How we handle your personal data is important to us; this page explains what personal data we collect, why we do this, how it is used and how we protect your privacy.
This information only covers external users of Unipol's services and websites, to find out how staff are protected you can read our data protection policy
If you have any questions about the information below or need help then you can email us at dataprotection@unipol.org.uk
Who we are
Unipol was established in 1975 and we provide help and assistance to students renting in the private sector, provide direct housing to students in Leeds, Nottingham and Bradford, run a number of accreditation schemes as well as training and promoting best practice in student housing.
We are a registered charity (no. 1063492) and company limited by guarantee (3401440) with our registered office at 15/157 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 3ED, you can write to us at this address, email us at dataprotection@unipol.org.uk, or call us on 0113 243 0169.
Our data controller is Mrs Victoria Tolmie-Loverseed who can also be emailed directly at dataprotection@unipol.org.uk.
Why we collect your data
We need personal information in order to provide four different types of service:
- Tenants of Unipol or those in properties managed by Unipol;
- Landlord services (which includes membership of the Unipol Codes and Leeds Rental Standard);
- Event booking;
- To provide house hunting assistance to students
We also collect it to help respond to enquiries, feedback and complaints submitted through forms on our websites, emails and web chat. Finally we use it to analyse and help improve our web services.
When is personal information collected
If you sign up for a Unipol service we will ask you to supply only information which is absolutely necessary to providing that service. We then log information, such as IP address and browser being used) each time you access our services and may ask for additional information while you are using them.. We record information given when you communicate with us through email, web chat or web forms.
We are provided with information on students and landlords from educational institutions for allocated tenancies and the Homestay.
When you visit and interact with our websites we use Google Analytics and firewall logs to record information about your behaviour (what you click on) and demographic information such as gender, age and location. Although this may seem quite detailed there is no way for us to use this information to identify individuals.
Unipol collects and stores information on third party tenancies supplied from landlords using our tenancy agreement generator service.
What kind of data do we collect?
- Personal information you give when signing up and using a Unipol service;
- Personal information given to Unipol by an organisation where Unipol is providing a service in partnership with / for them;
- Contact details of trustees and others involved in governance;
- Feedback through our websites;
- Subscription information for news and service alerts;
- Booking details from people attending Unipol organised training and events;
- Payment transaction details – these do not include billing information such as card details which are processed for Unipol by a third party;
- Student to Student Noticeboard Messages;
- Information on people using our office wireless networks;
- Website usage and demographic information through Google Analytics;
- Firewall and server logs of users accessing web services;
- Statistics on searches for accommodation which include filters used, results, viewing requests and personal clipboard lists or favourites
Where is your data held?
Most personal data is held either on Unipol's own servers or within 3rd party data centres both of which are located within the UK and this information is not backed up or transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Only data from web chat is transferred outside the EEA and this is covered by the Privacy Shield Framework which ensures the data is handled in line with UK law.
How do we keep your data safe
Our websites and services have numerous security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. The measures include passwords, linkages to secure servers, encryption, data backup, and conventional locks and alarm systems. However we cannot guarantee that the measures in place are (or will remain) adequate.
How long do we keep personal data for
| Type of data | Length of retention | From |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant (direct and allocated) | 7 years | Contract ending |
| Landlord | 7 years | Service last used |
| Non-tenant student accounts | 26 months | From last logon |
| Enquiries / web form entries | Maximum 26 months | From submission |
| Complaints | 7 years | From submission |
| Payment transactions | 7 years | From submission |
| Agreement generator | 3 months | From submission |
| Google Analytics tracking information | 26 month | From submission |
| Firewall and server event logs | 3 months | From submission |
For more detail on how long we keep data retention for read our data protection policy.
Who has access to your information?
Within Unipol only staff who need to access your information to fulfil specific duties will be able to view and process.
Where we work with third parties, some of who are based outside the EEA, to develop and support our services there are data protection agreements in place to make sure they access / process your data responsibly, only for defined reasons and in line with UK law.
Unipol will never sell or rent your information to third parties. We only share information with carefully selected third parties when agreement has explicitly been given, currently this option is only available to landlords.
If we have supplied an internet service as part of your tenancy this is done through a third party company and any personal information supplied during registration for this and during use of the service is subject to their privacy policies.
Requesting access to your personal data
You have the right to see any data Unipol holds on you, to do this submit a request to dataprotection@unipol.org.uk giving your name and what information you require. Unipol will respond within one month of the request or give reasons why the information cannot be provided within the month.
Your right to opt out
You can change your mind about receiving marketing information from Unipol and opt out at any time. This can be done by clicking the unsubscribe button on the bottom of the emails we send you, responding STOP to any text messages or, if you have a user account, by logging on and changing your contact preferences. Your right to opt out only applies to marketing information.
We use technology called cookies to track your actions on our websites if you want to find out more about how this works and how to stop being tracked read www.aboutcookies.org
Your right to complain
You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) about how Unipol has handled your personal data you can contact the Information Commissioner at ico.org.uk/concerns/ or phone 0303 123 1113.
What happens when I link to another site?
Unipol may provide links to other websites; for example those of partner institutions, companies, government departments and other organisations. This privacy policy applies only to our sites, so you should always be aware when you are moving to another site and read the privacy statement of any site which collects personal information.