Lay My Hat

We have received a notification from the I.C.O by letter asking us to register with them at a cost of £40-£60 per year. Have checked their website and doesn't appear to be a scam. The letter says 'If you hold customers' names, addresses or phone numbers on computer, you're processing personal information and may need to pay'. I think the reason we've been contacted is we are a limited company and fall in the 'Accommodation and Food Service Sector'. Just wondered if anyone else has come across this and has any thoughts

Because I enjoy 'jumping through hoops' and to be on the safe side I registered with the Information Commissioners Office over 12 months ago and have recently renewed it.
The renewal fee was £40.00 but we only have one FHL.
I suggest you visit their website and register through that.

I remember some time ago debate about the requirement for registration as it affects our businesses, with various interpretations. FWIW my interpretation back then (and it may have been clarified since as it was probably at least 3 years ago) was that we needed to register, although I don’t recall the thought process.
Frankly it was simpler to just cough up forty quid and register.

I think it's pretty clear cut. As accommodation providers we process and store personal information that means people could be identified....?

Somewhere on the ICO site you can answer questions about the type of data you handle and it will tell you if you need to register. If you're taking your own bookings then as far as I can remember you will almost certainly need to register.

We use it in our 'booking with confidence' section to help reassure people that we're a legitimate, professional business. We have a link to the ICO site where people can search for us and verify my contact details.