Please read our general privacy notice as well as this notice.
What we do
The council’s housing options service assesses your housing situation, provides advice, information and support if you are homeless, threatened with homelessness or need housing assistance to access housing related support services. Support services could include emergency or temporary accommodation, private rented, supported housing, financial support or any other housing type or related support service.
The purposes we use your personal information for
We collect and process your personal information to provide these services to you. This will include:
- assessing your housing eligibility and needs and agreeing the advice or support you need
- assessing, maintaining and updating your homelessness application or application to a housing related support service
- allocating you or referring you to accommodation
- referring you to housing-related support services
- managing your tenancy or temporary accommodation
- compiling reports to assess demand for housing services
The personal information we collect and use
We only obtain and use the information we need to provide our services to you.
The law we use to process your personal information
Statutory legislation
The main legislation that provides us with the statutory basis to deliver our services is:
- The Housing Acts 1985, 1988, 1996, 2002, 2004
- The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
- The Localism Act 2011
- Protection from Eviction Act 1977
- Renters Rights Act 2025
The GDPR/DPA conditions we meet
The conditions that we use to process your personal information are:
- Public task: the processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law
- Legal obligation: the processing is necessary for us to comply with the law
Special category personal information
We also use these additional conditions to process your special category personal information:
- Health or social care: the processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and service
- Employment, social security (1) or social protection (2): the processing is necessary for the carrying out of obligations under employment, social security or social protection law
- Public interest: the processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest
(1) Social security law governs the benefits system, which provides practical help and financial support to people who are unemployed, on low income, bringing up children, retired, are carers, are ill or have a disability.
(2) Social protection law governs the financial assistance and services provided to those in need or at risk of hardship. It provides a safety net to protect the vulnerable in society: those who are unable to make provision for a minimum decent standard of living.
Who we may share your information with
- Other departments in BCP & Dorset Council, including Housing Benefit & Council Tax and Adult & Children’s services
- Dorset Home Choice landlord partners E.g. Magna, Sovereign, Aster and others
- Judicial Agencies e.g. Courts
- Police
- The Courts, law enforcement agencies and bodies undertaking the collection of debts
- Health Agencies, E.g. GP practices, Community Mental Health team, Hospitals
- Education Providers
- Suppliers of gas, water, electricity, digital communications, satellite TVs, mobile providers
- Money and debt advice agencies
- Other Local Authorities
- Immigration Services
- The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
- Safeguarding Boards
- Emergency Accommodation providers i.e. bed and breakfast landlords
- Elected Members & MPs (as your representative)
- Data Reference and Credit Agencies
- Other Landlords – Housing Associations, Registered Providers and private landlords
- The Council may also share your personal information with service areas within the Council or other relevant organisations for purposes which may include law enforcement.
- The National Prison & Probation Service
- Housing Related Support providers
- Community Land Trusts
How long we keep information about you
We will only keep this personal information for no longer than is necessary, and for a maximum of 6 years after your last contact with us.
For enquiries regarding the conditions set out in this notice relating to how we will use your personal information please contact:
Housing Options Services
Civic Centre
Bourne Ave
Bournemouth
BH2 6DY
Or email bcphousingadvice@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.
Page last updated: 30 March 2026.