Breaches of tenant data must be taken more seriously by agents - ARLA

ARLA Propertymark has urged letting agents to take breaches of the Information Commissioner’s Office’s  data protection principle regarding GDPR seriously.  

The call comes as the Information Commissioner’s Office issued fresh advice concerning compliance with UK GDPR law after an examination of complaint data revealed  there is a lack of understanding about it in the housing sector.  

The Information Commissioner’s Office referenced specific cases where GDPR rules had been abused, such as when a tenant learnt that the state of their health was unnecessarily disclosed to a legal advisor who was assessing their complaint into a neighbour.   

In another case, a tenant had their house damaged further after they asked for information about a repair following a leak in the neighbouring flat, which resulted in additional damage and expense due to staff misunderstanding on how data protection law is applied in such situations.  

Propertymark are providing attendees of their ‘Unlocking the Mysterious World of GDPR’ webinar with advice from Anna Walters who is part of cyber security experts called Risk Evolves on how to tackle any GDPR issues in the housing market.  

Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark, says: “Propertymark understands the importance of estate and letting agents complying with GDPR law and it is crucial that agents make themselves aware of the legislation in order to avoid any breaches or legal fines. Propertymark advises agents to register and attend the webinar where they will receive expert help and advice.”

The webinar is on January 9 and more details can be found here.