
Letter confirming no data held in response to data subject request
- At-a-glance checklist
- Clear and easy to understand
- Helps you comply with the UK GDPR
This template letter confirming no data held in response to a data subject request will allow you to respond to an individual who has made a request in relation to their personal data (eg a request to access, amend, delete or transfer it) and your searches reveal that you do not have any relevant personal data about that individual.
Even if you do not hold any relevant information, you should write to the individual who made the request to confirm this. This template will allow you to produce such a letter.
You should also keep a record of the extent of the searches you have carried out, so that if the individual is not satisfied with your response, you can show that you took all reasonable steps to locate the personal data.
You can also get this template letter as part of the Data subject request toolkit.
Q&A
When should I use this document?
Use this template letter when you have carried out searches in response to a data subject request and have discovered that you do not hold any relevant personal data in relation to the individual making the request.
What does this document cover?
This template letter confirms that no personal data is held in response to a data subject request, and allows you to explain, where relevant, that the data has been deleted in accordance with your data retention policy, or has been anonymised.
Why do I need this document?
Even if you discover that no data is held on an individual who makes a data subject request, you have a legal obligation to respond to that individual and confirm that is the case. Individuals have a right to know either way whether their personal data is being used by you.
This letter will assist you in complying with that obligation.
Where can I find out more?
For further guidance on how to deal with a request from an individual about their personal data, see Data subject requests in general.
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