Privacy notices - Empty Homes

The Highland Council Empty Homes Officer is informed of empty properties identified in Council Tax records. They have access to the personal details (name and contact information) of owners stored in the Council Tax database. They may also receive information about empty properties from other Council services, from the public, from MSP’s/MP’s or from owners themselves. The Highland Council Council Empty Homes Officer is the key point of contact, in the first instance, for actions relating to empty homes.

Wherever the Council processes personal data, we need to make sure we have a legal basis for doing so in data protection law. The Council understands our legal basis for processing this personal data as part of our public task under our powers set out in the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 s157.

With regard to Council Tax, you are obliged to provide personal data to the council under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and to keep us informed of any changes in your circumstances. The council will use this information to assess empty property status. 

Public Task - Long term neglected and empty homes can pose problems for the Council and neighbours.  Returning empty homes or converting other vacant property into housing use is an effective way to meet housing need. in line with the Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties etc) (Scotland) Act 2012. 

The council is legally obliged under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to collect and administer Council Tax, the data of which is used to assess empty properties.

• Access to personal data
• Rectification of personal data
• Erasure of personal data
• Restrict processing of personal data

Find out more about your rights

If you are an owner of an empty property you may be contacted by our Empty Homes Officer. Our Empty Homes Officer will liaise with other Council services, such as Building Standards, Environmental Health, Council Tax and may share personal information (name, address of empty property and contact details of the owner) with the aim of bringing the empty home back into occupancy. If it is not possible to establish property ownership or locate the owner of a property, the Council may share details of an empty home with a third party professional finder service where is is in the public interest.. 

The Council will report non-personal statistical data internally and to its partner organisations, to assess, manage and plan empty homes work.

Council Tax information is retained until the liability for Council Tax within Highland Council has ended and there are no outstanding Council Tax balances. Information will only be deleted where these circumstances have been met and the information is older than the current financial year plus six years.

Empty Homes case management records will be kept for 12 months from the date on which the case is closed.

Your information is not subject to automated decision making or profiling.

The data controller is The Highland Council.

Data Protection Officer
Highland Council Headquarters
Glenurquhart Road
Inverness
IV3 5NX
01463 702029  

dpo@highland.gov.uk

If you are unhappy with the way we have processed your personal information you can contact the Information Commissioner:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113

https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/