UK Data Protection Act - how am I affected?
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 3:08 pm
I am using this system - but I wonder what I need to do to ensure I'm complying with the UK Data Protection Act?
Our interpretation of the act is that there is not a problem for a Holiday Cottage owner using the “Holiday Letting System” - in fact using this system will help you comply.
The information you will record with LetSys is limited to handling a core business activity and you hold only that information necessary for the purpose of reasonable management of your lets. Therefore you would be exempt from the registration process defined by the act. You would still need to follow a few rules – not a terribly onerous job.
- Your customers will understand that you need their names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers in order to handle their booking, and they can’t book unless they give you this information.
- If you want to use the customer data for mail shots, you might want to put something into the small print of your letting agreement, giving them the right to opt out (see suggestion below). There is an “exclude from mailshots” switch in the Holiday Letting System for each let for this purpose.
- You shouldn’t sell information on without telling people – few of us would.
- You will need to keep information secure; for example, ensure you destroy backups before throwing them in the dustbin – this is no different from shredding a written list of last years letting details before putting it into the bin.
- You have to let people see the data you hold on them if they ask – but you can make a charge for this.
Below is a clause that we have included in the sample “Booking Conditions” delivered with this system, to assist you to communicate their rights to your customers, should you decide this is appropriate: (Note these sample booking conditions are to be found at the end of the sample booking form, supplied in the web folder, normally C:\LetSys\Web\bookform.htm )
DATA PROTECTION ACT: Customer details essential for running the business are kept on a computer. We commit to keep this data secure, and never to share it outside the business. You have the right (a) to request that we don't send you any information - eg on future availability (b) to see any information we hold – although we will make a small charge for this.
See the reference above for more information. Although we've spent quite a bit of time on this, it is our interpretation and has not been through specialist lawyers.
Brendan.