Privacy Policy
PRIVACY POLICY
The Homebound Group Ltd
Company Number: 15125803
1. About this Privacy Policy
The Homebound Group Ltd (“The Homebound Group”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, use our services, enquire about or apply for a property, become a landlord or tenant, or otherwise interact with us.
We process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable privacy legislation.
2. Who we are
The Homebound Group Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 15125803.
We provide property management, lettings and related property services to landlords, property owners, tenants, companies, organisations and local authorities.
For data protection purposes, The Homebound Group Ltd is generally the data controller of the personal information we process in connection with our business and services.
Our contact details are provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.
3. Information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us.
This may include:
Contact information
Name
Address
Email address
Telephone number
Other contact details you provide
Property information
Property address
Property ownership information
Property characteristics and details
Tenancy information
Maintenance and repair information
Licensing and compliance information
Landlord information
Identification information
Contact details
Property ownership information
Financial and payment information
Information relating to your property portfolio and investment objectives where relevant to our services
Tenant and applicant information
Identification and verification information
Current and previous addresses
Employment and income information
Financial information relevant to a tenancy
Referencing information
Tenancy and rental information
Guarantor information where applicable
Information contained within communications with us
Other information
We may also collect information relating to:
Communications and correspondence with you;
Enquiries and complaints;
Property inspections;
Maintenance and repairs;
Property licensing;
Tenancy deposits;
Payments and financial transactions;
Your use of our website and online services; and
Information required to comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
We will only collect information that is relevant to the purposes for which we process it.
4. How we collect information
We may collect personal information directly from you when you:
Contact us by telephone, email or through our website;
Submit a contact or property valuation enquiry;
Enquire about a property;
Apply to rent a property;
Become a landlord, tenant or client;
Enter into an agreement with us;
Use our online services or client or tenant portals;
Provide information during a property appraisal;
Communicate with us regarding a tenancy or property; or
Otherwise provide information to us in connection with our services.
We may also receive personal information from third parties, including property portals, referencing providers, landlords, tenants, guarantors, local authorities, companies and other organisations involved in providing our services.
Where we receive personal information from another source, we will handle it in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.
5. Information relating to other people
If you provide us with personal information relating to another person, such as a joint tenant, guarantor, representative or other individual, you should ensure that you have the appropriate authority to provide that information to us.
We may also obtain information about other individuals where this is necessary to provide our services or comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
6. How we use your personal information
We may use personal information where necessary to provide our services, manage properties and tenancies, communicate with you and meet our legal and regulatory obligations.
This may include using your information to:
Respond to enquiries and provide information about our services;
Arrange property valuations, viewings and appointments;
Market and let properties;
Process tenancy applications and carry out referencing and other relevant checks;
Prepare and manage tenancy agreements and related documentation;
Collect and process rent, fees and other payments;
Manage properties and communicate with landlords, tenants, contractors and other relevant parties;
Arrange and coordinate maintenance, repairs, inspections and other property services;
Administer tenancy deposits;
Assist with property licensing and other compliance requirements;
Maintain accurate records of our clients, tenants and properties;
Deal with enquiries, complaints and disputes;
Prevent and detect fraud, money laundering and other unlawful activity where applicable;
Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations;
Protect and exercise our legal rights where necessary; and
Manage and improve our business and services.
We may also use your information to send relevant marketing communications where we have a lawful basis to do so.
You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
7. Our lawful basis for using your information
Data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following:
Contract
We may process personal information where this is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you.
This may include providing property management or letting services, managing a tenancy, arranging services or processing payments.
Legal obligation
We may process personal information where this is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement.
Legitimate interests
We may process personal information where this is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
This may include managing our business, providing and improving our services, managing properties and tenancies, dealing with enquiries and complaints, preventing fraud and protecting our business, clients and customers.
Consent
Where consent is required, we will ask for it before processing your information for the relevant purpose.
Where you have provided consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
8. Who we share your information with
We may share relevant personal information with trusted third-party service providers where this is necessary to provide our services, operate our business or comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
Depending on the services you use, these may include:
Canopy — tenant referencing and related checks;
The Deposit Scheme (TDS) — tenancy deposit protection and administration;
Apex27 — customer relationship management, property management and related business processes;
Virgin Money — banking and payment services; and
Sage — accounting and financial administration.
We may also share relevant information with OpenRent, Rightmove and Zoopla, where necessary in connection with the marketing and letting of properties.
We may also share relevant information with contractors, professional advisers, local authorities, utility providers, insurers, legal representatives and other organisations where this is necessary to provide our services, manage a property, comply with legal obligations or protect our legitimate interests.
This may include sharing information with local authorities where required or appropriate in connection with a property or tenancy, and with the police or other law enforcement authorities where a lawful request is made through the appropriate channels or where we are otherwise legally required to do so.
We may also provide relevant information to contractors and service providers where necessary to carry out maintenance, repairs, inspections or other services relating to a property or tenancy.
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.
9. Data security
We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information, including access controls and security measures appropriate to the nature of the information we hold.
Where we use third-party service providers to process personal information on our behalf, we expect them to maintain appropriate safeguards for that information.
However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
10. How long we keep your information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including where necessary to:
Provide our services;
Maintain appropriate business and financial records;
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
Deal with complaints or disputes;
Establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or
Protect our legitimate business interests.
The length of time we retain information will depend on the nature of the information and why we hold it.
Where specific legal or regulatory retention requirements apply, we will retain information for the required period.
11. International transfers
Some of the third-party service providers we use may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.
12. Cookies and website analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to provide website functionality, understand how visitors use our website and improve our services.
Further information about the cookies and similar technologies used on our website, including how you can manage your preferences, is provided in our Cookie Policy.
Where consent is required for non-essential cookies or similar technologies, we will obtain the appropriate consent before using them.
13. Marketing
We may contact you about our services, properties or other relevant information where we have a lawful basis to do so.
Where consent is required for electronic marketing, we will obtain the appropriate consent.
You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe mechanism provided or by contacting us directly.
14. Third-party websites and services
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including property portals, client or tenant portals and other external services.
This Privacy Policy applies only to The Homebound Group's website and our processing of personal information.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites or services. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any third-party service you access.
15. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights under data protection law including:
The right to be informed about how we use your personal information;
The right to access personal information we hold about you;
The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
The right to request erasure of your personal information in certain circumstances;
The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
The right to object to certain processing;
The right to data portability in certain circumstances; and
The right to withdraw consent where we rely on consent as our lawful basis.
These rights are subject to certain legal conditions and exemptions, meaning they may not apply in every circumstance.
If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the details below.
16. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve your concern.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent supervisory authority for data protection.
Further information is available at:
17. Automated decision-making and profiling
We do not currently use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals as part of our website or core property management services.
Where third-party services used by us carry out automated checks or assessments, such as tenant referencing, these may be subject to the privacy policies and processes of the relevant provider.
18. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, legal or regulatory requirements or the way we process personal information.
The latest version will be published on our website and will show the date on which it was last updated.
We recommend checking this page periodically for any updates.
19. Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data protection rights or have a concern about how we use your personal information, please contact us.
The Homebound Group Ltd
Company Number: 15125803
Registered Office:
Suite RA01
195–197 Wood Street
London
E17 3NU
Email: contact@homeboundgroup.co.uk
Telephone: 020 4542 3437