Privacy Policy

PRIVACY NOTICE

MyCastle Limited

Effective date: May 2017

1. Who we are

MyCastle Limited (“MyCastle”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a UK limited company providing property management, letting and estate agency services.

Registered office:
MyCastle Limited
16 High Street
2nd Floor
Uxbridge
UB8 2JN

Telephone: 01895 349550
Email: compliance@mycastleltd.com

MyCastle Limited is the data controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Contact details and Data Protection Officer

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we process personal data, you may contact our Data Protection Officer / Compliance Department at:

Email: compliance@mycastleltd.com

3. Scope of this Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and share personal data relating to landlords (including overseas landlords), tenants, buyers, sellers, applicants, contractors and other business contacts in connection with our property management, letting and estate agency services.

4. Personal data we collect

4.1 Data you provide to us directly

We may collect:

• Name, title and contact details
• Date of birth
• Identification documents (including passport and visa information)
• Right to Rent documentation
• Nationality and residency status (where legally required)
• Tax information (including Non-Resident Landlord information)
• Bank account and payment details
• Property ownership details
• Employment and income information
• Communication preferences
• Account login details
• Records of communications with us (including call recordings)

4.2 Data collected automatically

When you use our websites, systems or applications, we may collect:

• IP address
• Device, browser and operating system information
• Pages visited and links clicked
• Usage and interaction data
• Cookie and tracking information

4.3 Data from third parties

We may receive personal data from:

• HM Land Registry
• Referencing and credit checking agencies
• Identity verification and AML providers
• Local authorities and utility providers
• Contractors, tradespeople, surveyors and inventory clerks
• Publicly available sources

5. Special category data

Right to Rent checks

We process passport, visa and immigration status information strictly for the purpose of complying with our statutory obligations under the Immigration Act 2014, the Immigration Act 2016, and associated Home Office Right to Rent guidance.

This information is processed only where necessary to establish and record a statutory excuse and is not used for any other purpose.

6. How we use your personal data

We use personal data to:

• Provide property management, letting and estate agency services
• Market, let, sell and manage properties
• Manage tenancy agreements and property transactions
• Carry out Right to Rent, AML and identity checks
• Manage landlord, tenant, buyer and seller accounts
• Collect and process rent and other payments
• Comply with legal, tax and regulatory obligations
• Communicate with you about properties and services
• Prevent fraud and protect our legal rights
• Resolve disputes and enforce contractual terms
• Improve our services and systems

7. Lawful bases for processing

We process personal data under the following lawful bases:

Contract

Where processing is necessary to enter into or perform tenancy agreements, management agreements or property transactions.

Legal obligation

Where required to comply with UK law, including:

• Right to Rent checks under the Immigration Acts 2014 and 2016
• Anti-money laundering regulations
• Tax, accounting and regulatory requirements

Legitimate interests

Where necessary for our legitimate business interests, including fraud prevention, service improvement, record keeping and protection of legal rights, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.

Consent

We rely on consent only where required by law, such as for marketing communications or non-essential cookies. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

8. Sharing your personal data

We may share personal data with:

• Landlords, tenants, buyers or sellers (as relevant)
• Contractors, tradespeople, surveyors and inventory clerks
• Referencing, credit and identity verification agencies
• Utility providers and local authorities
• IT, hosting and software providers
• Professional advisers (legal, financial, compliance)
• HMRC, the Home Office and other regulators
• Tracing or debt recovery agents where legally permitted

We only share data where necessary and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

9. Overseas landlords and international transfers

Where we deal with overseas landlords or use service providers located outside the UK, personal data may be transferred internationally.

Such transfers are carried out in accordance with UK GDPR and are protected by:

• UK adequacy regulations; or
• The UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the UK Addendum to Standard Contractual Clauses.

You may request further information about these safeguards by contacting us.

10. How long we keep your data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

General retention

• Property and tenancy records are normally retained for at least six years after the end of the tenancy or transaction.

Right to Rent documentation retention

Copies of Right to Rent checks (including passport, visa and immigration status documents) are retained securely for the duration of the tenancy and for a minimum of one year after the tenancy ends, in accordance with Home Office guidance.

Where necessary to establish or maintain a statutory excuse, defend legal claims or comply with other legal obligations, such records may be retained for up to six years after the end of the tenancy, after which they will be securely deleted or destroyed.

11. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request erasure (where applicable)
• Restrict processing
• Object to processing, including direct marketing
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent at any time (where consent is relied upon)

Requests can be made by contacting us using the details above.

12. Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with how we handle your personal data, please contact us first.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
www.ico.org.uk

13. Cookies and tracking technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies. Non-essential cookies are used only with your consent.

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

14. Data security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse.

Access to Right to Rent documentation and other sensitive data is restricted to authorised personnel only.

15. Children’s data

Our services are not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

16. Updates to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The most recent version will always be available on our website.