Privacy Policy - City Living

City Groups is committed to protecting your privacy and we treat your privacy seriously.

This privacy policy explains how we use and share your personal information which is collected about you, and how you can exercise your rights in relation to your personal information.

City Groups is registered with the Information Commissioners Office.

Who Are We?

City Groups is ran by Homes for Students Ltd, one of the UK’s leading providers of student accommodation. Please visit www.wearehomesforstudents.comfor more information regarding the company.

Application of this Policy

This policy applies to personal information collected by City Groups, it does not extend to the collection of personal information by organisations outside City Groups, including third parties, individuals or via other websites which can be accessed through links on our website. Where third parties collect your personal information their own privacy policies and statements will apply.

What is Personal Information?

The meaning of personal information for the purposes of this policy relates to information which can identify you as an individual or is capable of doing so. Information which City Groups will collect will be information that is use for the purposes of processing your enquiry or application to find you a suitable property and room.

General, statistical or anonymous information is not classed as personal information.

What information do we collect about you?

We collect information about you when you register with us or make an enquiry about our accommodation. You may provide us with personal information when communicating with City Groups to complete a registration form, submit your interest for a Property, sign up for additional services or if you contact us with a query or complaint.

Home for Students may collect information when you order a product or service and you give us personal information such as your name, email address, address, telephone number, credit or debit card number, relevant bank details or other relevant information. When you provide us with details of credit, debit or bank account details in order to make payments to us, any such information will only be used for the specific purpose for which it is provided.

We will collect information when you voluntarily complete customer surveys, provide feedback and participate in competitions. City Groups will collect information about your preferences and by analysis of customer traffic. Website usage information is collected using cookies.

City Groups may also collect information which is classed as sensitive personal data, such as ethnicity, religion, sexuality and health. Such information will only be collected with your express consent.

Guarantor information may have to be provided to us by the tenant and the guarantor will also be required to provide City Groups with personal information as outlined in the Guarantor Privacy Statement. City Groups collects this personal information in order to provide the tenancy.

How will we use the information about you?

We collect information about you to process your application for a tenancy with us, manage your account and, if you agree, to email you about further services we think may be of interest to you.

We use your information for the following purposes:

To process your application for a tenancy;
To administer your tenancy;
To communicate with you and respond to your requests;
To process payments;
To recover any unpaid sums due to us;
To prevent and detect criminal activity, fraud and misuse of or damage to our property;
To invite you to participate in our consumer satisfaction surveys or research groups;
Where we have your consent to do so, to contact you about other products and services that we think may be of interest to you;
We may conduct Sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons and other checks on all applicants, tenants, authorised residents, and guarantors.”

We use statistical data about our sales, customers and traffic patterns and provide these to third parties, however these statistics will not include any information which could personally identify you. We may collect traffic data related to your use of and access to our services. If you agree, we shall pass on your personal information to our Marketing team so that they may offer you additional products and services.

City Groups collects information from its website which is not anonymous, we use this information along with your preferences to tailor the content, services and offers made to you. City Groups will not share your information for marketing purposes with companies outside of the business.

In processing your request for Student Accommodation, we may send your details to, and also use information from credit reference agencies and fraud prevention agencies.

Do we use personal data to ask you for feedback via email?

We share your name, email address and the product/service you purchased (as obtained during the application process) with review sites, such as Feefo, who will send you an email on our behalf asking you to complete a review. Our legal basis for doing this is our legitimate interest in asking for feedback in order to improve our products and services.

Marketing

We would like to send you information about products and services of ours which may be of interest to you.

If you have consented to receive marketing, you may opt out at a later date. You have a right at any time to stop us from contacting you for marketing purposes.

If you no longer wish to be contacted for marketing purposes, please click here to send an email to unsubscribe.

Access to your information and correction

You have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information, please email or write to us at the following address: Homes for Students, The Clock Tower, Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L10 1LD.

We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. You may ask us to correct or remove information which you think is inaccurate.

Information retention

The periods for which we keep your information will vary according to the purpose for which we use the information.

Unless there is a specific legal requirement to keep your information, we will not keep it for longer than necessary for the purposes for which the data was collected or for which it is to be further processed. We have an internal data retention policy that details the duration for which we keep certain categories of data.

Disclosure of Information

We may share your personal information with third parties in the following ways:

Where we have a legal or regulatory obligation to do so – this will include sharing your personal information with local councils for the provision of electoral roll services;
Where we use third party suppliers to provide services to us (for example, our IT providers) and they need access to your personal information in order to deliver that service;
Where it is necessary to do so to protect or defend our legal rights or the legal rights of others;
We provide your name and email address to UCAS so that they can provide us with aggregated profile information about our tenants;
if you are a tenant and you fail to pay your rent we may contact the guarantor and inform them of this failure when exercising our rights under the guarantee;
If we sell our business or a property we will transfer information relating to tenants and guarantors to the new owner;
If you have agreed that we may do so, we will share your personal information with identified third parties so that they can contact you with details of their products and services.

We may also provide accumulated statistics about our sales, customers, traffic patterns and other site information to third parties, but these statistics will not include any information that could personally identify you.

How we protect your information

When you review your account information or order services or products online, City Groups offers the use of a secure server.

The secure server software encrypts the information that you input before it is transmitted to us. In addition, we have strict security procedures covering the storage and disclosure of your information in order to prevent unauthorised access and to comply with statutory data protection requirements.

City Groups therefore may sometimes ask you for proof of identity before disclosing any personal information to you.

Cookies

Cookies are text files placed on your computer to collect standard internet log information and visitor behaviour information. It is a piece of information that is stored on your computer’s hard drive by your web browser, or stored as a temporary object in your web browser for the time of that connection.

This information is used to track visitor use of the website and to compile statistical reports on website activity. During the online registration process we allocate cookies during the registration process for our services. These cookies will hold information collected during your registration and will allow us to recognise you as a web visitor and provide you with the services you require. The type of cookie that we use is known as a ‘session-based’ cookie and is allocated to your computer only for the duration of your visit to our website. The second type of cookie is known as a ‘persistent’ cookie. These cookies will remain on your computer for a period of time set for each cookie.

For further information visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.You can set your browser not to accept cookies and the above websites tell you how to remove cookies from your browser. However in a few cases some of our website features may not function as a result.

Other websites

Our website contains links to other websites. This privacy policy only applies to this website so when you link to other websites you should read their own privacy policies.

Changes to our privacy policy

We keep our privacy policy under regular review and if we change the way in which we use or share your personal information we will update this Policy. City Groups will notify you of any significant changes and where necessary we will obtain your consent before using your personal information for the new purpose.

How to contact us

Please contact us if you have any questions about our privacy policy or information we hold about you:

by email
or write to us at: Homes for Students, The Clock Tower, Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L10 1LD

If you are unhappy about the way in which we have used your personal information, please let us know by contacting us using the above details and we will try to resolve your complaint. If we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

PRIVACY STATEMENT

Homes for Students Ltd (“City Groups”) takes your data privacy seriously and has in place the following privacy statements in order to clearly set out how City Groups collects and utilises the information you provide to us.

When you fill in a form on our website, complete an application for accommodation, send us an email, give us a call or live in one of our student properties, we gather your data to make sure we’re giving you the best possible student experience.

Our privacy statements tell you why we collect information, what we do with, how we store it and who we may share your data with.

We collect different sets of data at different stages of our relationship with you and that means that we have a privacy statement for each stage.

Please take the time to read our privacy statements to ensure you understand how information about you will be used:

PRIVACY STATEMENT – ENQUIRING, REGISTERING AND APPLYING FOR A ROOM

Purpose of our privacy statement

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation, we are required to explain to you why we are asking for this information about you, how we intend to use the information you provide and whether we will share this with anyone else.

Who are we?

We are Homes for Students Ltd, one of the UK’s leading providers of student accommodation. Homes for Students is part of the ANUK national code, which demonstrates our commitment to providing good quality housing for students. Homes for Students is a registered business ‘Company Registration Number 9840367’ and its Head Office address is The Innovation Centre, Hornbeam Park, Hookstone Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 8QT. Prestige Student Living, Brunswick House, NOW and Urba Life are brands of Homes for Students.

Data Protection Officer

Our Data Protection Officer is responsible for overseeing what we do with your information and monitoring our compliance in line with the data protection regulations.

If you have any concerns or questions about our use of your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer in writing: The Data Protection Officer, Homes for Students, The Clock Tower, Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L10 1LD or by emailing [email protected].

Why are we collecting your information?

The information that you provide to us during routine enquiry channels such as via our website, during a telephone call, during the registration or application process or in person is required by City Groups in order for us to provide you with the requested service and an offer of accommodation.

This information is specifically about you and without this information, we will not be able to provide you with a service or enter into a contract with you.

What information are we collecting?

The only information which we are collecting is the information which you provide to us via our website, booking platform, on forms, in person or during any enquiry.

The information we collect may include, for example:

Name, Address, email address and further contact details
Date of Birth, Gender, Year of Study, University/College course details
Nationality, Next of Kin details, Guarantor details (if applicable)
Accommodation preferences (for example. preferred room type or sharing preferences)
Employer details (if applicable)

Some of the information which we collect will be special categories of personal data (also called sensitive personal data), which includes information about your health, ethnicity and sexuality. This information may be captured and used for statistical analysis for equal opportunities monitoring purposes.

What we are going to do with your information

The information you provide to us will be used for the following purposes:

It will be stored and used by us in accordance with this privacy statement and also in accordance with your rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation;
It will be collected and used by us fairly and openly for the purpose of providing our services to you and tailoring such services to your needs;
It will be used to improve the services you receive from us;
The information you have provided about yourself will enable us to ensure that we can provide you with the service requested and meet the terms of any future contract you may enter with us;
It will allow us to make contact with you in the most appropriate way as indicated by yourself;
If you have given explicit consent during your enquiry, registration or application process and have chosen to be included in communication regarding any future accommodation provision, we will use the data provided for this purpose.

Some of the information which we collect will be special categories of personal data (also called sensitive personal data), such as any disability you may have. You need to be aware that we will use this information in order to determine if we have suitable accommodation, and enable us to allocate the most appropriate accommodation depending on your specific needs.

By providing us with this information, you consent to our use of it for this purpose. Please note that not providing this information may result in unsuitable accommodation being allocated.

What is the legal basis for using your information?

In accordance with the data protection law and regulation, we need a “legal basis” for collecting and using information about you. There are a variety of different legal basis for processing personal data which are set out in the data protection laws.

The lawful basis on which we rely on in order to use the information which we collect about you, for the purposes set out in this notice will be:

Using your information in this way is necessary for us to provide you with information, ensure we can process your enquiry and application at your request and subsequently to enter into and perform a binding contract.
If you have given permission during the enquiry, registration or application process and have chosen to be included in communication regarding any future accommodation provision, we will use the data provided and we will do this under the legal basis of consent.
Using your information is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

The lawful basis on which we rely in order to use your special categories of personal data which we collect about you, will be that you have provided your explicit consent to our use of the information – see section above.

SHARING YOUR INFORMATION

Other Homes for Students Brands

Homes for Students Ltd is made up of a number of related student accommodation brands. We will share your information within Homes for Students Ltd in order to best provide the services to you in accordance with your enquiry and any future contract between us.

Your information will only be accessed internally within Homes for Students Ltd where it is necessary to do so in order to provide services to you in accordance with your enquiry and any future contract. The obligations which are set out in this notice shall apply to all brands that make up Homes for Students Ltd to the same extent.

Contractors and sub-contractors

It may be necessary to share information about you with our contractors and sub-contractors in order to provide you with the services in accordance with your enquiry and any future contract between us.

We will only share information about you with the contractors and sub-contractors which is relevant and necessary to address your individual needs. The contractors and sub-contractors shall be contractually required to ensure that they adhere to the security requirements imposed by the Data Protection Act 1998 and / or the General Data Protection Regulation (as applicable).

Our contractors and sub-contractors will not share your information with any other parties and will only be able to use the information when completing work on our behalf.

Regulators and other legal obligations

We may also be required to share your information with our regulators who are permitted access to this information by law and with other organisations where we have a legal obligation to share the information with them.

Other organisations

We may from time to time share your information with other organisations, such as:

Partner organisations whom we have data sharing agreements with, for example, institutions of Study, Universities or Agencies acting on our behalf.
Our clients for statistical analysis, audit or debt collection purposes.
Utility companies so they can provide services to you and contact you in respect of utility charges (only if applicable).
The police for the purpose of detection and prevention of crime;
To assist the management of our future contracts we may utilise debt recovery/deposit protection and credit reference agencies where applicable.

Transferring your information abroad

We will not transfer the information you provide to us outside of the European Economic Area.

Security of your information

The information that you provide will be stored securely on our systems and any paper records you have completed will be shredded. City Groups has in place robust security measures and procedures which reflects the seriousness of how we approach the security of your information and the value we attached to this.

Only those members of staff who are deemed as relevant to requiring access to your information will have sight of the information you provide to us.

Can we use your information for any other purpose?

Only in limited circumstances may we use your information for a purpose other than those set out in this document. However, if we intend to do so, we will provide you with information relating to that purpose before going ahead and doing so.

Storing and deleting your information

We will store the personal data which you provide to us for as long as you remain a service user.

Once you are no longer a service user, we will review the information we hold concerning you and determine whether there are any reasons why we need to continue holding that information.

If a student is in arrears when they leave the property, it may be necessary to retain information about them in order to recover those arrears and the debt. There also may be regulatory and/or business best practice requirements which dictate the length of time the data is held. Once the identified purpose comes to an end, unless there is another identifiable purpose for which it is necessary to hold your information, this shall be deleted.

Your rights

In relation to the information which we hold about you, you are entitled to:

Ask us for access to the information;
Ask us to rectify the information where it is inaccurate or is incomplete;
Ask us to erase the information and take steps to ask others who we have shared your information with to also erase it;
Ask us to limit what we do with your information;
Object to our use of your information and ask us to stop that use;
Instruct us to provide you with the information we hold about you in a structured and commonly used format or transmit that information directly to another organisation (for example, if you want the information to be sent to another housing provider).

Our obligations to comply with the above rights are subject to certain exemptions.

Where we are using your information because you have provided your consent to that use, you are entitled to withdraw your consent at any time. The lawfulness of our use of your information before consent is withdrawn will not be affected.

To exercise any of the rights referred to above, you should contact our Data Protection Officer by writing to The Data Protection Officer, The Clock Tower, Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L10 1LD or at [email protected].

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (the “ICO”) if you are not satisfied with the way we use your information. You can contact the ICO by writing to Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

PRIVACY STATEMENT – TENANCY AGREEMENTS AND LIVING WITH HOMES FOR STUDENTS

Purpose of our privacy statement

Who are we?

We are Homes for Students, one of the UK’s leading providers of student accommodation. Homes for Students is part of the ANUK national code, which demonstrates our commitment to providing good quality housing for students. Homes for Students is a registered business ‘Company Registration Number 9840367’ and its Head Office address is The Innovation Centre, Hornbeam Park, Hookstone Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 8QT. Prestige Student Living, Brunswick House, NOW and Urba Life are brands of Homes for Students.

Data Protection Officer

Our Data Protection Officer is responsible for overseeing what we do with your information and monitoring our compliance in line with the data protection regulations.

Why are we collecting your information?

This information is specifically about you and without this information, we will not be able to provide you with a service or enter into a contract with you.

What information are we collecting?

The only information which we are collecting is the information which you provide to us via our booking system, online portal, on forms, in person or during any enquiry.

The information we collect may include, for example:

Name, Address, email address and further contact details
Date of Birth, Gender, Year of Study, University/College course details
Nationality, Next of Kin details, Guarantor details (if applicable)
ID documents
Financial Information, such as bank details to enable payment of rent
CCTV monitoring

Some of the information which we collect will be special categories of personal data (also called sensitive personal data), which includes information about your health, ethnicity and sexuality.

This information may be captured and used during your tenancy for statistical analysis purposes and for equal opportunities monitoring purposes.

What we are going to do with your information

The information you provide to us will be used for the following purposes:

It will be stored and used by us in accordance with this privacy statement and also in accordance with your rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation;
It will be collected and used by us fairly and openly for the purpose of providing our services to you and to tailor such services to your needs;
It will be used to improve the services you receive from us and will be used during you tenancy to contact you, if you have given your consent for us to do so.

The information you have provided about yourself will enable us to ensure that we can provide you with the service requested and meet the terms of our contract.

It will allow us to make contact with you in the most appropriate way. For example, we can provide literature in large print if you have difficulty reading smaller print; or provide documents in an alternative language if English is not your first language.

If you have given explicit consent during your enquiry, the registration or application process and have chosen to be included in communication regarding any future accommodation provision, we will use the data provided for this purpose.

By providing us with this information, you consent to our use of it for this purpose. Please note that not providing this information may result in unsuitable accommodation being allocated.

What is the legal basis for using your information?

The lawful basis on which we rely on in order to use the information which we collect about you, for the purposes set out in this notice will be:

Using your information in this way is necessary for us to provide you with information, ensure we can process your enquiry and enter into and deliver a binding contract between us.
If you have given permission during your enquiry, the registration or application process and have chosen to be included in communication regarding any future accommodation provision we will use the data provided and we will do this under the legal basis of consent.
Using your information is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

SHARING YOUR INFORMATION

Other Homes for Students Brands

Contractors and sub-contractors

It may be necessary to share information about you with our contractors and sub-contractors in order to provide you with the services in accordance with your enquiry and any contract between us.

Our contractors and sub-contractors will not share your information with any other parties and will only be able to use the information when completing work on our behalf.

Regulators and other legal obligations

Other organisations

We may from time to time share your information with other organisations, such as:

Partner organisations whom we have data sharing agreements with, for example, institutions of Study, Universities or Agencies acting on our behalf;
Our clients for statistical analysis, audit or debt collection purposes;
Utility companies so they can provide services to you and contact you in respect of utility charges (only if applicable);
The police for the purpose of detection and prevention of crime;
To assist the management of our contracts we may utilise debt recovery/deposit protection and credit reference agencies where applicable;
Mail or parcel delivery organisations who have incomplete delivery address details in order to facilitate delivery of parcels addressed to you.

Transferring your information abroad

We will not transfer the information you provide to us outside of the European Economic Area.

Security of your information

Only those members of staff who are deemed as relevant to requiring access to your information will have sight of the information you provide to us.

Can we use your information for any other purpose?

Storing and deleting your information

We will store the personal data which you provide to us for as long as you remain a service user.

Once you are no longer a service user of ours, we will review the information we hold concerning you and determine whether there are any reasons why we need to continue holding that information.

If a student is in arrears when they leave the property, it may be necessary to retain information about them in order to recover those arrears and the debt.

There also may be regulatory and/or business best practice requirements which dictate the length of time the data is held. Once the identified purpose comes to an end, unless there is another identifiable purpose for which it is necessary to hold your information, this shall be deleted.

Your rights

In relation to the information which we hold about you, you are entitled to:

Ask us for access to the information;
Ask us to rectify the information where it is inaccurate or is incomplete;
Ask us to erase the information and take steps to ask others who we have shared your information with to also erase it;
Ask us to limit what we do with your information;
Object to our use of your information and ask us to stop that use;
Instruct us to provide you with the information we hold about you in a structured and commonly used format or transmit that information directly to another organisation (for example, if you want the information to be sent to another housing provider).

Our obligations to comply with the above rights are subject to certain exemptions.

PRIVACY STATEMENT – GUARANTOR’S

Purpose of our privacy statement

Who are we?

Data Protection Officer

Our Data Protection Officer is responsible for overseeing what we do with your information and monitoring our compliance in line with the data protection regulations.

Why are we collecting your information?

The information that you provide to us during the Guarantor process is required by City Groups in order for us to meet the obligations of our contract. This information is specifically regarding you and without this information; we would not be able to meet our contractual obligations under the shorthold tenancy agreement.

What information are we collecting?

The only information which we are collecting is the information which you provide to us via the guarantor documents, web portal, in email, via the post or in person. The information we collect includes:

Name, Address, email address and further contact details;
Date of Birth;
Proof of Address and residency (e.g. a copy of a utility bill);
ID documents;
A signed Guarantor Agreement;

What we are going to do with your information

The information you provide to us will be used for the following purposes:

It will be stored and used by us in accordance with this privacy statement and also in accordance with your rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation;
It will be collected and used by us fairly and openly for the purpose of managing our contract and for debt recovery for those persons you are acting as a Guarantor for.
It will allow us to make contact with you in the most appropriate way.

What is the legal basis for using your information?

In accordance with the data protection laws, we need a “legal basis” for collecting and using information about you. There are a variety of different legal basis for processing personal data which are set out in the data protection laws.

The lawful basis on which we rely on in order to use the information which we collect about you, for the purposes set out in this notice will be:

Using your information in this way is necessary for us to perform a contract between us and the individual you are acting as a Guarantor for.
Using your information is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

SHARING YOUR INFORMATION

Other Homes for Students Brands

Regulators and other legal obligations

Other organisations

We may from time to time share your information with other organisations, such as:

Partner organisations whom we have data sharing agreements with, for example, institutions of Study, Universities or Agencies acting on our behalf;
Our clients for statistical analysis, audit or debt collection purposes;
The police for the purpose of detection and prevention of crime;
To assist with the management of our contracts we may utilise debt recovery/deposit protection and credit reference agencies where applicable.

Transferring your information abroad

We will not transfer the information you provide to us outside of the European Economic Area.

Security of your information

The information that you provide will be stored securely on our systems and any paper records you have completed will be shredded. Homes for Students has in place robust security measures and procedures which reflects the seriousness of how we approach the security of your information and the value we attached to this.

Only those members of staff who are deemed as relevant to requiring access to your information will have sight of the information you provide to us.

Can we use your information for any other purpose?

Storing and deleting your information

We will store the personal data which you provide to us for as long as you (or the person you are acting as a guarantor for) remains a service user.

Once you are no longer acting in a guarantor capacity and are no longer a service user of ours, we will review the information which we hold concerning you and determine whether there are any reasons why we need to continue holding that information.

If a service user is in arrears when they leave the property, it may be necessary to retain information about them in order to recover those arrears or to use the information you have provided to contact you as the guarantor.

Your rights

In relation to the information which we hold about you, you are entitled to:

Ask us for access to the information;
Ask us to rectify the information where it is inaccurate or is incomplete;
Ask us to erase the information and take steps to ask others who we have shared your information with to also erase it;
Ask us to limit what we do with your information;
Object to our use of your information and ask us to stop that use;
Instruct us to provide you with the information we hold about you in a structured and commonly used format or transmit that information directly to another organisation.

Our obligations to comply with the above rights are subject to certain exemptions.