Howie, Kent & Co Privacy Policy (Residential & Commercial Lettings)
Our contact details
Name: Howie, Kent & Co
Address: Welbatch Farm, Hook-a-Gate, Shrewsbury, SY5 8BA
Phone Number: 01743 404 925
E-mail: enquiries@howiekentandco.com
The type of personal information we collect
We currently collect and process the following information:
Personal identifiers and contact details such as:
- Full name
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Postal address
Financial information (landlords only)
- Bank account details
- Account name and billing address
- Copies of I.D. documents such as;
- Passport
- Driving licence
- Utility bill
- National identity card
How we get the personal information and why we have it
Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:
- To receive a call back or email with information regarding our services (residential and commercial) or properties we are currently listing.
- To maintain communication between landlords and potential tenants when processing enquiries and in the lead up to a lease agreement being agreed.
- To draw up a commercial lease agreement or Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement between landlord and tenant.
- To process monthly rental payments and pay any due rent to the relevant landlord.
We also receive personal information indirectly, from the following sources in the following scenarios:
- Enquiries via Rightmove, Gumtree, OnTheMarket, Facebook Messenger
- Enquiries using the form on our website – howiekentandco.co.uk
- Referrals (with your consent) from current clients
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:
- We have a contractual obligation – the processing is necessary for a contract we have with you, or because you have asked us to take specific steps before entering into a contract.
- We have a legal obligation – the processing is necessary for you to comply with the law.
- We have a legitimate interest – the processing is necessary for our legitimate interest of processing enquiries and finding tenants for both residential and commercial listings, unless there is a good reason to protect your personal data which overrides this legitimate interest.
How we store your personal information
Your information is securely stored on a cloud-based file storage system.
We keep your contact details for the duration of the tenancy or lease agreement.
If a tenant enquires with Howie, Kent & Co, providing contact information, but does not sign up to an agreement with a landlord then we keep their contact information for the duration of their search. Once a tenant confirms they have completed their search we will remove their details from our system.
We will keep a landlord’s information on file indefinitely unless we are told to erase it or our Terms of Business becomes void. If a landlord were to request erasure or the Terms of Business were voided we would still be required to keep all landlord client files for at least seven years as part of our Professional Indemnity coverage. In this case we would not actively use the information but we would keep securely on file out of legal obligation.
We will then dispose of their information by deleting all information from our cloud-based file storage system and destroying any paper copies of any tenancy or lease agreements held.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing – You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.
Please contact us at mailto:enquiries@howiekentandco.com if you wish to make a request.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at Howie, Kent & Co, Welbatch Farm, Hook-a-Gate, SY5 8BA or email mailto:enquiries@howiekentandco.com.
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk