Updated 6 October 2022
We were made aware on Saturday (1 October) that Swale Heating had emailed a number of West Kent residents on Friday with a link to sign up for their customer portal.
Following an investigation, Swale Heating confirmed the emails were sent in error following a system upgrade.
We know this may have been worrying for some residents, as they did not know Swale Heating provided a service for West Kent and some were concerned about the security of their personal data.
We take data security very seriously and have put together some short FAQs that should answer any questions you might have.
- Why does Swale Heating have my information?
Swale Heating stores information about West Kent tenants on its secure system to enable the company to carry out gas repairs in the event that iNHomes is unavailable.
We have a contract with Swale Heating that sets out how we expect them to store and use this information.
Swale Heating has assured us that residents have only received data about themselves. Swale Heating only have the information that is completely necessary to provide the repairs service. To find out more about how we process and store your information, please read our Privacy Notice.
- Why do they have to store my information, rather than being provided it on an ‘as and when needed’ basis?
Swale Heating would cover the repairs service in an emergency situation, which could include West Kent’s systems being down. Swale Heating only have the information that is completely necessary to provide the repairs service.
We understand it is concerning that emails have been sent out incorrectly. We have taken this very seriously and have conducted a full investigation with Swale Heating.
As a result of this investigation, we are confident that residents’ data is secure and being processed in line with data protection regulations.