Landlords ICO Requirements by Heather Hilder on June 16, 2022 “Landlords ICO Requirements” Do you need to register with the ICO? In May 2018, Europe’s new framework for data protection laws was introduced. This is known as General Data Protection Regulation (or more commonly just GDPR). This replaced the previous 1995 data protection directive and is enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Do YOU need to register with the ICO? Read on… It meant some quite drastic changes to data protection in the UK, particularly in industries where lots of data is stored away and asked for on a frequent basis such as lettings. When GDPR was introduced, the UK was still part of the EU. However, even now that Brexit has happened, the UK has its own domestic GDPR governing the protection of data. This works in tandem with the Data Protection Act of 2018 and PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations). As landlords, you are legally obliged to register with the ICO to ensure you are compliant with data protection rules. Regardless of how many homes you have, how many tenants you have, or how many people who work for you, or you work with, it is the law that you must register with the ICO. The whole business must be registered. A landlord is considered to be a business, even if you are a sole trader with one property acting on an individual basis. Registration confusion? Some landlords may mistakenly believe that if their letting agent is signed up, they don’t need to be. But this isn’t the case. Your agent being registered doesn’t exempt you. Rather, anybody who holds and handles personal data and stores it electronically must register with the ICO. Personal data would include emails or texts sent to you by your tenant, for example. How much does it cost and what about non-compliance? The fee, paid yearly, is between £40 and £2,900. The fee depends on the size of the business and turnover. The ICO has a self-assessment questionnaire on its website, which will make it clear how much you will be charged. Non-compliance could cost you plenty. If your tenants believe you are misusing or mishandling their data, they could raise complaints about you to the ICO. The ICO acts as the UK’s data protection regulator. The ICO could choose to act on this complaint and investigate. If you were to have your own complaints about tenants – for example unpaid rent or disputes over a deposit – the tenants could use your non-registration against you. If you fail to register with the ICO and get found out, fines can range from £400 to £4,350. As a result, being compliant is vitally important. Fortunately, the process of registering is very simple and will take only around 15-20 minutes. While your agent can remind you to register, they cannot register on your behalf. You can register and pay your fee here. The ICO will require: the name and address of the business to be registered turnover and staff numbers business details credit/debit card details. Once you’ve registered/paid, the fee will be due again in a year, so it might be simpler and easier to provide the ICO with direct debit details, so you don’t have to worry too much about it in the future. You can find out more about paying a data protection fee, and any possible exemptions, by clicking here. Choosing the ‘right’ letting agent Working with an experienced, knowledgeable letting agent is key. They can remind you of your data protection responsibilities and the need to register with the ICO. They will also help you with all other aspects of running a successful tenancy and remaining compliant at all times. Here at Callaways Estate Agents, we will do all we can to help you with the smooth running of your rental properties. We operate across the South Coast, including in Falmer, Worthing and Brighton & Hove, and have the experience and know how to keep you compliant. For more info about what we can offer, please get in touch with us today. You can also get a free, instant online valuation of your home, to give you an idea of how much you could be charging in rent, by clicking here.
