Call Recording

Some telephone calls may be recorded to improve the customer experience. This privacy notice explains how those call recordings are managed. 

Info This privacy notice was last reviewed on 23 September 2024.

The type of personal information we collect

We currently process the following information about you: 

  • A recording of the conversation  
  • Your telephone number 

To make a payment over the telephone you require to use your telephone keypad to provide your payment details – no payment information is recorded.  

How we get the personal information and why we have it

We may record calls made to and from the following services: 

Link Housing Association

  • Customer Support
  • Find a Home 
  • Income
  • Area Housing Offices (Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk and Bathgate)
  • Management team and Executive Assistant

C~urb

  • Shared Ownership
  • Factoring
  • Lettings
  • Property Maintenance
  • PSL 

Horizon Housing Association

  • Customer Support
  • Housing Management 
  • Asset Management 

West Highland Housing Association

  • Business Support
  • Housing Management 
  • Asset Management 

Link Group 

  • Reception

You may request that your call isn't recorded. In this situation, you may be advised to contact us by email. In exceptional circumstances, for example when we determine that continuing to record could cause harm or distress to the caller, you may be transferred to a non-recorded phone.

What do we do with the information?

We use the recordings of telephone calls for:   

  • Quality monitoring –  Written records only provide partial information. A call recording provides a more rounded view and allows us to better understand customer experience and assess the processes applied. This can help us identify any improvement areas.  
  • Training and Development –  Listening to a sample number of calls, allows managers to identify training needs. Sample scenarios are based on the recordings, but any transcripts are anonymised.  
  • Gaining a better understanding of our customers –  Many calls are verbally resolved without the need to complete any records. Listening to sample calls will help us better understand our customer needs and gain a more informed view of organisations we signpost to.  
  • Complaints and disputes –  Some calls are verbally resolved. Where information is entered onto an electronic system this becomes the established record. In the event of a complaint or dispute, a call recording (if available), may provide additional information to help us investigate any allegations.  
  • Employee safety and wellbeing –  A recording may become a vital piece of evidence in the event of any threats being made to the organisation or an individual.  
  • Managed contact — to obtain evidence for applying the Unacceptable Actions Policy. 

  We may share recordings of the calls, in limited circumstances, with Police Scotland (or other law enforcement agencies and government departments).   

Legal basis for processing

Personal data 

We have a legitimate interest in recording telephone conversations.  

Special category data 

We process your special category data for reasons of substantial public interest (equality of opportunity and treatment). 

How we store your personal information

The recordings of telephone conversations are securely stored on the provider's secure cloud-based platform.   

How long we keep your personal information

Recordings of telephone conversations are stored for three months. This may be extended if there is a threat to the health and safety of staff and customers, or to the prevention and detection of crime. 

To view how long we keep your personal data, please visit our retention schedule here.

Your rights 

Your right of access

You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. 

Your right to rectification

You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. 

Your right to erasure

You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances. 

Your right to restriction of processing

You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. 

Your right to object to processing

You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to data portability

You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.  

Please contact us at business@horizonhousing.org if you wish to make a request.  

How to complain 

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at Leving House, Fairbairn Place, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6TN or by email at business@horizonhousing.org

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.  

The ICO’s address:              

Information Commissioner’s Office  

Wycliffe House  

Water Lane  

Wilmslow  

Cheshire  

SK9 5AF  

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113  

ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk