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Privacy Policy

Who we are

SYLVESTER PROPERTIES LTD (“we”, “us” or “our”) is responsible for the collection and processing of personal data described in this Privacy Policy.

We are the data controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, as applicable.

Company details

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect and share personal information when you visit our website, contact us or use our property sales, lettings and property management services.

What personal information do we collect?

Depending on your relationship with us and the services you use, we may collect the following information:

  • Contact information: Name, address, email address, telephone number and other contact details.
  • Property information: Property addresses, ownership details, property preferences, viewing information and details relating to the sale, purchase, letting or management of a property.
  • Financial information: Information relevant to property transactions, rental affordability, rent payments, source of funds and anti-money laundering checks, where applicable.
  • Identity and verification information: Information required to verify your identity and comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
  • Referencing information: Employment, income, credit history, landlord references and guarantor information, where relevant to a tenancy application.
  • Communication records: Emails, telephone notes, messages, enquiries, feedback and other correspondence with us.
  • Website and technical information: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and information collected through cookies and similar technologies, where applicable.
  • Marketing preferences: Your preferences regarding property alerts, newsletters and other marketing communications.

We only collect and process personal information that is relevant to the purposes explained in this policy and in accordance with applicable data protection law.

How do we collect your information?

We may collect personal information:

  • Directly from you when you contact us, complete an enquiry form, register as a property applicant or instruct us to provide a service.
  • When you arrange or attend a property viewing or valuation.
  • When you buy, sell, rent or let a property or use our property management services.
  • From landlords, tenants, buyers, sellers, guarantors and other parties involved in a property transaction, where appropriate.
  • From solicitors, referencing agencies, credit reference agencies, employers, previous landlords and other professional organisations, where relevant and lawful.
  • From publicly available sources, including the Land Registry and other relevant public records, where necessary for our services or legal obligations.
  • Automatically through your use of our website and its cookies or similar technologies, where applicable.

Where we obtain your personal information from another source, we will provide any additional privacy information required by law.

How do we use your personal information?

We may use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To respond to enquiries and provide information about our services.
  • To provide property valuations, sales, lettings and property management services.
  • To arrange property viewings and communicate with prospective buyers, tenants, landlords and sellers.
  • To market properties and match them with suitable prospective buyers or tenants.
  • To process tenancy applications, conduct referencing and assess affordability where applicable.
  • To communicate with solicitors, landlords, tenants, buyers, sellers and other parties involved in a transaction.
  • To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including anti-money laundering requirements and applicable property regulations.
  • To manage payments, invoices, records and contractual obligations.
  • To maintain our website, monitor its performance and improve our services.
  • To send relevant property alerts, service updates and marketing communications where permitted by law.
  • To establish, exercise or defend legal claims and protect our legitimate business interests.

We will not use your personal information for a new purpose that is incompatible with the original purpose without providing any additional information or obtaining consent where legally required.

Our lawful bases for processing personal data

We must have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR for processing your personal information. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following:

  • Contract: Where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
  • Legal obligation: Where we need to process information to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement, including applicable anti-money laundering and property-related obligations.
  • Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. These interests may include responding to enquiries, marketing properties to suitable applicants, managing our services, maintaining business records and improving our website.
  • Consent: Where you have given consent for a particular purpose, such as certain marketing communications or non-essential cookies where consent is required. You may withdraw your consent at any time.

We will determine the appropriate lawful basis for each processing activity and provide further information where necessary.

Sharing your personal information

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

We may share relevant personal information with the following categories of recipients where necessary, lawful and appropriate:

  • Buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants and prospective applicants involved in a property transaction.
  • Solicitors, conveyancers and other professional advisers.
  • Mortgage advisers, lenders and financial service providers, where relevant.
  • Tenant referencing providers and credit reference agencies.
  • Contractors, maintenance providers and other suppliers involved in property management.
  • Property portals, website providers, customer management systems and other technology service providers.
  • Payment providers, accountants, insurers and professional advisers.
  • Government bodies, regulators, law enforcement agencies and other authorities where required or permitted by law.

Where a third party processes personal information on our behalf, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the information is handled securely and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

We only share the information necessary for the relevant purpose.

Marketing communications

We may contact you about properties, services or other relevant updates where permitted by applicable marketing and data protection laws.

You can opt out of marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link provided or by contacting us directly.

Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending necessary service-related communications, such as updates about a property transaction or an existing instruction.

We will not send electronic marketing communications where consent or another legally permitted basis is required and has not been established.

Cookies and website technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to ensure that the website functions correctly, remember preferences, understand website usage and support marketing activities.

Some cookies are strictly necessary for the operation of the website. Other cookies, including certain analytics and advertising cookies, may require your consent before they are placed on your device.

You can manage your cookie preferences through our website’s cookie settings, where available. You may also be able to manage cookies through your browser settings, although disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

For further information, please refer to our cookie notice or cookie preference settings, where available.

How long do we retain your information?

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, regulatory, accounting and reporting requirements.

Retention periods will depend on the nature of the information and our relationship with you. We consider factors including:

  • Whether we continue to provide services to you.
  • Whether a property transaction or tenancy is ongoing.
  • Applicable legal and regulatory retention requirements.
  • Whether the information may be required to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
  • Our legitimate business requirements.

When personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it where appropriate.

How do we protect your information?

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

Access to personal information is restricted to those who need it for legitimate business purposes. We also take reasonable steps to ensure that third-party service providers handling information on our behalf provide appropriate safeguards.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

International transfers

Where we use service providers that transfer personal information outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that any such transfer complies with applicable data protection law and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.

Further information about relevant safeguards can be provided on request.

Your data protection rights

Subject to the conditions and exemptions under applicable law, you may have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Erasure: Ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.
  • Restriction: Ask us to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances.
  • Objection: Object to certain processing activities, including processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Data portability: Request certain personal information in a portable format where the right applies.
  • Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent as our lawful basis.

You have an absolute right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.

These rights are not absolute in every circumstance, and some may be subject to legal exceptions.

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the contact details provided in Section 1. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve the matter.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator.

You can contact the ICO if you believe that your personal information has been handled in a way that does not comply with applicable data protection law.

Automated decision-making

We do not intend to make decisions about you based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects on you, unless this is disclosed to you and carried out in accordance with applicable law.

If our use of automated decision-making changes, we will update this policy and provide any additional information required.

Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including property portals and service providers.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of websites operated by other organisations. We recommend that you read their privacy policies before providing them with personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business practices or legal obligations.

Any changes will be published on this page, together with an updated revision date. Where required by law, we will provide additional notice of significant changes.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to understand how we handle your personal information.