Two laws you may be breaking without realising it
Recently I saw a host worrying about some US citizens travelling to her property who hadn’t given any information except for two of their first names Ali and Ali. They seemed mainly worried about the lack of reviews for the guests and the inconsistency of the names (they said they were husband and wife). In the replies lots of people gave emotional support and some gave experience.
However, no one mentioned one very important fact.
By law there is some information that you must collect from your guests and the information given to this host wasn’t enough.
The Visit England Pink Book says that you need to collect the Full Name, and Nationality of all guests over the age of 16. You also need to record the Passport number (or other ID) and details of their next destination for all guests who are not British, Irish, or nationals of Commonwealth nations.
If asked by the police or by a home office official, you must keep this data for 12 months so you can give it to the police or a Home Office official if requested.
It also says, ‘Even if your local police force has traditionally shown no interest in these records, circumstances could change.’
Given that more regulation is being discussed across the whole of the UK I don’t think it will be too long before registration comes in and following that inspections. It would be wise to make sure you are following the law, even if it is a little known one currently.
To make it even more complicated by following the law you may need to comply with another law. The Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018. If you hold this data electronically you need to register with the ICO (information Commissioners Office) and pay their annual fee (£40 for most).
I use my rental agreement to collect this information. Every time a booking comes in, they have to fill in a rental agreement which asks them for this information and explains why. This is then archived by my channel manager and kept for 12 months.
Do you collect this information? If not how are you going to?
- Pink Book https://www.visitbritain.org/business-advice/registration-and-data-protection
- The Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1972/1689/made
- The Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111165782/contents
- https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/self-assessment/
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