General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 

 

How Viewme will use your personal information.

 

Viewme Letting & Estate Agents (herein called “The Company”), is an independent Estate Agency and does not form part of any group or chain of companies nor are we associated with any other Agency Chain. This privacy notice is to let you know how our company promises to look after your personal information. This includes what you tell us about yourself, what we learn by having you as a client, 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.

 

Viewme Privacy Promise.

 

We promise:

 

• To keep your data safe and private.
• Not to sell your data.
• To give you ways to manage and review your marketing choices at any time, (should we decide to carry out such marketing campaigns).

 

Data Protection law changed on the 25 May 2018.

 

This notice sets out most of your rights under the new laws. 

 

Who we are.

 

Viewme Letting & Estate Agents is a single legal entity, trading as a Partnership. You can find out more about us at www.viewme.co.uk. If you have any questions, or want more details about how we use your personal information, you can ask us using our secure email facility at secure@viewme.co.uk. Or you can call us on 01752 547789 (+44 1752 547789 from outside the UK).

 

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 our company. The law says we must have one or more of these reasons:

 

• To fulfil a contract we have with you, or
• When it is our legal duty, or
• When it is in our legitimate interest, or
• 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 is right and best for you. If we rely on our legitimate interest, we will tell you what that is.

 

What we use your personal information for:	Our reasons:	Our legitimate interests:
To manage our relationship with you or your business. To develop new ways to meet our customers’ needs and to grow our business. To develop and carry out marketing activities. To study how our customers use products and services from us and other organisations. To provide advice or guidance about our products and services.	Your consent. Fulfilling contracts. Our legitimate interests. Our legal duty.	Keeping our records up to date, working out which of our products and services may interest you and telling you about them.  Developing products and services, and what we charge for them. Defining types of customers for new products or services. Seeking your consent when we need it to contact you. Being efficient about how we fulfil our legal duties.
To develop and manage products and services. To test new services. To manage how we work with other companies that provide services to us and our customers.	Fulfilling contracts. Our legitimate interests. Our legal duty.	Developing services, and what we charge for them. Defining types of customers for new products or services. Being efficient about how we fulfil our legal and contractual duties.
To deliver of our services. To make and manage customer payments. To manage fees and charges due on customer accounts. To collect and recover money that is owed to us or our clients.	Fulfilling contracts. Our legitimate interests. Our legal duty.	Being efficient about how we fulfil our legal and contractual duties. Complying with regulations that apply to us.
To detect, investigate, report, and seek to prevent financial crime. To manage risk for us and our customers. To obey laws and regulations that apply to us. To respond to complaints and seek to resolve them.	Fulfilling contracts. Our legitimate interests. Our legal duty.	Developing and improving how we deal with financial crime, as well as doing our legal duties in this respect.  Complying with regulations that apply to us.  Being efficient about how we fulfil our legal and contractual duties.
To run our business in an efficient and proper way. This includes managing our financial position, business capability, planning, communications and audit.	Our legitimate interests. Our legal duty.	Complying with regulations that apply to us.  Being efficient about how we fulfil our legal and contractual duties.
To exercise our rights set out in agreements or contracts.	Fulfilling contracts.

 

Here is a list of all the ways that we may use your personal information, and which of the reasons we rely on to do so.

 

This is also where we tell you what our legitimate interests are.

 

Groups of Personal Information.

 

We use many different kinds of personal information, and group them together like this.

 

 

Type of personal information	Description
Financial	Your financial position, status and history.
Contact	Where you live and how to contact you.
Transactional	Details about payments to and from your accounts with us.
Contractual	Details about the services we provide to you.
Communications	What we learn about you from letters, emails and conversations between us.
Open Data and Public Records	Details about you that are in public records, such as the Electoral Register, and information about you that is openly available on the internet.
Usage Data	Other data about how you use our services.
Documentary Data	Details about you that are stored in documents in different formats, or copies of them. This could include things like your passport, drivers licence or birth certificate.
Special types of data	The law and other regulations treat some types of personal information as special. We will only collect and use these types of data if the law allows us to do so: Criminal convictions and offences
Consents	Any permissions, consents or preferences that you give us. This includes things like how you want us to contact you.
National Identifier	A number or code given to you by a government to identify who you are, such as a National Insurance number.

 

Where we collect personal information from.

 

We may collect personal information about you (or your business) from other companies within the Letting & Estate Agency sector and from any other source such as:

 

Data you give to us:

 

• When you apply for our services.
• When you talk to us on the phone or in branch.
• When you use our websites, mobile device apps, web chat or any other electronic medium/services.
• In emails and letters.
• In insurance claims or other documents.
• In interviews.
• In customer surveys.

 

Data we collect when you use our services. This includes the amount, frequency, type, location, origin and recipients:

 

• Payment and transaction data.

 

Data from third parties we work with:

 

• Companies that introduce you to us
• Financial advisers
• 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
• Market researchers
• Government and law enforcement agencies

 

Who we share your personal information with.

 

We may share your personal information with any of these organisations:

 

• Agents and advisers who we use to help run your accounts and services, collect what you owe, and explore new ways of doing business 
• HM Revenue & Customs, Government Agencies, Law enforcement Agencies, Judicial Agencies, Barristers, Lawyers, Regulators and other Authorities.
• Credit reference agencies 
• Fraud prevention agencies 
• Organisations that introduce you to us 
• Companies that we introduce you to 
• Independent Financial Advisors
• Companies you ask us to share your data with. 

 

We may need to share your personal information with other organisations to provide you with the product or service you have chosen:

 

• If you use direct debits, we will share your data with the Direct Debit scheme.

 

We may also share your personal information if the make-up of Viewme Letting & Estate Agents changes in the future:

 

• We may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business, or our assets. Or we may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. 
• During any such process, we may share your data with other parties. We’ll only do this if they agree to keep your data safe and private.
• If the change to our company happens, then other parties may use your data in the same way as set out in this notice.

How we use your information to make automated decisions.

 

We sometimes use systems to make automated decisions based on personal information we have or are allowed to collect from others about you or your business. This helps us to make sure our decisions are quick, fair, efficient and correct, based on what we know. These automated decisions can affect the services or features we may offer you now or in the future, or the price that we charge you for them.

 

Here are the types of automated decision we make:

 

Detecting fraud.

We use your personal information to help decide if your personal or business may be being used for fraud or money-laundering. We may detect that an account is being used in ways that fraudsters work. Or we may notice that an account is being used in a way that is unusual for you or your business.

 

Approving via credit scoring.

We use a system to make decisions regarding your acceptance for provision of our services to you or your business. This is called credit scoring. It uses past data to assess how you’re likely to act while engaging with any of our services.

 

Credit scoring uses data from three sources:

 

• Your application form(s)
• Credit reference agencies
• Data we may already hold.

 

It gives an overall assessment based on this.  

Your rights.

As a person you have rights over automated decisions.

 

• You can ask that we do not make our decision based on the automated score alone.
• You can object to an automated decision, and ask that a person reviews it. 

 

If you want to know more about these rights, please contact us.

 

Credit Reference Agencies.

 

We carry out credit and identity checks when you apply for a service(s) for you or your business. We may use Credit Reference Agencies to help us with this.

 

If you use our services, from time to time we may also search information that the CRAs have.

We will share your personal information with CRAs and they will give us information about you. The data we exchange can include:

 

• Name, address and date of birth
• Financial situation and history
• Public information, from sources such as the electoral register and Companies House.

 

We’ll use this data to:

 

• Assess whether you or your business is able to afford to make rental repayments or purchases
• Make sure what you’ve told us is true and correct
• Help detect and prevent financial crime

 

We will go on sharing your personal information with CRAs for as long as you are a client of Viewme. This will include details about any rental debts or rents not fully paid on time. The CRAs may give this information to other organisations that want to check credit status.

 

When we ask CRAs about you or your business, they will note it on your credit file. This is called a credit search.

 

If you apply for a service with someone else (joint tenancy etc.), we will link your records with theirs. We will do the same if you tell us you have a spouse, partner or civil partner – or that you are in business with other partners or directors.

 

You should tell them about this before you apply for a service. It is important that they know your records will be linked together, and that credit searches may be made on them.

CRAs will also link your records together. These links will stay on your files unless one of you asks the CRAs to break the link. You will normally need to give proof that you no longer have a financial link with each other. You can find out more about the CRAs on their websites, in the Credit Reference Agency Information Notice.

 

This includes details about:

 

• Who they are
• Their role as fraud prevention agencies
• The data they hold and how they use it
• How they share personal information
• How long they can keep data
• Your data protection rights.

 

Here are the names for each of the three main Credit Reference Agencies:

• Callcredit
• Equifax
• Experian

 

Fraud Prevention Agencies (FPAs).

 

We may need to confirm your identity before we provide any of our services to you or your business. Once you have become a client of ours, (Landlord, Owner, Tenant, Purchaser, Freeholder, Lessor, Lessee or potential investor),  we will also share your personal information as needed to help detect fraud and money-laundering risks. We use Fraud Prevention Agencies to help us with this.

Both we and the fraud prevention agencies can only use your personal information if we have a proper reason to do so. It must be needed either for us to obey the law, or for a ‘legitimate interest’.

A legitimate interest is when we have a business or commercial reason to use your information. This must not unfairly go against what is right and best for you.

 

We will use the information to:

 

• Confirm identities
• Help prevent fraud and money-laundering
• Fulfil any contracts you or your business has with us.

 

We or an FPA may allow law enforcement agencies and others directly connected with any judicial authority, to access your personal information. This is to support their duty to detect, investigate, prevent and prosecute crime.

 

FPAs can keep personal information for different lengths of time. 

 

The information we use.

These are some of the kinds of personal information that we use:

 

• Name
• Date of birth
• Residential address
• History of where you have lived
• Contact details, such as email addresses and phone numbers
• Financial data
• Data relating to your or your businesses services
• Employment details

Automated decisions for fraud prevention.

The information we have for you or your business is made up of what you tell us and data we collect when you use our services, or from third parties we work with.

 

The FPAs may process your personal information in systems that look for fraud by studying patterns in the data. They may find that a property is being used in ways that fraudsters work. Or they may notice that a building is being used in a way that is unusual for you or your business. Either of these could indicate a possible risk of fraud or money-laundering.

 

How this can affect you.

If the FPA decide there is a risk of fraud, they may stop activity on your bank accounts or block access to them. FPAs will also keep a record of the risk that you or your business may pose. This may result in other organisations refusing to provide you with products or services, or to employ you.

 

Data transfers out of the EEA.

FPAs may send personal information to countries outside the European Economic Area (‘EEA’). When they do, there will be a contract in place to make sure the recipient protects the data to the same standard as the EEA. This may include following international frameworks for making data sharing secure.

 

Sending data outside of the EEA.

 

We will only send your data outside of the European Economic Area (‘EEA’) to:

 

• Comply with your instructions.
• Comply with a legal duty.
• Work with our agents and advisers who we use to help run your account and services.

 

If we do transfer information to our agents or advisers outside of the EEA, we will make sure that it is protected in the same way as if it was being used in the EEA. We’ll use one of these safeguards:

 

• Transfer it to a non-EEA country with privacy laws that give the same protection as the EEA. Learn more on the European Commission Justice website.
• Put in place a contract with the recipient that means they must protect it to the same standards as the EEA. Read more about this here on the European Commission Justice website,
• Transfer it to organisations that are part of Privacy Shield. This is a framework that sets privacy standards for data sent between the US and EU countries. It makes sure those standards are similar to what is used within the EEA. You can find out more about data protection on the European Commission Justice website.

 

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 give us this personal information, it may delay or prevent us from meeting our obligations. It may also mean that we cannot perform the services required by you via our company. It could mean that we cancel a facility or service you have with us. Any data collection that is optional would be made clear at the point of collection.

 

 

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, (if any). 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. Whatever you choose, you'll still receive statements, and other important information such as changes to your existing services or charges.

 

We may ask you to confirm or update your choices, if you take out any new products or services with us in future. We will also ask you to do this if there are 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 us.

 

How long we keep your personal information.

 

We will keep your personal information for as long as you are a customer of Viewme Letting & Estate Agents. After you stop being a customer, we may keep your data for up to 10 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 as Letting & Estate Agents.

 

We may keep your data for longer than 10 years if we cannot delete it for legal, regulatory or technical reasons. We may also keep it for research or statistical purposes. If we do, we will make sure that your privacy is protected and only use it for those purposes.

 

How to get a copy of your personal information.

 

You can access your personal information we hold by writing to us at this address:

 

Viewme Letting & Estate Agents  - 50 Victoria Road, St Budeaux, Plymouth, Devon, UK, PL6 7JX

 

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 using it.

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.

 

You can ask us to restrict the use of your personal information if:

 

• It is not accurate.
• It has been used unlawfully but you don’t want us to delete it.
• It’s not relevant any more, but you want us to keep it for use in legal claims.
• You have already asked us to stop using your data but you are waiting for us to tell you if we are allowed to keep on using it.

 

If you want to object to how we use your data, or ask us to delete it or restrict how we use it or, please contact us.

 

How to withdraw your consent.

 

You can withdraw your consent at any time. Please contact us if you want to do so. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. If this is so, we will tell you and advise you of our proposals.

 

How to complain.

 

Please let us know if you are unhappy with how we have used your personal information. You can contact us using our secure email address: secure@viewme.co.uk

 

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Find out on their website how to report a concern.

 

You can also ask us to pass on your personal information in this format to other organisations.