Privacy Policy

The Royal Eden Docks Residents Action Group (RAG), based in London, Newham, United Kingdom (postcode area E16), is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy outlines how we handle personal data collected via our website (royaledendocks.co.uk / royaledendocks.org) and its forms (including our contact form and Join the RA / Written Resolution form).

1. Data Controller

Royal Eden Docks Residents Action Group is the data controller for any personal data you submit to us. For inquiries or requests regarding your personal data, contact us at: red-community-action-group@googlegroups.com.

2. What Information We Collect

We collect and process the following information when you use our services:

• Contact Information: Your full name, email address, building name, and flat number when you send us a message through our contact form, or your full name, email address, core/building, apartment number, and tenure status when you submit the Join the RA / Written Resolution form. You may also optionally provide a contact phone number to serve strictly as an administrative backup.
• Technical Security Data: When you submit a form, we collect your IP address and approximate location for spam prevention and security purposes. This data is processed strictly for protecting the integrity of our forms and is never used to profile or identify you for any other reason.

3. Why We Collect This Information

We process this data under the following legal bases:

• Consent: When you voluntarily submit the contact form and tick the mandatory consent checkbox.
• Legitimate Interests: To prevent spam, double-submissions, and abuse of our contact form, which is critical to keeping our site running securely for all residents.

4. Data Sharing & Use

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with any third party for marketing or commercial purposes. Your information is used exclusively for the purposes of running the Association, including:

• Responding to your message, query, or membership / written resolution submission (including contacting you via phone strictly as a backup if email communication fails or urgent validation is required).
• Verifying your status as a resident, leaseholder, or tenant.
• Sharing the minimum necessary membership details (strictly limited to Full Name, Flat Number, and Core) with Y&Y Management, Riverside Housing Association, or the First-tier Tribunal. This is a strict statutory requirement solely used to verify our 50% majority threshold for formal recognition under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

We have no current plans or intention to introduce a membership fee. Per the Constitution, Section 7.4, this could only ever change following a formal vote of Full Members, and any payment details would be requested through a separate, clearly signposted process under an updated privacy notice - never informally via this site, email, or WhatsApp.

5. How We Use Browser Storage (LocalStorage)

If you click "Accept" on our consent banner, we save a persistent unique ID (ra-client-id) in your browser's local storage. This helps our spam detection system verify submissions without collecting invasive personal tracking profiles, and works across network changes. If you select "Decline", we do not store this ID or read your local storage.

6. Data Retention

We believe in data minimization, but we also need to retain enough of a paper trail to run the Association properly and defend our records if they are ever challenged. Our retention guidelines are:

• Spam Rate-Limiting Log: IP addresses and Client IDs used for rate-limiting are stored in a temporary database and are purged after 12 months, so we can spot repeat abuse patterns across a full annual cycle.
• Submission Verification Data: Building and flat data tied to emails is retained for as long as you remain a resident, leaseholder, or tenant of the development, and for up to 6 years afterwards, so we can maintain accurate records and respond to any later queries or disputes.
• Membership & Written Resolution Records: Applications to join the Association, votes cast on the Constitution and Committee elections, and tenure status are retained for as long as the Association is in operation. If formal recognition has not been achieved within 12 months of the Written Resolution opening, all such data will be permanently deleted rather than retained indefinitely. In any event, this data is retained for no longer than 6 years after the matter it relates to is resolved or closed, in line with standard UK limitation periods for legal claims.
• Form Messages: Sent messages are stored securely in our administrative systems and are regularly reviewed, and deleted when no longer required for communicating with you or for the purposes above.

7. Your Rights

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), you have rights including:

• The right to access and receive copies of your personal data.
• The right to request rectification or erasure of your personal data.
• The right to withdraw your consent to form submission data collection at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at red-community-action-group@googlegroups.com.

8. Data Security & Anti-Hoarding Governance

We recognize that past independent attempts to form a group here resulted in the misuse of resident data. We have built a framework to help ensure this does not happen again:

• Institutional Access Only: Your data is never stored on personal local hard drives or individual personal email accounts. It is held within a secure, centralized repository, with login restricted to designated Committee Officers.
• Full Transparency, Not Silent Access: Every time an Officer views or exports the membership list, it is permanently recorded in an audit log that any Officer can review at any time. Exporting data additionally notifies every other Officer by email immediately. Nobody can access this data without the rest of the committee being able to see that they did.
• Strict Purpose Limitation: Your data will never be used for personal, political, or external commercial agendas. It is used solely for the direct remit of the Residents' Association.