Privacy Policy
INTRODUCTION
We are Earls Homes and this data protection notice gives detailed information as to when and why we collected personal information from you, how we keep it secure and how we use it. We refer to ourselves within this notice as ‘we’ or ‘us’.
- HOW WE COLLECTED YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
We collected information when you interacted with us including when you visited our websites, signed up for our emails, whether online, in person or over the phone.
- We collected your personal information in one of the ways described below:
- When you contacted us to book a viewing over the telephone or by email
- When you visited our websites, including if you signed up to one of our email updates, completed forms, applied for a job with us, created an online account with us or posted a comment on a blog. If you had cookies enabled on your web browser, in such circumstances, we may have used cookies to collect information about your visit as you move through our website as further.
- If you otherwise contacted us by telephone, email or post.
- WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECTED
We collected information that was necessary to perform the services you have requested or that was otherwise necessary for us to operate our business.
We collected the following information from you:
Information obtained directly from you (for example, in person, over the phone, by post, or when you interact with us online:
- Name
- Prefix
- Email address
- Postal address
- Contact telephone number
Where relevant we may have also collected:
- Payment Card details (although please be aware we will not hold such information for any longer than necessary to process your transaction)
- Delivery address(es) and/or Billing address(es)
- Email preferences
- Where you have left us a legacy, any information you have provided us with to administer this, such as details of your next of kin, executor or solicitor
- Information provided in correspondence when you contact us
- Direct debit details for ongoing payment arrangements
- Your MAC address to provide a seamless Wi-Fi service whilst in our office
When you visit any of our websites (including apps we provide – as we host them on web servers) we may have used cookies and other similar technologies (including Google Analytics) to collect information from you. The way in which we currently use cookies and similar technologies (and how we may use them to collect information from you in future if you visit our websites or use our apps). If you would like further information as to what information we collected using cookies and similar technologies, please contact us using the details provided below.
We may also obtain information available from other external sources about you and combine it with information we hold about you. This will only be done if this information is publicly available (for example on Companies House or the land registry) or if you have given permission to a third party to share this information.
Our website uses Google Analytics and Google Ads to track user behaviour when spending time on this site and for remarketing purposes to serve ads online to previous visitors.
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s past visit to the Earls Homes Letting site. Ads can be served to you as you continue to browse online and visit other sites across the Internet. Ads may be specific to actions that you have taken on the site, e.g. if you have completed an enquiry form.
You can opt out of being served ads by re-configuring your Google Ad Settings or by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt out page.
The information we collect from you enables us to:
- Fulfil your request for information regarding our house types and housing developments
- Send you information or content in which you may be interested
- Keep you abreast of any updates related to the website
- Enter into and perform contracts in connection with the sale of our properties
- Deliver our services and meet our legal responsibilities
- Verify your identity where this is required
- Contact you by post, email or telephone
- Understand your needs and how they may be met
- Maintain our records
- Prevent and detect crime, fraud or corruption
- Improve our website
- Send you marketing information
- WHY WE COLLECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND HOW WE USE IT
We use the information we hold about you for a number of purposes including to provide information you have asked for, to provide a service (or goods) you have requested from us.
Below we describe how and why we use this information and how long we retain it.
We may use your information in the following ways:
- To fulfil our obligations under a contract with you and to otherwise carry out our business.
This includes:
- processing your payments (although please be aware we will not hold your payment details for any longer than necessary to process your transaction)
- contacting you with any important information in relation to our services including confirmation of your orders, reminders, details of any changes, delays or other information relevant to your property
- for the internal administration of any of your purchases from us
- contact you to respond to your queries (for example, if you email us with a question)
- improving our websites and online services
- fulfilling reporting obligations to our directors
When we have a legal obligation to do so
In appropriate circumstances we shall use your information to fulfil our legal obligations which may include:
- detecting and reducing the risk of fraudulent transactions in person or online
- undertaking due diligence to detect fraud, money laundering and credit risk and protect the reputation of our company
- to keep our databases up to date
- for our financial records
- such other obligations as are imposed on us from time to time
- deleting or updating the information we hold about you if we learn such information is inaccurate
- complying with your data rights
- Health and Safety implications if appropriate, for example reporting first aid incidents
When it is in our legitimate interest to do so
We use your information, where it is in our legitimate interest to do so, to:
- enable us to run the test version of our website and customer relationship management system that we use internally to pilot new features and ensure the smooth running of our web services.
- identify and contact individuals who are in a position to support our business
- retain your personal information on our secure customer relationship management system for the above purposes.
How long we retain your personal information for
We keep your personal information as long as necessary for the legal purposes set out above.
- HOW WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES
Earls Homes will not share, sell or otherwise make available your personal information to third parties without your express prior permission.
We shall share your data with third parties who are performing services on our behalf, in order to comply with our legal obligations (for example fraud protection) or in order to enforce our rights, property or the safety of the Earls Homes
We may share your personal information with the following organisations:
- service providers working on our behalf. For example, this may include payment processing, database services, website hosting services, providers or online and/or cloud services
- third party data services and analytics platforms who assist us with segmenting and understanding our audiences
If we have your permission, or it is otherwise made expressly clear in advance, we may share your personal information with:
- named third parties who if you ticked an opt in to allow us to provide your details to such third parties. (We recommend that you check the data protection notices provided by such third parties and contact their Data Protection Officer (or equivalent) if you have any queries)
If we are required to do so by law (for example under money laundering or charity law legislation, or under a court order) we may share your personal information with the police, other law enforcement or regulatory bodies or a government authority investigating unlawful activities.
- YOUR DATA PROTECTION RIGHTS
You have certain rights under data protection laws in relation to the personal information we hold and are using about you. To exercise your rights, please use the contact details provided under the ‘Contact Us about your personal information’ section below.
Your rights include asking for a copy of the information we hold about you, having any inaccurate information we hold about you corrected, or to request that we stop using your personal information in a particular way. Your data protection rights are summarised under the tab immediately below.
You have the following rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data, these rights include:
- To be informed about how we use your personal data (the purpose of this Data Protection Notice);
- To have accurate information held about you, and to have your details updated when they are inaccurate. You may amend your personal details and contact preferences at any time. If you prefer, you can contact us by email, telephone, by mail, or in person to update your details with us;
- To ask us to delete your data (often called the “right to be forgotten”). We might not always be able to delete it, under the law there are some circumstances in which we will need to, or are entitled to, hold on to it;
- To get a copy of your personal data. A subset of your data (limited to data that you have provided to us) is available in a machine-readable format if required;
- To object to how we use your data, and request that we stop using it for certain purposes. There may be circumstances where you ask us to restrict such uses of your information, but we are entitled to refuse that request.
- To withdraw your consent, where we are using your personal information with your consent (as described above in the ‘Why We Collect Your Personal Data and How we use it” section).
- To ask us to transfer your data to another organisation, where your data is held in a machine-readable, commonly used way, and can be safely transferred.
- If we make a decision about you using automated means, you have right to request that the decision be reviewed by a human; and
- The right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner (www.ico.org.uk) if you think that any of your rights have been infringed by us.
To exercise your rights, please use our contact details below.
We may request additional information so that we can verify your identity (and to ensure your personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it). This may include:
- A colour copy of your driving licence, birth certificate or utility bill
- If your request relates to a specific transaction with Earls Homes, evidence of that transaction (i.e. a receipt or confirmation)
We may contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to help us enact your rights in accordance with the law.
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. However, occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complicated or you have made a number of requests. In such circumstances, we will notify you.
- SECURITY OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Earls Homes is committed to keeping your data secure. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorised access and use.
The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (‘EEA’). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. Such staff may be engaged in, among other things, the fulfilment of your order, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Data Protection Notice. This is done in a number of different way including:
- The country we send the data to might be approved by the European Commission as being sufficiently secure;
- The recipient is located in the United States and is a certified member of the approved EU-US Privacy Shield Scheme; or
- The recipient company might have signed up to a contract obliging them to protect your information.
In all such cases we shall ensure that any transfer of your information is compliant with data protection law.
However, please note that the transmission of data via the Internet is not completely secure. Your communications may be routed through a number of countries before being delivered. We cannot guarantee the security of any data transmitted to our Websites, however, once we have received your data, we will use adequate security procedures to prevent unauthorised access.
- CHANGES TO THIS DATA PROTECTION NOTICE
We keep this data protection notice under review and will let you know about any changes made to it by email or another suitable method of communication. The latest version of this notice will always appear on this page.
- CONTACT US ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL DATA
If you would like more information or would like to raise any queries, exercise your rights or make a complaint relation to our use of your personal information, you may contact our Data Protection Officer using the following details:
Earls Homes
47 Main Street
Cumbernauld
G67 2RT