Last Updated on December 4, 2025 by Joy Kyalo
As the market continues to evolve digitally, communication has become the most integral part of a business. Telecommunication has also evolved from traditional landlines to virtual numbers and VoIP landlines, helping global companies communicate locally with customers.
One feature of these numbers is the ability to record calls for future reference. However, is it legal to record calls in the UK? While individuals can record personal calls as much as they want, businesses must seek consent.
I know you have ever called a business, and after greetings, you are always notified that the call is being recorded for security reasons. A legal framework has been established concerning call recording in the UK.
Whether you are simply communicating with customers about a delayed order or have a call center department handling multiple calls back-to-back, you must understand the legislation that regulates call recording. This guide will help you understand call recording laws in the UK.
Key Takeaways
- Recording phone calls in the UK is legal, but businesses must obtain explicit consent unless legally required.
- Transparency and proper notice to customers are essential for GDPR and Data Protection Act compliance.
- Secure storage, retention policies, and controlled access are required to protect sensitive call data.
- Non-compliance can result in fines, legal claims, reputational damage, and operational disruptions.
An overview of call recording regulations in the UK
Recording a customer’s call without consent means breaching their privacy, which falls under the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018. These laws protect consumers’ privacy rights.
Under GDPR, businesses can record calls, which is generally legal but must fulfill certain requirements. The requirements include;
Consent:
Consent should not be coerced; it must be freely given to the business, and the individual must be notified that the call is being recorded.
Customers must be notified that the call is being recorded to give them an option of declining the call or going ahead with it. Individuals have the option of declining to give consent for their calls to be recorded.
However, there are some circumstances where consent may not be required, depending on the recording. Call recordings that involve compliance with legal obligations, financial interest pursued by the business, or a contract will be recorded without the parties’ consent.
Transparency:
Customers must be informed that the call is being recorded, why it is being recorded, and how it will be used.
For instance, a marketing company can record calls to improve sales strategies, and the recording will be used as a survey.
Pro Tip: Know Your Rights When Calls Are Recorded
Always ask if your calls are being recorded and why – businesses must get your explicit consent, store recordings securely, and let you access them on request. Knowing this protects your privacy and ensures your rights under UK law.
Call recording should be on a lawful basis:
While businesses may have various reasons to record calls, the recordings should be lawful. The individual should give explicit consent for the call recording. Notifying the individual that the call is being recorded is not sufficient.
Storage and access to call recordings:
Companies should have clear data storage and retention policies stating how long the call recording will be stored and how it will be disposed of. Companies are allowed to hold recordings for as long as necessary and after the retention period, it must be disposed of securely.
As a customer/ client, you have the right to ask for the call recording data being held by the company. Once a user requests their call recording, it should be released to them within 30 days.
Call quality control:
Quality standards and policies tend to change so business owners have to review their data or call recordings to ensure it aligns with policies. Quality insurance helps uncover discrepancies during customers’ interactions with the company.
Various industries have been impacted by call recording compliance, which we will be highlighting in the next section.
Which industries are affected by call recording compliance?
Call center: Call center agencies often handle many calls in a day, whether inbound or outbound. They are known for ensuring the company offers good customer service and support. Handling many calls means the company must comply with call recording regulations for quality service control.
Call centers must get customers’ or callers’ explicit consent before they record calls.
Healthcare: The healthcare industry deals with patients’ sensitive data, where some, may not want their information leaked. Data Protection Act 2018 sets standards for protecting sensitive patient information, and therefore healthcare industry must be compliant with these rules.
Healthcare must have a legitimate reason, such as improving the patient’s care, for recording patient’s calls, and must be given explicit consent before. However, if the call is to fulfill legal obligations, the call can be recorded without consent.
Financial services: Banks and investment firms must record calls for their clients for the execution of their clients’ transactions, payments, transmission, customer support, and orders. Financial services calls may include agreements with third-party companies on behalf of the client.
These financial institutions must comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR. Some calls may need to be recorded without customers’ consent, especially if they are for legal or financial purposes.
Government entities: We all know that government entities struggle with competence, making it hard for them to address challenges facing the country effectively. That’s why it leverages calls to enhance communication and transparency with its people. The call recordings are mainly used for quality assurance, staff training, or even to protect staff from abusive calls.
What are the risks of non-compliance with GDPR in call recording?
Penalties: Businesses that fail to comply with call recording compliance may incur fines and penalties of up to 4% of the company’s annual turnover. Companies may also be charged €20 million.
Legal claims: Breaching GDPR may lead to legal claims. Individuals can file lawsuits against companies, which may lead to damages.
Reputational damage: Failure to comply with the Data Privacy Act may ruin the company’s reputation. Customers and partners will lose trust in your company, negatively impacting the business.
Loss of data: Non-compliance with the GDPR is often associated with a lack of adequate security measures, which can result in the loss or leakage of sensitive personal data.
Disruptions in the day-to-day operation: Investigations and legal suits can disrupt normal business operations, resulting in additional financial losses.
Additional regulation: Companies that fail to comply with the GDPR may face increased oversight and regulation from authorities, which may result in additional compliance and ongoing monitoring requirements.
How to ensure compliance with call recording
Understanding regulations
As we have seen, call recording is protected by the Data Protection Act and GDPR in the UK. Before recording calls of your clients, you must understand the legal framework so that you can go through the whole process legally.
Obtain explicit customer consent
Always ensure you obtain explicit consent from your customers before recording any call. Additionally, you must notify them before and the reason for the call recording so that you can give them the choice of accepting or dismissing the call. This is unless the call is for legal purposes.
Implement robust data protection measures
Customers’ sensitive data need proper storage and secure disposal. You can add additional protection measures, secure storage, and only access passwords.
Employees should also be taught how to store customers’ recordings and be accessible when they ask for the data.
Establish a call recording retention policy
Transparency is key when handling customers’ data. Having a policy on how you collect, store, and dispose of data will help customers sign up for something they are aware of. The policy should also include the duration for which the data will be stored.
In conclusion, is it legal to record phone calls in the UK? Recording phone calls in the UK is legal, however, businesses must meet provisions laid out by the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Companies must get explicit consent from parties involved in the call before recording the calls unless its sole purpose is legal obligations. Additionally, there must be utmost transparency, by allowing customers to know why the call is being recorded and how it will be used.
It is essential to abide by the call recording provisions so as not to incur penalties or fines or even face legal suites that may ruin your company’s reputation.
How can BusinAssist help? We offer telephony services that come with a call recording feature to businesses to improve their communication, get feedback, improve marketing strategies, and so on. Our UK virtual mobile number and UK VoIP landlines offer businesses a local connection with their customers no matter where they are.
We also offer call answering services and customised call center that fits your business needs. You do not need to miss any of your business calls as you focus on the growth of your business or incur overhead costs. At an affordable price, BusinAssist ensures your customers’ needs are met by directing them to the right department if need be.
Contact us today to ensure effective communication in your company at info@businassist.com.
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Joy is a content writer at BusinAssist with 6+ years of experience in content marketing and social media strategy. She specialises in company formation and virtual operations, guiding entrepreneurs through global markets with clarity, drawing on her marketing and PR background. Business Assist with BusinAssist – your business success partner.