Last updated 29 August 2023.
Your information will be held by Smith & Friends Ltd., Apex Mortgage & Protection Ltd., I am Property, Homelet (Barbon Insurance Group), Brief Your Market & Trustpilot.
This privacy notice is to let you know how we promise to look after your personal information. This includes what you tell us about yourself, what we learn by having you as a customer and the choices you give us about what marketing you want us to send you. This notice explains how we do this and tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
Our privacy promise
1. To keep your data safe and private
2. Not to sell your data
3. To give you ways to manage and review your marketing choices at any time
Data Protection Law changed on the 25th May 2018
This notice sets out most of your rights under the law.
How the law protects you
As well as our privacy promise, your privacy is protected by law. This section explains how that works.
Data protection law says that we are allowed to use personal information only if we have a proper reason to do so. This includes sharing it outside of Smith & Friends.
The law says we must have one or more of these reasons:-
1. To fulfil a contract we have with you or
2. When it is our legitimate interest or
3. When you consent to it.
A legitimate interest is when we have a business or commercial reason to use your information. But, even then, it must not unfairly go against what it is right and best for you. If we rely on our legitimate interests, we will tell you what that is.
Types and where/how we collect personal information/data from
We may collect personal information about you from other companies within Robinsons, also other industry-related companies e.g. solicitors, other estate agents, surveyors and building firms.
Types of Data collection:
- When you contact Smith & Friends or any associated company we will collect personal data about you. This may consist of information such as your name, email address, postal address, telephone numbers etc. The amount of data collected depends on what type of service you require e.g. mortgage applications require salary/employment details and other sensitive data and rental applications require verification documents such as a passport/visa. By submitting your details, you enable Robinsons Estate Agents (and where applicable associated companies) to provide you with the service you select.
- When you talk to us on the phone or in branch
- When you use our websites, mobile device apps, web chat
- In emails and letters
- In financial reviews and interviews
- In customer surveys
- If you take part in our competitions or promotions
We may share your personal information with companies within Smith & Friends Ltd. as well as the following:
- Companies that introduce you to us
- Companies that we introduce you to
- Financial advisors
- Credit reference agencies
- Insurers
- Social networks
- Fraud prevention agencies
- Payroll service providers
- Land agents
- Public information sources, such as Companies House
- Agents working on our behalf
- Medical practitioners*
- Government and law enforcement agencies
- HM Revenue & Customs, regulators and other authorities
- Any party linked with you
- Companies we have a joint venture or agreement to co-operate with
If you choose not to give personal information
We may need to collect personal information by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you.
If you choose not to provide us with personal information, it may delay or prevent us from meeting our obligations. It may also mean that we cannot perform services needed to run your accounts or policies. It could mean that we cancel a product or service you have with us.
Any data collection that is optional would be made clear at the point of collection.
Call recording
We may monitor, record, store and use any telephone, email or other electronic communications with you for training purposes, so that we can check any instructions given to us and to improve the quality of our customer service. We may report, store and share non-personal information such as online activity and engagement statistics to improve our sales and marketing processes.
Marketing
We may use your personal information to tell you about relevant products and offers. This is what we mean when we talk about ‘marketing’.
The personal information we have for you is made up of what you tell us, and data we collect when you use our services, or from third parties we work with.
We study this to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. This is how we decide which products, services and offers may be relevant for you.
We can only use your personal information to send you marketing messages if we have either your consent or a ‘legitimate interest’. That is when we have a business or commercial reason to use your information. It must not unfairly go against what is right and best for you.
You can ask us to stop sending you marketing messages by contacting us at any time.
We may ask you to confirm or update your choices, if you take out any new products or services with us in the future. We will also ask you to do this if there are any changes in the law, regulation, or the structure of our business.
If you change your mind you can update your choices at any time by contacting your local branch or The Data Controller, Smith & Friends Ltd, 21 Bishop Street, Stockton, TS18 1SY
How long we keep your personal information
We will keep your personal information for as long as you are a customer of Smith & Friends Ltd.
After you stop being a customer, we may keep your data for up to 6 years for one of these reasons:
- To respond to any questions or complaints
- To show that we treated you fairly
- To maintain records according to rules that apply to us
How to get a copy of your personal information
You can access your personal information we hold by writing to us at this address: The Data Controller, Smith & Friends Ltd, 21 Bishop Street, Stockton, TS18 1SY
Letting us know if your personal information is incorrect
You have the right to question any information we have about you that you think is wrong or incomplete. Please contact us if you want to do this. If you do, we will take reasonable steps to check its accuracy and correct it.
What if you want us to stop using your personal information?
You have the right to object to our use of your personal information, or to ask us to delete, remove, or stop using your personal information if there is no need for us to keep it. This is known as the ‘right to object’ and ‘right to erasure’, or the ‘right to be forgotten’.
There may be legal or other official reasons why we need to keep or use your data. But, please tell us if you think that we should not be holding your personal data.
We may sometimes be able to restrict the use of your data. This means that it can only be used for certain things, such as legal claims or to exercise legal rights. In this situation, we would not use or share your information in other ways while it is restricted.
If you want to object to how we use your data, or ask us to delete it or restrict how we use it, please contact us.
How to complain
Please let us know if you are unhappy with how we have used your personal information. You can contact us The Data Controller, Smith & Friends Ltd, 21 Bishop Street, Stockton, TS18 1SY
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Find out on their website how to report a concern.
