Our Privacy Policy
Introduction
We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.Everyone has rights with regard to the way in which their personal information is handled. During the course of our activities we will collect, store and process personal information about our customers, suppliers and other third parties, and we recognise that the correct and lawful treatment of this data will maintain confidence in the organisation and will provide for successful business operations.
This policy sets out the basis on which any personal information we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal information and how we will treat it.
For the purpose of UK data protection laws, the data controller is North Oxford Property Services Limited (collectively referred to as "NOPS", "we", "us" or "our" in this privacy notice). If you have any questions about this privacy notice, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact us by post at 47-48 Walton Street, Oxford, OX2 6AD or by email at post@nops.co.uk.
Data protection principles
When processing your information, we must comply with the six enforceable principles of good practice. These ensure that your personal information must be:processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner,
processed for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes,
adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary,
accurate and kept up-to-date,
kept for no longer than is necessary, and
processed in a manner than ensures appropriate security.
Information you give to us
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal information about you, including:Identity Data, such as your name, title, marital status, date of birth and photographic identification
Lifestyle Data, such as your employment details, salary, number of dependents, current living arrangements and the nature of the course you are undertaking (if a student),
Contact Data, such as your current address, previous address, email address and telephone numbers,
Financial Data such as bank account and payment card details, details of any county court judgments or bankruptcy proceedings you may be subject to,
Transaction Data, such as details about payments to and from you,
Technical Data, including IP addresses, your log-in data, browser type and version, time-zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access our website,
Usage Data, including information about how you use our website, and
Marketing Data, such as your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties, and your communication preferences.
‘Special category’ data
Information relating to your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, criminal convictions, sex life or sexual orientation, or certain types of genetic or biometric data is known as ‘special category’ data.During the course of dealing with you, we do not expect to collect any ‘special category’ data about you.
How we collect your personal information
We may obtain personal information by directly interacting with you, such as:
filling in a property application form;
requesting a valuation of your property;
requesting to view a property;
instructing us to let your property;
requesting further information about our products and services;
corresponding with us by phone, email or letter or visiting our office in person;
acting as a guarantor or referee for an applicant for a property; or
- giving us your business card.
We may obtain personal information via automated technology when you interact with our website by using cookies, server logs and other similar technologies.
We may also collect personal information about you from third parties or publicly-available sources, such as:
analytics providers (such as Google),
advertising networks,
search information providers,
providers of technical, payment and delivery services,
your current or previous landlord or accommodation officer,
local authorities including Oxford Council, Cherwell Council and Vale of White Horse Council,
your university or employer, and
Zoopla and Rightmove.
How we use your personal information
We will only use your personal information when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal information in the following circumstances:you have given us consent,
we need to perform a contract we are about to enter into, or have entered into, with you,
where it is necessary for our or a third party’s legitimate interests, and your interests and rights do not override those interests, or
where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
We will only use ‘special category’ information:
provided we have your explicit consent to use it,
where we believe that we need to use that data to protect your vital interests where you are not able to provide us with your explicit consent,
where it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest,
where you have previously made that data public knowledge, or
if we need to use that data to establish, exercise or defence legal claims.
Purposes for which we will use your personal information
We may use your personal information for a number of different purposes. For each purpose, we are required to confirm the ‘legal basis’ that allows us to use your information, as follows:
Purposes for which we will use the information you give to us | Legal basis | |
To assess your eligibility to live in the UK | It will be necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject under the Rent Immigration Act 2014. | |
To ensure the property has all necessary safety testing | It will be necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject under the Housing Act 2004. | |
To ensure your deposit is registered with the relevancy Tenancy Deposit Scheme provider | It will be necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject under the Housing Act 2004 and it will be necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us. | |
To process your application and to carry out credit referencing checks and obtain references from your employer or university to assess your suitability as a tenant | It will be necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us. | |
To carry out our obligations under the lease to manage, maintain and repair the property | It will be necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us. | |
To carry out a valuation of your property, where you have requested us to do so | It will be necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us. | |
To process your rental payments and collect and recover any money owed to us. | It will be necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us and it will be necessary for our legitimate business interests, namely to recover debts due to us. | |
To notify the relevant local authority and utilities companies that the ownership or occupancy of the property has changed | It will be necessary for our legitimate business interests, namely to ensure that council tax and utilities are paid promptly. | |
To provide your information to The Tenant Shop, who offer utility comparison services and can assist you in updating your address details with various utility accounts. | We will only do this if you give us your consent by some specific, informed and unambiguous method. | |
To provide you with information about properties or services that you request from us, where you have consented to be contacted for such purposes | We will only do this if you give us your consent by some specific, informed and unambiguous method. | |
To notify you about changes to our terms or this privacy policy | It will be necessary for our legitimate business interests, namely to ensure you are aware of our current terms and conditions | |
To administer our website and for internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes, to allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so, to measure or understand the effectiveness of advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you and to make suggestions and recommendations to you and other users of our website about goods or services that may interest you or them | It will be necessary for our legitimate business interests to ensure you receive the best experience possible when accessing and using our website. We will comply with our cookie policy when processing this information | |
To enable you to participate in a prize draw, competition or complete a survey | It will be necessary for our legitimate business interests, namely to study how customers use our services, to develop them and help grow our business | |
To provide you with information about special offers and other products we sell that are similar to those that you have already received from us | Where you have previously received marketing communications from us, then it will be necessary for our legitimate business interests, namely to ensure you continue to receive communications that you have previously agreed to receive In all other cases, we will only do this if you give us your consent | |
Any other purpose that we notify to you, but are not expressly listed in this table. | We will only do this if you give us your consent by some specific, informed and unambiguous method. | |
To act as a Guarantor |
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We will only use your personal information for the purpose(s) for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please note that we may process your personal information without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
What if you cannot or will not provide us with your personal information
It is a contractual requirement for you to provide us with certain information. If you are a tenant, this will include your name, address, proof of your right to live in the UK, proof of your employment or enrolment at university, previous landlord or accommodation information, guarantor information, email address, telephone number and bank account information. If you are a landlord this will include your name, address, the property address, email address, telephone number, insurance details, mortgage details, a copy of your passport, bank account information, HMO certificate (if applicable) and proof of compliant safety testing.If you do not provide us with that information, we will be unable to accept and process your order and deliver the products to you.
Cookie policy
You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly. For more information about the cookies we use, please see our Cookie Policy.Disclosure of your information
We may share your personal information with the parties set out below:other companies within our group, including Robin Swailes Design & Development,
local authorities including Oxford Council, Cherwell Council and Vale of White Horse Council,
The tenancy deposit scheme provider,
The landlord of the property you are enquiring about or currently renting,
Equifax and other credit reference checking companies,
Our contractors and sub-contractors,
The Tenant Shop,
Other lettings agencies,
Colleges and Universities,
Your guarantor
Utility providers to the property,
The Property Ombudsman,
Inventory providers such as ARLA,
providers of IT and system administration services and cloud storage to our business, including CFP Winman,
our professional advisers (including solicitors, bankers, auditors and insurers),
HM Revenue & Customs, the Information Commissioner’s Office, regulators and other authorities who require reporting of processing activities in certain circumstances,
analytics and search engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimisation of our website, and
third parties to whom we may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets. Alternatively, we may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal information in the same way as set out in this policy.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal information and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal information for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal information for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
Where we store your personal information
All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers in the United Kingdom.We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely, including taking the following safeguards:
- Secure lockable desks and cupboards. Desks and cupboards are kept locked when not in use if they hold confidential information of any kind.
- Methods of disposal. Paper documents are disposed of by shredding in a manner that ensures confidentiality.
- Firewalls. We apply industry standard firewall protection provided by SonicWall.
- Overseas transfers. Some of the data we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the United Kingdom if the landlord of the property lives overseas. Where we do so, we ensure that we apply appropriate safeguards. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. If you are concerned about the levels of data security in any of those countries, please let us know and we will endeavour to advise what steps will be taken to protect your data when stored overseas.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our website; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.
How long we will store your personal information
The length of time that we will store your data will depend on the ‘legal basis’ for why we are using that data, as follows:Legal basis | Length of time |
Where we use/store your data because it is necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us | We will use/store your data for as long as it is necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us |
Where we use/store your data because it is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject | We will use/store your data for as long as it is necessary for us to comply with our legal obligations |
Where we use/store your data because it is necessary for our legitimate business interests | We will use/store your data until you ask us to stop. However, if we can demonstrate the reason why we are using/storing your data overrides your interests, rights and freedoms, then we will continue to use and store your data for as long as it is necessary for the performance of the contract between you and us (or, if earlier, we no longer have a legitimate interest in using/storing your data) |
Where we use/store your data because you have given us your specific, informed and unambiguous consent | We will use/store your data until you ask us to stop |
To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider the amount, nature and sensitive of the personal information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal information, the purposes for which we process your personal information and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
Your rights
You have various legal rights in relation to the information you give us, or which we collect about you, as follows:You have a right to access the information we hold about you free-of-charge, together with various information about why and how we are using your information, to whom we may have disclosed that information, from where we originally obtained the information and for how long we will use your information.
You have the right to ask us to rectify any information we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete.
You have the right to ask us to erase the information we hold about you (the ‘right to be forgotten’). Please note that this right can only be exercised in certain circumstances and, if you ask us to erase your information and we are unable to do so, we will explain why not.
You have the right to ask us to stop using your information where: (i) the information we hold about you is inaccurate; (ii) we are unlawfully using your information; (iii) we no longer need to use the information; or (iv) we do not have a legitimate reason to use the information. Please note that we may continue to store your information, or use your information for the purpose of legal proceedings or for protecting the rights of any other person.
You have the right to ask us to transmit the information we hold about you to another person or company in a structured, commonly-used and machine-readable format. Please note that this right can only be exercised in certain circumstances and, if you ask us to transmit your information and we are unable to do so, we will explain why not.
Where we use/store your information because it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, you have the right to object to us using/storing your information. We will stop using/storing your information unless we can demonstrate why we believe we have a legitimate business interest which overrides your interests, rights and freedoms.
Where we use/store your data because you have given us your specific, informed and unambiguous consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
You have the right to object to us using/storing your information for direct marketing purposes.
If you wish to exercise any of your legal rights, please contact our office manager by writing to the address at the top of this policy, or by emailing us at post@nops.co.uk.
You also have the right, at any time, to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe we are not complying with the laws and regulations relating to the use/storage of the information you give us, or that we collect about you.