Privacy & Data Protection Policy

1. Who We Are

MPI Lettings Ltd ("we", "us", "our") operates as a property lettings and management agency in Staffordshire, UK. We are committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our landlords, tenants, guarantors, prospective clients, and website visitors in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

For the purposes of data protection legislation, MPI Lettings Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller responsible for your personal data. You can view our official registration document via our ICO Certificate (PDF).

2. Information We Collect

Depending on whether you are a landlord, tenant, prospective tenant, or website visitor, we may collect and process the following personal data:

A. Landlords & Property Owners

• Contact details (Name, address, phone numbers, email addresses).
• Proof of identity and address (Passport, driving licence, utility bills for Anti-Money Laundering checks).
• Bank account details for rent transfers and payments.
• Property ownership details, mortgage information, and insurance records.

B. Tenants & Prospective Tenants / Guarantors

• Contact details (Name, phone numbers, email addresses).
• Employment details, salary, income proof, and employer references.
• Credit check results, court judgment records, and previous landlord references (via third-party referencing partners).
• Bank details and payment history.
• Right to Rent verification documents (Passports, visas, home office share codes).

C. Website Visitors & Enquirers

• Information submitted via website forms (Name, telephone, email, property address, service preferences).
• Technical data (IP addresses, browser type, and basic analytics when interacting with our site).

3. Lawful Basis for Processing Data

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases to process your personal data:

4. How We Share Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We only share personal information with third parties when necessary to fulfill legal obligations or carry out contractual lettings management:

• Deposit Protection Service (DPS): To register and safeguard tenant deposits.
• Referencing Agencies: To carry out mandatory credit, employment, and fraud checks.
• Contractors & Maintenance Tradespeople: Name, contact phone, and property access details to perform agreed maintenance or legal safety checks (e.g., Gas Safety, EICR).
• Local Authorities & Utility Companies: Transferring account responsibility for Council Tax, water, gas, and electricity at tenancy start/end.
• Legal & Regulatory Bodies: The Property Redress Scheme (PRS), Propertymark, HMRC, law enforcement, or local housing authorities when legally required.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or to satisfy legal, accounting, or regulatory requirements:

• Landlord & Tenant Contract Records: Retained for 6 years following the termination of the tenancy or contract (HMRC & Limitation Act 1980 compliance).
• Right to Rent Records: Retained for 1 year following the conclusion of the tenancy (Home Office guidelines).
• Unsuccessful Tenant/Landlord Inquiries: Retained for up to 12 months before secure deletion.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to prevent unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or loss of your personal data. Our website utilizes SSL/TLS encryption, and access to physical and digital client files is strictly restricted to authorized personnel.

7. Your Legal Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK data protection law, you have specific rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).
• Right to Rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): You can ask us to delete data where there is no legal requirement for us to keep it.
• Right to Object/Restrict: You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or request processing restrictions.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at . We respond to all valid requests within one month.

8. Complaints & The ICO

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, please contact us first so we can resolve the issue directly.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority for data protection: