Access to Information

Freedom of Information (Scotland Act) 2002 and Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004

We are committed to ensuring openness and transparency and being accountable in carrying out our activities as a registered social landlord in Scotland.

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) gives you the right to ask us for information about the housing services that we deliver and for information that we have provided to the Scottish Housing Regulator about our financial wellbeing and governance.  You can also ask us for the environmental information that we hold under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EISRs). 

We already publish a large amount of information on our website and the Scottish Housing Regulator also publishes information about our activities and performance.  See SHR Landlord Directory  for more information.  Before requesting information from us, please browse our website and the Scottish Housing Regulator’s website to find out if the information you are looking for has already been published.  We also publish the information that we have previously disclosed in response to requests in our Access to Information Disclosure Log (Disclosure Log)   You can save yourself time by checking what has already been published, as we will normally direct you to that source when you make a request to us.

Publication Scheme and Guide to Information

FOISA requires us to produce and maintain a publication scheme and accompanying guide to information.  We have adopted the Model Publication Scheme produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner.  Our Guide to Information shows what information we publish and how you can access it.

Information included in our publication scheme can be freely downloaded from our website.  If you do not have access to the Internet, you can contact us or visit our offices to access this information.  We may charge if you use this method in line with our Access to Information Charging Statement - this must be paid before the information is provided to you.

Information not listed in the publication scheme

If the information you wish to access is not included in our publication scheme or otherwise published by us, you may submit a request under FOISA or the EISRs to us and we must provide it to you, unless an exemption applies.  Your request does not have to explain why you want the information, but it may help us to deal with your request more satisfactorily. 

Other things to keep in mind when making your request are:

  • Keep your request separate from any correspondence which deals with other issues to allow us to identify your request and respond quickly, separately from any other issues.
  • Keep your request polite, as we can refuse to comply with requests containing inappropriate or abusive language.
  • You can only ask us for recorded information that we hold.  If you ask us for an opinion on an issue, this may not be recorded and your request may be refused.
  • Ask us for advice and assistance in preparing your request, if you are experiencing any difficulties.
  • Focus on the information that you really need and keep your request simple.
  • Be as specific as you can (including dates, if possible) when describing the information you wish to access.  Wide-ranging and vague requests may result in the response taking longer or your request being refused on cost grounds. 
  • Submit your request to our dedicated contact address pineviewdpo@informationlawsolutions.co.uk to ensure your request is directed to the correct person quickly.
  • Provide a telephone number in case we need to contact you about your request.

We may charge for handling and responding to your request in accordance with our Access to Information Charging Statement - as referred to above.

We must respond to your FOISA request within 20 working days from when we received it (subject to time required for clarifications and payment of any charges), although we may extend the response time for your EISRs request by up to 20 working days in certain circumstances.

If you are dissatisfied with our response to your request, you may ask us to review how we handled and responded to your request. 

If you remain dissatisfied with our response to your request for review, you may apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner - Appealing to SIC