them nor will I disclose any information on them without their permission to another landlord if they contacted me.

However if you owe them money and trash their property then they are quite a liberty to do so, I think it’s fair to say that your relationship with your landlord is one of mutual trust and decency and it is with him you will get your first point of security.

Actually, that's not true. If a customer were to act completely unfairly to me - e.g. refused to pay for work that was done after it was completed and submitted - I would still be bound by the DPA. Making the personal information of vulnerable customers available - after being asked not to - would very likely breach the DPA. It would also be rather scummy, to be honest: no-one likes being ripped off and I'm all for seeking legal means of redress, but I'd hate for someone to be tracked down by a violent ex or similar just because they'd tried to get one over me on a business deal.