At Bumblebee, we’re committed to protecting and respecting your privacy
This privacy policy explains when and why we collect personal information about people who visit our website, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others, and how we keep it secure.
Things you can do to help us:
tell us when any of your details change; and
tell us if any of the information we hold on you is wrong
Any questions regarding this policy and our privacy practices should be sent by email to info@bumblebeeproperty.co.uk, or by writing to Bumblebee, 3rd Floor, 2 Bristol Avenue, London, NW9 4EW. Alternatively, you can telephone 020 8359 3399
Our Data Protection Officer is Neil Topping, working on behalf of ParaDPO.
Who are we?
When we use your personal data, Bumblebee Lettings is what we call the data controller.
As the data controller, we must:
only keep your data that we need to provide services, and do what the law says we must;
keep your records safe and accurate;
only keep your data for as long as we have to;
collect, store, and use your data in a way that does not break any data protection laws.
Bumblebee Lettings (‘Bumblebee’) is a private lettings company incorporated in England (10960533). The registered address is 3rd Floor, 2 Bristol Avenue, London, NW9 4EW.
It is a member of The Barnet Group Limited. The Barnet Group includes Barnet Homes Limited, Your Choice (Barnet) Limited, TBG Open Door Limited (‘Opendoor Homes’), Bumblebee Lettings Limited, and TBG Flex Limited.
What is personal data?
Personal data is information about a living person that we can use to work out who they are, such as name, address, telephone number, date of birth, bank details, etc. This can include written letters, emails, photographs, audio recordings, and video recordings.
Some data is called ‘special category data’. This is more sensitive information, and we have to look after it more carefully. This includes details of ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, physical and mental health, trade union membership, and biometric (e.g. fingerprints, facial recognition) and genetic (e.g. DNA) data
Why we collect and store personal data
For some of our services, we need to use your personal data so we can get in touch, or provide the service. In many cases there is a law that says we must or we can process your data, and we can do so without your consent or permission.
We use your data for the following reasons:
Service delivery and communications
Statutory requirements – e.g. reporting to the government
Service improvement and planning
Regulatory and enforcement functions
Prevention and detection of crime
Financial transactions
Research, including consultations
Equality monitoring
Safeguarding children and adults
To answer data protection requests
We will only collect, use and share your personal information where we are satisfied that one or more of the following legal bases apply:
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or in order to take steps, at your request, prior to entering into such a contract;
The processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which Bumblebee is subject;
The processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;
In certain circumstances, the processing is necessary for the legitimate interests pursued by Bumblebee or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms which require protection of personal information. Bumblebee considers that it has a legitimate interest in processing personal information for the purposes set out above, and to support the achievement of its immediate and long-term business goals and outcomes.
We may also use your personal information in the following situations, which are likely to be rare:
Where we need to protect your interests (or someone else's interests).
Where it is needed in the public interest (or for official purposes).
In exceptional circumstances with your consent, such as in consultations and when you use our website and give consent to web analytics (cookies).
Some of the above grounds for processing will overlap and there may be several grounds which justify our use of your personal information. Where we rely on legitimate interests, our legitimate interests are to ensure the smooth running of and protect our business.
We may process special categories of personal information in the following circumstances:
In limited circumstances, with your explicit written consent.
Where it is needed in the public interest, such as to fulfil a function under the law, for equal opportunities monitoring, for the prevention of crime or fraud, to support individuals with a particular disability or medical condition, or for safeguarding purposes.
Where it is needed in relation to legal claims or where it is needed to protect your interests (or someone else's interests) and you are not capable of giving your consent, or where you have already made the information public.
We do not need your consent if we use special categories of your personal information in accordance with our written policy to carry out our legal obligations. In limited circumstances, we may approach you for your written consent to allow us to process certain particularly sensitive data. If we do so, we will provide you with full details of the information that we would like and the reason we need it, so that you can carefully consider whether you wish to consent. You should be aware that it is not a condition of your contract with us that you agree to any request for consent from us.
We may only use information relating to criminal convictions where the law allows us to do so. This will usually be where such processing is necessary to carry out our obligations.
Please see our Appropriate Policy Document for more information about how and why we process this special category data.
We are allowed to use your data due to a legal obligation or public task under various UK laws including, but not limited to:
The Housing Act 2004
The Housing and Regeneration Act 2008
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1987
The Protection from Eviction Act 1977
The Housing Benefit Regulations 2006
The Welfare Reform Act 2012
The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003
The Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2014
The Environmental Protection Act 1990
The Equality Act 2010
The Digital Economy Act 2017
Social Security (Notification of Change of Circumstances) Regulations 2011
The Housing and Planning Act 2016
Tenancy Notices and Prescribed Requirements Regulations 2015
The Immigration Act 2014
The Redress Schemes for Lettings Agency Work and Property Management Work (Approval and Designation of Schemes) Order 2013
Housing (Tenant Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007
How do we collect information from you?
Most information we hold will be collected from you, but we may also obtain information from third parties such as the local authority, a previous landlord, or a community partner. We may also obtain information from publicly-accessible sources, or engage the services of market research organisations to validate, or where appropriate enhance the information that we hold.
Bumblebee collects personal information in a number of different ways including when you register with us and/or use our services on our website, online portal, and/or app; and through customer agreements, tenancies, and leases; contracts; forms; general customer contacts (including phone calls, letters, emails, and face-to-face conversations); and recording of calls made to our contact centre. We also collect information when you voluntarily complete customer surveys, or provide feedback.
In some circumstances, personal information may be collected indirectly from monitoring devices or by other means (for example, CCTV, telephone logs, and email logs), if and to the extent authorised by applicable laws.
Apart from personal information relating to you, you may also provide us with personal information of third parties, notably your dependants and other family members, for purposes of tenancy administration and management, including someone to contact in an emergency. Before you provide such third party personal information to us you must first inform these third parties of any such information that you intend to provide and of the processing to be carried out by Bumblebee, as detailed in this notice.
We may take photographs at events organised and hosted by Bumblebee and its partners. The images may be used on our websites, in brochures, and in other publicity materials such as newsletters, and may be provided to the media for publication in local or national newspapers or magazines. You will always be given the option not to be included in photographs.
What type of information is collected from you?
The type of information we need from you will vary depending on our relationship with you.
We collect and hold personal information about prospective, current, and former tenants and landlords who live in or rent our properties or access our services and other support, have done in the past, or may do in the future. When you apply or request our services, we may request and hold information necessary to process your request and subsequently deliver services to you, or if you sign up for tenancy or other forms of support we may request and hold information necessary to process your application and subsequently deliver services to you, including:
When you register with us as a prospective tenant, licensee or any other user of our service, we will request and hold information necessary to process your request and/or application, or to manage your property or tenancy. This may include:
Personal details: name and contact details (including telephone number(s), email address(es), and details of anyone you may choose to represent you);
Detailed personal information about you and other household members*, including: age; sex; date of birth; ethnicity; income and benefits details; employment or education status; job history, skills, and experience; gender identity; relationship status; any disabilities and any reasonable adjustments required as a result; any communication and accessibility requirements; nationality; languages spoken; caring responsibilities; bank details; council tax; medical information (including changes of circumstances); pregnancy information; records of our contact with you (including contact from third parties representing you or about you); financial records including the amount of money you have paid us, any amount(s) outstanding, and associated recovery action; credit status; property access codes; and details of any unspent criminal convictions.
References from other housing providers / private landlords;
Information from third parties, including the Police, support workers, mental health workers, social workers, and credit reference agencies.
Monitoring information (to the extent authorised by applicable laws): closed circuit television footage, and photo.
When you as a landlord register with us as a prospective client, we will request and hold information necessary to process your request and/or application, or to manage your property. This may include:
Personal details: name and contact details (including telephone number(s), email address(es), and details of anyone you may choose to represent you);
Detailed personal information about you or your property, including: bank details; records of our contact with you (including contact from third parties representing you or about you); financial records including the amount of money you have paid us, any amount(s) outstanding, and associated recovery action; property access codes; names, telephone number, and email address of all individuals whom the property is legally owned by; a form of identification; any management agreements between yourself and a third party that will represent you; and any property-related compliance documents such as gas, electrical, EPC, and landlord insurance.
* When you provide information about household members and other associates, we assume that you do so with their full knowledge and consent.
The information we collect, store, and use may include the following special categories of more sensitive personal information:
Information about your nationality, race, or ethnicity.
Information about your religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and political opinions.
Information about your health, including any medical condition, health, and sickness records.
Information about criminal convictions and offences.
Please see our Appropriate Policy Document for more information about how and why we process this special category data.
How is your information used?
How we use your information depends upon our relationship with you. As a tenant, your information may be used to:
assess your applications and complete tenancy sign-ups, including:
verifying your identity;
confirming your eligibility, including undertaking credit and reference checks;
manage your tenancy, lease, or contract, including:
processing financial transactions, including payments and benefits involving Bumblebee, the London Borough of Barnet, and other government bodies (for example, the Department of Work and Pensions);
providing essential servicing, repairs, and maintenance;
contacting you in the event of an emergency or to enforce the terms of your tenancy;
contacting you to discuss your account;
verifying your identity;
effecting changes to your tenancy (e.g. changing your name on our records);
working with partners and contractors to deliver services
provide you with access to all parts of our website and online platform;
make sure our services are accessible, and to monitor equality, diversity, and inclusion;
protect individuals from harm or injury, assist with personal security, our legal requirements including Health and Safety obligations, and the prevention and detection of fraud and other crime
contact you with details of any products or services we, or our partners or advertisers, offer that may be of interest to you where you have consented to this;
analyse patterns and trends of service usage and satisfaction levels for insight purposes, to enable us to make informed decisions in relation to services.
understand how we’re performing, including:
reviewing call recordings for training and quality monitoring purposes
carrying out market research and customer satisfaction surveys to help us monitor and improve our services to customers
segmenting our customers to help us target our resources and prioritise services
managing and analysing complaints
analysing patterns and trends of service usage
where you have specifically consented to the use of your personal information
Where otherwise permitted under data protection legislation
All estate agents are required under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 to identify you and to verify your identity on the basis of documents proving your identity and the proof of address. In order to do this, we will ask you for a copy of your passport or similar photographic identification, and a copy of a utility bill or bank statement proving your current address and which is not more than three months old.
As a landlord, your information will be used to let and manage your property and your account with us, including providing your name and contact information to tenants.
We do not use computers to make automated decisions about you; however, should this position change we will notify you in writing.
To the extent authorised by local laws, Bumblebee may collect and process a limited amount of personal information falling into special categories, sometimes called 'sensitive personal information'. This term means information relating to:
health-related details, including any reasonable adjustments;
information revealing racial or ethnic origin;
judicial information, including the results of criminal or police records checks which can include details of offences, alleged offences and sentences, and information from other intelligence sources (subject to relevant local laws and record retention periods);
marital status and next of kin; and
religious beliefs or other similar beliefs, and sexual orientation, should you choose to provide any such information.
Please see our Appropriate Policy Document for more information about how and why we process this special category data.
Provision of some of the information requested by us is part of a legal or contractual requirement, including where you have asked us to do something before you enter into a contract with us (for example, entering into your tenancy). Without this information, we will be unable to accept an application for services or may be unable to manage your services. For example, we cannot see if you are eligible for a tenancy or check that an application is not fraudulent without being able to verify your identity, and if we cannot consult with you about changes to your service if we do not hold your contact details.
We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please speak to us if you have any concerns.
What are legitimate interests?
The law allows your information to be collected and used if it is necessary for a legitimate business interest of ours – as long as its use is fair and balanced and does not unduly impact on your rights.
A wide range of interests may be legitimate interests. They can be Bumblebee interests, or the interests of customers, third parties, or commercial interests, as well as wider societal benefits. When we rely on any legitimate interest, we will ensure that we take a balanced approach and have appropriate safeguards.
Our legitimate interests include:
Having appropriate security for our offices and on our sites. This includes CCTV and identification photographs;
Collecting unpaid debt;
Official communications;
Making sure that Bumblebee remains commercially viable and protects its commercial and social assets;
Working out which of our services may interest you and telling you about them to help meet our business objectives, encourage social inclusion, and help build communities;
Understanding our customers’ experiences and views so that we can effectively influence and contribute to debates on future housing strategies;
Working with the authorities and the police to support safer communities;
Making sure that our services / properties meet the needs of our customers;
Sharing your information with local utilities providers in the event of unpaid debts;
Understanding how we are performing so we can meet our priorities and objectives;
Understanding who lives within your household, so we know who will be living on our premises to check that the accommodation offered is adequate for current and near-future needs of the household, to check that household members’ needs are being met, to ensure that the services we offer are inclusive, and to ensure that members of the local community will have quiet enjoyment of their homes
Who has access to your information?e
Bumblebee does not have any direct employees; its services are provided by Barnet Homes. In this capacity, Barnet Homes acts as data processor on our behalf. All companies within The Barnet Group are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, and we work to a single data protection policy framework.
Sometimes we need to share personal information we hold about you with other organisations that we work with or which provide services on our behalf. When sharing information, we will comply with all aspects of data protection law.
Where the information is of a sensitive nature, for example about your health, we will generally obtain consent from you prior to sharing this information, unless we are required or permitted to share this by law.
Information is shared across The Barnet Group to ensure that you are receiving all the services that are available to you, and may be shared with certain third parties, including suppliers and service providers, or as requested by any government or regulator or law enforcement authority or agency
Where sharing is in our legitimate business interests (ensuring this is proportionate and limited to that information which is strictly necessary in the circumstances) or where we are required to share information by law, we may do so without seeking your consent first. Bumblebee will take appropriate steps to ensure that the recipient of personal information in such circumstances puts in place an adequate level of protection for such personal information in accordance with applicable legal requirements
Information may be shared with:
Our contractors to facilitate repairs, maintenance or improvement works.
Other organisations which provide services on behalf of the London Borough of Barnet such as Capita.
Other organisations in The Barnet Group in order to deliver our services to you.
Utility companies (and their representatives) and Council Tax Departments to ensure billing details are correct.
Landlords and their agents
Third parties providing services on our behalf. For example, credit reference agencies, a research company carrying out a customer satisfaction survey, or debt recovery services.
Agencies committed to protecting public funds and/or preventing fraud in line with the National Fraud Initiative.
Police and other relevant authorities (e.g. Department of Work & Pensions, Probation Service, HM Revenue and Customs) in relation to the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the collection of tax or duty, in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, for the purpose of obtaining legal advice, or when contacted by utility companies or Council Tax departments to ensure billing details are correct.
Solicitors and legal advisers.
Insurance companies.
Fire and Rescue Services.
Judicial agencies (e.g. courts)
Immigration Service.
Safeguarding Boards.
Regulators / investigatory bodies.
Other statutory organisations (e.g. social services and health authorities as necessary for exercising statutory functions).
Contractors providing IT services.
We may also share information when required by law for example where ordered by the Court or to protect an individual from immediate harm.
We may be unable to advise you immediately of such disclosure, subject to compliance with such regulations, at all times; however, we will take steps with the aim of ensuring that your privacy rights continue to be protected.
When we share information with third parties, we disclose only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the service, and we have a contract and/or information sharing agreement in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own direct marketing purposes.
When your data is sent to other countries
We may sometimes make use of cloud-based systems to support the management of our business. Where this happens we will ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place to protect your rights. Our services use platforms such as Microsoft Office 365, Google, and Amazon Web Services, which host data in the USA and EU under contract.
There may be occasions where we need to process your information outside of the UK; for example, if we use a third party computer system supported by employees in the USA. If we do this we will take all necessary steps to ensure that your information remains secure.
Your choices
We will routinely use your contact details to send you information and communicate with you about your tenancy or contract. If you have a preferred method of contact, you can make this known to us; however, we will use all means of contact available should we need to contact you in the event of an emergency or to enforce the terms of your tenancy or contract.
You have a choice about whether or not you wish to receive information from us. If you do not want to receive direct marketing communications from us about services or products that may be of interest, then you can select your choices by ticking the relevant boxes on the form on which we collect your information.
We will not contact you for marketing purposes by email, phone or text message unless you have given your prior consent. We will not contact you for marketing purposes by post if you have indicated that you do not wish to be contacted. You can change your marketing preferences at any time by contacting us by email at info@bumblebeeproperty.co.uk or telephone on 020 8359 3399.
Your rights, and how you can access and update your information
We are committed to upholding your rights in respect of your personal data.
The right to be informed
Through the provision of our suite of privacy notices, we will be open and transparent about how and why we use your personal information.
The right of access
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. This is known as a Subject Access request. In order for us to process a Subject Access Request we need this to be made in writing (we have a Subject Access Request form you can use for this purpose, to make it easier to include all the details we might need to locate the information you want), and we ask that your written request is accompanied by proof of your identity and address.
If someone is requesting information on your behalf, they will need written confirmation from you to evidence your consent for us to release this and proof of ID (both yours and theirs).
If you are seeking to obtain specific information (for example, about a particular matter or from a particular time period), it helps if you clarify the details of what you would like to receive in your written request.
Once your request has been received, along with your proof of identity and address, we will provide your information within one month.
We do not usually charge a fee for dealing with a Subject Access Request; please refer to our Subject Access Request Policy for further information. You can find information about our approach to handling Subject Access Requests, including our policy and optional forms to help you make your request, on our website: request for personal data.
In response to Subject Access Requests we will provide you with a copy of the information we hold that relates to you. This will not generally include information about your property such as repair logs, details of contractor visits, or general property maintenance information, as this is unlikely to constitute your ‘personal information’.
The right to rectification
You can ask us to rectify your personal data if it is inaccurate or incomplete. Please help us to keep our records accurate by keeping us informed if your details change.
The right to erasure
The right to erasure is also known as ‘the right to be forgotten’. In some circumstances, you can ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing. This is not an absolute right, and we will need to consider the circumstances of any such request and balance this against our need to continue processing the data. Our response will also be guided by the provisions of our Records Retention Schedule.
The right to restrict processing
In some circumstances you can ask us to restrict processing, for example
If you disagree with the accuracy of personal data.
If we’re processing your data on the grounds of legitimate interests (as detailed earlier), and whilst we consider whether our legitimate grounds override those of yours.
We will assess your request and seek to comply with it; however, there will be some situations where we will be unable to comply – for example due to a legal requirement or where processing of personal information is necessary in relation to providing a service. Where this is the case we will inform you of the reason for this.
The right to data portability
If the situation arises where it would be helpful for you to move, copy, or transfer personal data we hold about you, across different services, you may be able to ask us to do this. Please contact us to discuss.
The right to object
You can tell us if you object to our processing of your personal data:
Based on legitimate interests.
For the purpose of direct marketing (including profiling);
If you’d like to talk to us about your rights, you can contact us at info@bumblebeeproperty.co.uk.
Further information on raising data protection concerns can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Website or you can contact the ICO to seek an independent view
Security precautions in place to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of your information
We take our responsibilities to under data protection legislation very seriously, and we will apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure your personal information is secure. For example, we have a number of policies, procedures, and templates in place in relation to protecting personal data, in addition to systems to ensure that access to personal information is restricted to authorised individuals on a strictly need-to-know basis. We also ensure all employees complete new starter training and annual refresher training on data protection.
When we need to share personal data with our contractors and third-party suppliers, our relationships are governed by our contracts with them which include strict data sharing and confidentiality protocols.
To help us ensure confidentiality of your personal information we will ask you (and any of your representatives) security questions to confirm your identity when you call us and as may be necessary when we call you. We will not discuss your personal information with anyone other than you, unless you have given us prior written authorisation to do so or where we have received a clear verbal instruction from you (as a one-off circumstance).
We only hold records during the period of our relationship and for a set period afterwards to allow us to meet our legal obligations including resolving any follow up issues between us. We have a Records Retention Schedule which sets out how long we keep different types of information for. This is based on National Housing Federation guidance, legal requirements, and best practice. We review our retention periods for personal information on a regular basis.
When you give us personal information online, we take steps to ensure that it’s treated securely. Any sensitive information (such as credit or debit card details) is encrypted and protected with the following software: 128 Bit encryption on SSL. When you are on a secure page, a lock icon will appear on the bottom of web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Non-sensitive personal data (e.g. your email address, etc.) is transmitted normally over the Internet if you submit a contact form, and this can never be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your information, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems. Where we have given (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our website or online platform, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.
Use of cookies
Like many other websites, Bumblebee’s website uses cookies. You can read our cookie policy here.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites run by other organisations. We cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other sites even if you access them using links from our website. When you are transferred to another site by following an external link we recommend that you read their privacy statement on their use of your personal data.
