Privacy Policy

This privacy statement describes how Coastal Housing demonstrates its commitment to privacy. The following discloses the information gathering and distribution practices for this website.

What information do we collect about you?
Coastal Housing does not capture or store any personal information about individuals who browse this website, except where you voluntarily choose to give us your personal details via email or an online form to enquire or apply for any of our services. We will only do this when we require that information for specific purposes, for example to answer an enquiry you have submitted or send information that you have requested.
If at any time after giving us personal information you decide that you no longer wish us to hold or use this information, you are free to notify us, and we will make all reasonable endeavours to remove the information, promptly.

What about Cookies?
Cookies are files which are sent to your computer or other access device from a web site which can be accessed at a later time by the same web site. Cookies do not contain any personal information about you and cannot be used to identify an individual user. We use cookies to provide us with anonymous information on how people use our website and to help us to know what they find interesting and useful on our website.

Most web browsers accept cookies by default. However, if you are uncomfortable with cookies, you may be able to set your web browser to refuse all cookies or to let you know when a cookie is sent to your computer – you can then choose whether to accept the cookie, or not.

Cookies may be either “persistent” cookies or “session” cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed. We only use session cookies on this website.

Cookies we use on this website

(a) Authentication
We use cookies to identify admin login via the log in page: Cookies generated include wordpress_sec_*
This handles login for website admins. (Session cookie)

(b) Status 
We use cookies to help us to determine if you are logged into our website
Cookies used for this purpose are: wordpress_logged_in_* (Session cookie)

(c) Security
We use cookies as an element of the security measures used to protect user accounts, including preventing fraudulent use of login credentials, and to protect our website and services generally. (Session cookie)

(d) Analysis
We use cookies to help us to analyse the use and performance of our website and services.
We use Google Analytics to analyse the use of our website. Google Analytics gathers information about website use by means of cookies. The information gathered relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of our website. Our service providers use cookies and those cookies may be stored on your computer when you visit our website.
Google’s privacy policy is available at: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

Cookies set on this site

(a) https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en (Chrome);
(b) https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences (Firefox);
(c) http://www.opera.com/help/tutorials/security/cookies/ (Opera);
(d) https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies (Internet Explorer);
(e) https://support.apple.com/kb/PH21411 (Safari); and
(f) https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10-microsoft-edge-and-privacy (Edge).

Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites.
If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.

Information to improve our website
Coastal Housing collects and stores only the following information that is automatically recognised: the date and time, the originating IP, the type of browser and operating system used, the URL of the referring page, the object requested, and the completion status of the request. Visitors to our website remain anonymous as none of the data collected is linked to any personal information. The information only allows us to diagnose problems with our server, and assess the popularity of the pages on the website, so that we can continually improve our site.

Notification of changes
As Coastal Housing creates new services, this may generate a need to amend this privacy statement. We reserve the right at our discretion to make changes to this policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for changes.

Links to other websites
This website contains links to other websites of interest. Once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the other website’s privacy statement.

How we protect your data
The General Data Protection Regulation, (or G.D.P.R) and the Data Protection Act 2018 set out rules about how Coastal Housing Group is able to collect, manage, use and keep any personal data it holds; this includes sensitive personal data. This may be personal data we collected from you or provided by other organisations.

Your Rights

• G.D.P.R. gives you more rights over your personal data, such as:
  The right to be informed – to know what information is collected about you and how we will us it.
• The right of access – to know what information is held about you.
• The right to rectification – to change data we hold which is inaccurate.
• The right to be forgotten/right of erasure – to delete your data if we no longer have a good reason to retain it.
• The right to restrict processing – to limit the way we use your data in certain circumstances.
• The right to data portability – to receive personal data you have provided in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format.
• The right to object to us using your data – in certain circumstances. Where you have given consent to use your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent.

Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling
You have the right to object the use of automated decision making at any time and if you would prefer for your application to be dealt with by a person you just need to let us know. We will let you know before we use any automated systems to make a decision regarding you.

If you think we have not met these rights you can call us to discuss or to complain. You can also lodge a complaint with the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and / or Information Commissioners Office.

What is personal data?
Personal data is information which, on its own or with other information, can be used to identify who you are. Personal data can be, but is not limited to:

• Your name
• Your date of birth
• Your financial details (including your National Insurance Number)
• Employment details
• Benefit information

Special categories of data such as:

• Religion
• Sexuality
• Racial or ethnic origin
• Political beliefs
• Trade union membership
• Health issues

Using your personal information
Coastal Housing Group may require and use your personal information in a number of ways:

• At your request prior to entering into a contract such as making an application for housing or for a job.
• To make sure any obligations in a contract are met such as your Tenancy Agreement or a contract of employment.
• To run credit checks.
• Where there is a legitimate business interest (unless your fundamental rights and freedoms require us to protect your personal data).
• To make sure the services we provide are of a high standard (reviewing and improving the services we provide. This may include training our employees, testing/upgrading our technology or to learn about other processes we can use to improve the administration of the organisation or other business activities.)
• To survey your opinion on the services Coastal Housing Group provide.
• Where we are required to meet legal or regulatory responsibilities.

Coastal may share your personal information with:

• A credit reference agency, who may share information back with us – click here to find out more
• Contractors from our approved list.
• Other companies and agencies to whom you have given your permission.
• Other companies and agencies if we are required to do so by law.
• Other companies who carry out work on our behalf (sometimes called “data processors”) to ensure our services are carried out efficiently and to a high standard.

Where we share information we ensure they those we are sending it to also meet our data standards so that your information remains secure. Coastal may have to get you permission to use your personal information if, for example:

• You are a member of the Social Circle.
• If we want to inform you of events we are holding.
• To invite you to join service improvement groups.
• To process special categories of data (where there is not a legal or regulatory requirement to hold it.)
• Where you have provided consent you may be able to withdraw this at any time.

Coastal will hold your personal data for as long as is set out in our Retention schedule or for as long as is necessary to meet our legal or regulatory responsibilities, whichever is the longer. At such time your personal data will be deleted or anonymized in accordance with our Data Protection Policy.

Further information
You can obtain further information on G.D.P.R. from the Information Commissioners Office. You can also use this address to report a concern, or call them on 0303 123 1113.

Contact us
To discuss anything in this document, to give us consent to contact you or to withdraw consent you have previously given, please contact our Data Protection Officer, Jamie Saunders on 01792 479200.