Privacy Notice

Who We Are

NS Estates is a trading name of NS Lettings Ltd (A company registered in England with registered number 5868888 and having its registered office address at 357 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, TS5 6AB.

We are a data processor for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (GDPR) and related data protection legislation.

Our registration number at the Information Commissioner’s Office is Z9531343.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about our Privacy Notice or our data protection policies generally, please contact us:

Initial enquiries should be directed to our Middlesbrough office as follows:

• By post: 357 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, TS5 6AB.
• By phone: 01642 817333
• By email: info@nsestates.co.uk
• Our Data Protection Officer is: Mr Nasir Sharif

Our Commitment

We are fully committed to handling personal information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into force on the 25 May 2018.

This means your personal information will be:

• Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner.
• Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.
• Only collected as required for our lawful purposes.
• Reviewed regularly.
• Retained only for as long as necessary and in accordance with our retention policy.
• Processed securely and with integrity.

It is important that you are aware of our procedures and practices and understand your rights in relation to your personal data and this Privacy Notice is designed to be part of that information.

Why Do We Need to Process Personal Data?

We need to process your personal data throughout our relationship with you because it is necessary to fulfil the terms of our contract with you - if you have entered into a contract with us for example to sell a property, let a property, manage a property or provide advisory services to you.

What Personal Data Do We Collect?

“Personal data” or “personal information” is any information relating to or about an individual from which that person can be directly or indirectly identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

During the course of your engagement with us, we may collect the following information from you;

• Your name, email address, postal address, property address (whether selling or letting), home telephone number and mobile number.
• details of your requirements where you engage us to provide estate agency services on your behalf either in branch, at your property, by telephone or by email.

• your date of birth, nationality and other details from identity documents which you provide to us where we are required by law to carry out know your client anti-money laundering checks and right to rent checks and the results of those checks;
• details of your mortgage arrangements, confirmation of how long you have owned the property and details of the source of monies invested in the property when you register to sell;
• proof that you have sufficient funds to pay any deposit required when you wish to make an offer to buy a property;
• evidence of the source of funds you will be using to buy a property, including for example, a copy of your bank statement or an agreement in principle from your mortgage provider; 
• evidence that you have the right to let a property where you are a landlord and instruct us to assist you with letting a property;
• details of any mortgage or insurance, licensing documentation and service contracts which you have in place in relation to a property you wish to let where you are a landlord and we are providing you with letting services;
• your marital status, employment details, national insurance number, nationality, residential status, bank details and credit history when carrying out referencing and credit checks and the results of those checks;
• details relating to your property including photographs, floor plans, energy performance certificate ratings / home reports, property description and survey results when you engage us to market a property for you;
• photographs of your property when we market your property for sale or to let, prepare an inspection report on the condition of your property, or when we prepare an inventory to record the condition of your property at the start or end of a tenancy;
• your contact details, move in and move out date, utility meter serial number and meter readings where you are a landlord or tenant, prior to a tenant moving in to a property and when the tenant moves out;
• your move in and move out date and details of the deposit you have paid where you are a tenant when registering or releasing any deposit from a deposit protection scheme;
• references relating to you, or information required to prepare a reference for you where you are a tenant; and
• your title, names, contact details, preferences for delivery methods, sex, civil/marital status, date of birth, nationality, occupation, employment and remuneration information (including salary/bonus schemes/overtime/sick pay/ other benefits) and employment history, bank account details, tax information, loans and credit commitments, personal credit history, sources of income and expenditure, family circumstances and details of dependents, confirmation of whether or not you smoke, any pre-existing mortgage and/ or insurance products and the terms and conditions relating to these, credit reference checks and  details of the type of mortgage, insurance and/or protection you require where you are receiving mortgage, insurance and/or protection advice from us.

Use of the information we collect

Providing you with services:

• To provide you with the estate agency services which you have asked us to provide, including but not limited to:
  • helping you to sell your property, or to find a property to purchase;
  • valuing your property; and
  • letting services;
• to introduce you to conveyancing services;
• to protect a tenant’s deposit by registering it with a deposit protection scheme;
• to take payment from you for the services which we provide;
• to arrange and carry out viewings;
• to process the receipt and payment of rent, maintenance and tax for you if a property is being let;
• to arrange an energy performance certificate or home report inspection for you;
• to arrange an inventory check or to prepare a report on the condition of a property if it is being let;
• to ensure that utilities are in place and that utility companies and local authorities are able to contact you for billing purposes when you move in to a property;
• to carry out tenant referencing and credit checks to assess if you are creditworthy before you move in to a property. To carry out such checks, your personal information may be shared with credit referencing companies.

Marketing of our services to you:

• to provide you with general updates in relation to the property market, in accordance with your preferences;
• to carry out targeted advertising to you on social media websites such as Facebook where you have already shown an interest in our services.

Responding to your queries:

• to help answer any questions which you have asked one of our agents or staff members;
• to provide you with a quote for our services

Legal and Regulatory Obligations:

• to comply with applicable laws where we are obliged to retain and/or disclose certain information;
• to investigate or address claims or complaints relating to your use of our services;
• for internal and external auditing purposes;
• to carry out anti-money laundering checks.

What is Our Legal Basis for Processing Your Personal Data?

Wherever we collect or use your personal information, we will make sure we do this for a valid legal reason. This will be for at least one of the following purposes:

• because it is necessary to fulfil the terms of our contract with you - if you have entered into a contract with us for example to sell / let a property;
• because it is necessary to support the legitimate interests of our business in providing estate agency services efficiently to meet your needs -  in all such cases, we will look after your information at all times in a way that is proportionate and respects your privacy rights and you have a right to object to processing.
• to meet responsibilities we have to our regulators, tax officials, law enforcement, or otherwise meet our legal responsibilities;
• where we have obtained a clear consent from you - we will always make it clear when we need your consent and how you can change your permissions at any time thereafter.
• We may also use your personal information where we need to protect your interests (or someone else’s interest) or where it is needed in the public interest.

Do We Share with Third-Parties?

We may share your personal information with third parties where required by law, where it is necessary to administer the working relationship with you or where we have another legitimate interest in doing so.

We share personal information with:

• Solicitors
• FCA approved Mortgage advisers / intermediaries
• Surveyors
• Energy Assessors (For the purpose of organising an Energy Performance Certificate)
• Credit reference agencies
• Your employer
• Previous landlord / letting agent - regarding rent arrears
• Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS)

The above is an indicative list and may change from time to time, if it does for your circumstances we will notify you.

We do not transfer data to any other countries, although we do occasionally have overseas applicants who share their data with us.

Retention of Personal Data

The retention periods for personal data depend on the purpose for which the information was obtained and will differ for different organisations.

Where do we store Personal Data?

Your data is stored on secure password protected computers, as well as a back-up storage facility, retained at our head office. Our premises are securely locked and alarmed.

Cookies

Cookies are text files placed on your computer to collect standard internet log information and visitor behaviour information. This information is used to track visitor use of the website and to compile statistical reports on website activity.

For further information visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org
You can set your browser not to accept cookies and the above websites tell you how to remove cookies from your browser. However, in a few cases some of our website features may not function as a result.

Your Rights

Right to be informed

You have the right to be informed about the processing of your personal data, and this Privacy Notice provides you with the information you need to reassure you that we handle your personal data securely and lawfully.

Right of access

You have the right to request access to your personal data and to request further information relating to your personal data such as the purposes of processing, the categories of organisations with whom we share your personal data, the retention period for such personal data and the existence of any automated decision-making relating to your personal data.

Right to rectification

You have the right to have any inaccuracies or factual errors corrected or incomplete data amended.
If this information has been disclosed to a third-party we will inform that party and request that they amend their records.

We want your information to be accurate, complete and up to date so you can ask us to make any rectifications necessary as your details or circumstances change.
Right to erasure (the right to be forgotten).

You can request to have your personal data deleted or removed if there is no compelling reason to keep it, as follows:

• if your personal data is no longer required for the purposes for which we obtained them;
• where the processing of your personal data is based on your consent and you withdraw such consent;
• where the processing of your personal data is based on our legitimate interests and you successfully object to such processing;
• where the personal data is processed unlawfully; or
• where the personal data has to be erased for compliance with a legal obligation.

If the personal data is held for statutory or regulatory requirements it cannot be erased.
Any request made will be discussed with you, unless deletion is an obvious step.
Erasure means we could not contact you should a suitable property arise that meets your requirements or for any other estate agency services that we require to contact you.

Right to data portability

You have the right to take and use your data for other services or purposes. Where the personal data provided by you is processed on the basis of your consent or a contract between us and you, we are required to make this information available to you in a readable easily transferred format.

Exercise of your rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights in respect of your personal data, please contact us using the details above. Our Data Protection Officer will provide you with further information if required.
We will respond to any exercise of your rights within one month of such request, unless the request is complex in which case we will seek an extension and respond within a further two months thereafter.
We will respond to your requests to exercise your rights at no charge, although repeated or manifestly unfounded or excessive requests may be refused or may incur an administrative charge covering the time and other costs associated with this.

Consent

During the registration process we will ask how you wish to be contacted:

• By telephone
• By email
• By post
• By text/SMS
  You are free to consent to all or one or more of these, however, the law requires that if you permit us to use only one method, that is the only method we can use.

Complaints

In the first instance we would request that you discuss any complaints with us by writing to us via email / post on the given details above.

If you are not satisfied after we address your complaint you can complain to the:

Information Commissioners Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/raising-concerns/

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We keep our privacy policy under review and we will place any updates on this website. This privacy policy was last updated on 21^st May 2018.

If you have any questions on this privacy policy call us on 01642 817333.