Housing data specification

Requirements:

• Data should only be submitted via the Data File Upload (DFU) facility. This is now the only acceptable method to supply data. If another submission method is used our policy is to inform the Director of Finance that data has been put at risk unnecessarily.
• Data should only be provided in relation to residential properties. Do not submit data for garages, sheds etc.
• Data should be provided for all named tenants i.e. first named tenants, joint tenants or other tenants. Do not provide data for dependents.
• In order to ensure that the submission of data using the new DFU facility is as straightforward as possible data should now be uploaded in two separate files:
  1. Current named tenants including those where a right to buy purchase is in progress; and
  2. Former tenants who completed a right to buy application between 1 April 2009 to the date of extract (4 October 2012), or as a minimum 1 April 2012 to date of extract.
• The Commission is also considering adding the following additional fields to this data specification; telephone number (home and mobile), email address, Right to Buy application stage, amount of Right to Buy discount awarded . This will be confirmed by 31 May 2012.

Field name	Data format	Comments	Fields required
			1	2
Tenant status flag	Character	Insert a flag to indicate where the tenant is first named tenant or other. ‘F’ for first named or joint tenant ‘O’ for 2nd, 3rd, etc named tenant.
Surname	Character
Forename(s)	Character	Revised – Please ensure you capture any middle name(s) or initial(s). You can provide this in a separate Middle name(s) or middle initial(s) field or in the ‘Forename(s)’ cell if preferred.
Middle name(s) or middle initial(s)	Character
Address line 1	Character	Where the address is a permanent address.
Address line 2	Character
Address line 3	Character
Address line 4	Character
Home telephone number	Numeric	New fields – inclusion in the final data specification to be confirmed by the Audit Commission by 31 May 2012.
Mobile telephone number	Numeric
Email address	Character
Post code	Character
Date of birth	Date
National Insurance Number	Character
Number living permanently at address	Numeric
Tenant/account reference	Character	This uniquely identifies the person.
Housing benefit reference	Character	Include the housing benefit reference if applicable.
Right to buy flag	Character	Insert ‘I’ in this field to identify where a purchase is in progress (current tenant) under right to buy or a ‘C’, where the purchase is complete (former tenant).
Right to buy application stage	Numeric	New field – Insert stage 1 to 10 in line with DCLG guidance on stages of a RTB application. Inclusion in final data specification to be confirmed by the Audit Commission by 31 May 2012.
Tenancy start date	Date
Tenancy end date	Date	Included as an independent check that only current tenants are included.
Right to buy completion date	Date
Amount of Right to Buy discount awarded	Numeric	New field. Inclusion in final data specification to be confirmed by Audit Commission by 31 May 2012.