Privacy policy
Last updated: 2 August 2026
Who we are
Housing Standards Academy provides online continuing professional development
training for housing and environmental health professionals. This policy explains what
personal data we collect through housingstandardsacademy.co.uk, why we collect it, how
long we keep it, and what rights you have.
If you have any question about this policy, or you want to exercise any of the rights
set out below, email info@housingstandardsacademy.co.uk.
The personal data we collect
When you apply for a course pilot: your name, work email address,
contact number if you choose to give one, job title, employer or organisation, your level
of HHSRS experience, which pilot course you are applying for, and anything you write in
the free text boxes.
When you register or enrol on a course: your name, email address,
username, and the password you set. Passwords are stored in an encrypted form that we
cannot read.
While you use a course: which lessons you have opened and completed,
your quiz answers and scores, your progress through the course, and any certificate
issued to you.
When you give course feedback: your ratings, your written comments,
and whether you have agreed that we may quote you.
When you contact us: whatever you choose to include in your message.
Automatically: your IP address, browser and device information, and
the pages you visit, collected through cookies and similar technologies.
Why we use it, and our lawful basis
- To assess your pilot application and tell you the outcome. Our lawful
basis is your consent, which you give by ticking the box on the application form. - To provide the course you have enrolled on, record your progress and issue
your certificate. Our lawful basis is performance of our contract with you. - To collect and act on course feedback. Our lawful basis is your
consent. - To reply to your enquiries. Our lawful basis is our legitimate
interest in responding to people who contact us. - To keep the website secure, working and improving. Our lawful basis
is our legitimate interest in running a reliable service. - To tell you about future courses. Our lawful basis is your consent,
and every such message contains an unsubscribe link.
We do not sell your personal data. We do not use it to make automated decisions that
produce legal effects for you.
Course feedback and testimonials
Pilot places are offered free on the condition that you complete your assigned course
and submit the end of course feedback. That feedback is used to improve the training.
We will only publish a quotation from you, whether attributed or anonymous, if you have
separately agreed to it. Agreeing that we may ask you is not the same as agreeing that we
may publish, and you can decline or withdraw at any time by emailing us.
Who we share it with
We use a small number of service providers who process data on our behalf under
contract, and who may not use it for their own purposes:
- Hostinger, for website hosting and email.
- Google, for website tag management and analytics.
We do not share your personal data with anyone else unless we are required to do so by
law, or to establish or defend a legal claim.
International transfers
Some of our service providers may process data outside the United Kingdom. Where that
happens, the transfer is made under the safeguards permitted by UK data protection law,
such as an adequacy decision or standard contractual clauses.
How long we keep it
- Pilot applications that are not accepted: 12 months, then deleted.
- Course accounts and learning records: for as long as you hold an
account with us, and for 3 years afterwards, so that we can confirm your CPD completion if
you need us to. - Course feedback: retained in anonymised form for course improvement.
- Enquiries: 24 months.
Cookies and analytics
This website uses cookies that are necessary for it to work, including cookies that keep
you signed in to your course account and cookies set by our caching system to make pages
load quickly.
We also use Google Tag Manager, which may load analytics that tell us how the site is
being used, such as which pages are visited and for how long. This helps us improve the
site and the courses.
You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings. If you block cookies that
are necessary for the site to work, parts of the course platform may not function.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to ask us to give you a copy of your
personal data, to correct it if it is wrong, to delete it, to restrict how we use it, to
object to our using it, and to receive it in a portable format. Where we rely on your
consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time, and withdrawing it does not affect
anything we did lawfully before you withdrew it.
To exercise any of these rights, email info@housingstandardsacademy.co.uk. We will normally
respond within one month.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you can complain to the
Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page. Where the
change is significant, we will tell enrolled learners by email.