Data Protection Policy - Shepherd & White Estate Agents Ltd

1. Introduction

Shepherd and White is committed to protecting and respecting the privacy of our clients, employees, and any other individuals whose personal data we process. This Data Protection Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and protect personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Purpose of Data Collection

We collect personal data to provide estate agency and lettings services, including property sales, lettings, valuations, and marketing. We may also use personal data to fulfill legal obligations or for legitimate business interests.

3. Types of Data Collected

We may collect the following types of personal data:
Identity Data: Name, title, date of birth.
Contact Data: Address, phone number, email address.
Property Data: Property details, viewing preferences, purchase/rental history.
Financial Data: Payment information, bank details, credit history.
Marketing Data: Preferences for receiving marketing communications.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We will only use personal data for the purposes it was collected for, including:

  • To facilitate property sales and lettings transactions.
  • To communicate with clients regarding property listings, viewings, and updates.
  • To comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
  • To send marketing communications if consent is given.
  • To improve our services and address customer queries.

5. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

We process personal data on the following legal bases:
Consent: Where you have given your explicit consent (e.g., for marketing communications).
Contractual necessity: For the performance of contracts (e.g., property transactions).
Legal obligation: To comply with legal requirements (e.g., anti-money laundering checks).
Legitimate interests: Where necessary for our legitimate business interests (e.g., customer satisfaction surveys).

6. Data Subject Rights

You have the following rights under data protection laws:
Right to access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: You may request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal exceptions.
Right to restriction: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability: You may request a transfer of your data to another provider.
Right to object: You can object to the processing of your data for certain purposes.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including compliance with legal and regulatory obligations. Our data retention policy outlines specific time periods for different categories of data.

8. Data Security

We are committed to ensuring that personal data is stored securely. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or destruction. This includes encryption, secure storage systems, and staff training.

9. Data Sharing

We may share personal data with third parties who provide services on our behalf, such as solicitors, contractors, or marketing platforms. We ensure that these third parties comply with the same data protection standards and have appropriate data processing agreements in place.

10. Data Breaches

In the event of a data breach, Shepherd and White will notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) within 72 hours if there is a risk to individuals' rights and freedoms. Affected individuals will be informed where necessary.

11. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:
Email: sales@shepherdandwhite.co.uk
Phone: 01530 231859

12. Policy Review

This Data Protection Policy will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains compliant with relevant data protection laws.