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Housing Strategy Property Acquisition privacy notice

1. Council contact details

1.1. West Northamptonshire Council
Registered Office:
One Angel Square
Angel Street
Northampton
NN1 1ED

Contact centre telephone: 0300 126 7000

The Data Controller is West Northamptonshire Council

ICO registration number: ZA896620

The Housing Strategy team can be contacted by email at [email protected]

1.2. This privacy notice sets out the information for the Council’s Housing Strategy Service which covers:

  • Owner-occupiers (or their agents) who have offered West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) the opportunity to purchase their residential property under the owner’s obligation as per the Right of First Refusal, provided for in the Housing Acts 2004, 1985.
  • Owner-occupiers (or their agents) who have offered their residential property for sale which is not liable to the aforementioned Right of First Refusal.

Property acquisitions may occur by exercising our statutory Right of First Refusal. The processing is necessary for us to comply with the law. Under its exercise of the Right of First Refusal, the Council is under a legal duty to comply with specific regulations and procedural necessities.

This notice explains what personal data (information) we hold about you and your nominee, how we collect, how we use and may share information about you. We are required to give you this information under data protection law.

1.3. This privacy notice should be read in conjunction with the Corporate Privacy Notice and the Data Protection Policy

2. Information that we hold

2.1. Information about the types of data we collect to deliver this service

The personal and special category data we collect varies according to the purpose of the contact.  Applications for our services are not restricted to people living or working in Northamptonshire. Anyone is entitled to contact the Council about our service.

The information we hold may include:

  • Personal information and contact details such as name, title, addresses, telephone numbers, and personal email addresses
  • Personal demographics (including date of birth, marital status, civil partnerships)
  • Property ownership details, proof of title and any charges on property Company information, such as directors information, and company registration and VAT numbers
  • Audio-visual information, such as photos, audio recordings, and video recording.

3. How and why your information is collected and used

3.1. How we collect this personal information

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you in the following ways:

  • Application form
  • Telephone
  • Email or in writing
  • Face to face

3.2. Why we collect your information

There are a number of reasons why we need to collect and use your personal information.

Much of what we do in Housing is governed by legislation, set nationally, which requires us to provide various services across West Northamptonshire.

We process personal data to deliver public tasks outlined in the follow pieces of legislation:

  • The Housing (Right of First Refusal) (England) Regulations (2005)
  • Housing Act (1985, 2004)

The information we collect, and store is also used to provide an auditable record of service delivery and enables us to contact people initiating reports/issues to request further information or provide updates.

Whenever we collect information, we always limit this to only the details that are needed. We ensure that data is used and stored safely and securely. We require anyone we share information with, or who uses it on our behalf, to do so too. All Housing Strategy staff have received training on data protection and information security.

3.3. Lawful processing

We rely on the following lawful reasons to process your person data in the Property Response Service

UK GDPR Article 6

  1. Explicit consent has been provided by the data subject;

4. What we do with the information

4.1. How we use your personal information

  • To exercise our Right of First Refusal (as per the Housing Acts 2004, 1985)
  • To assess, progress, and complete your request for West Northamptonshire Council to purchase your residential property
  • The above purposes may include, for example:
    • The inspection and valuation, of your property by Council officers, and private contractors such as surveyors.
    • Making payments as per the purchase of your property
    • The assessment of your property in relation to Council need, demand, and supply data
    • The assessment of your personal circumstances by Council officers and services

4.2. Who we share your information with

In order to deliver a range of Housing Strategy services, to undertake our statutory and non-statutory duties as a Local Authority and for us to deliver associated projects or programmes, it is often necessary for us to share information across the council, including Legal Services, Northamptonshire Partnership Homes, Appointed Estate Agents, Mortgage Providers, Appointed solicitors or legal representatives, private companies such as surveyors. 

When we publish information in public, we will follow procedures that we have in place to remove personal data associated with the record.

We will share personal information with law enforcement agencies or other authorities only if required by applicable law and in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

4.3. Automated Decision making

We do not use automated decision making for this processing. Automated decision-making is where decisions are made about you without any human influence on the outcome. These may affect your legal rights or have an impact on your circumstances, behavior or choices.

4.4. Data Profiling

There is no profiling undertaken in relation to this processing. Profiling is where parts of an individual’s personality, behavior, interests and habits are analysed to identify their preferences, make predictions or decisions about them.

4.5. Automated Processing including AI

The Housing Strategy service does not use automated processing or Artificial Intelligence in respect of your personal data.

E.g. Automated processing includes use of internal or external text generation tools to create case file notes and reports. Artificial Intelligence includes the use of software to complete tasks more usually undertaken by people.

5. How long we keep your information for and how we securely dispose of it after use

5.1. Information about how your personal data is kept

We only keep information for as long as it is needed in line with the council’s retention schedule. This will differ according to the type of information we hold and its purpose. It will be based on either a legal requirement (where a law says we have to keep information for a specific period of time), a regulatory requirement or accepted business practice.

5.2. We will securely dispose of your information in line with the Council's Retention Schedules.

6. How we store your information

6.1. Physical (paper) records

The Housing Strategy Service do not retain physical information

6.2 Electronic information

Digital data is securely stored on the council’s computer network or on cloud severs in the UK, EEA and in countries with adequacy or that have a regulator approved Privacy Framework (such as the USA).

7. Your data protection rights

7.1. The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we can use it. Please see section 5 of the council’s the council's Privacy Policy for further information.

7.2. Please be aware that your rights may differ depending on the lawful basis for processing your personal data.

8. Who to contact

8.1. If you would like further information about how we use your personal information, or you wish to exercise one of your data rights or you wish to complain about the use of your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer.

8.2. If you are still dissatisfied with how we have used your data once you have made a complaint through the council’s internal complaints procedure you have the right to complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

9. Changes to this Service Privacy Notice

9.1. Privacy notices are live documents and will be updated or revised periodically in line with service changes and / or new legislation requirements.

This privacy notice was last updated Feb 2026

The update reference number is: PNS/26/051/Z

Last updated 02 February 2026