Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Who we are
This website is operated by The Housing Inspector, the trading name of Anne Marie Taylor.
Our website address is thehousinginspector.com.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, Anne Marie Taylor trading as The Housing Inspector is the data controller for personal information processed in connection with these services.
Email: admin@thehousinginspector.com
ICO registration reference: ZB057469
The information we may collect
The information we collect depends on why you are contacting us and the service we are providing.
It may include:
- your name, address, telephone number and email address;
- property addresses and tenancy information;
- landlord, tenant, leaseholder, agent or professional contact details;
- emails, telephone notes, WhatsApp messages and other correspondence;
- information needed to arrange appointments or gain authorised access to a property;
- photographs, inspection findings, inventories, reports and other property evidence;
- details of repairs, disrepair, contractors and works;
- information relating to tenancy management, rent or other housing matters;
- invoices, payments and accounting records; and
- website and technical information where applicable.
We try to collect only the information that is relevant to the work we have been asked to undertake.
Sensitive information
Some housing matters involve information about a person’s health, disability, vulnerability or other particularly private circumstances.
We do not ask for this information unnecessarily.
Where sensitive information is relevant to a housing matter, it will only be used where there is a proper reason for doing so and where data protection law permits us to process it.
Where we process special category information, such as information about health or disability, we identify both a lawful basis for using the information and an appropriate condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include explicit consent or processing that is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. We only use this information where it is necessary and proportionate to the housing matter concerned.
Children’s information
Our services are not directed at children. However, information about children may occasionally form part of a tenancy, household or housing matter. Where this happens, we only use information that is reasonably necessary for the matter and treat it with particular care.
How we obtain your information
We may receive information:
- directly from you;
- from a landlord, tenant, leaseholder or property owner;
- from a managing or letting agent;
- from another housing professional;
- from a contractor;
- from a solicitor, insurer or other professional acting in connection with a matter;
- from a local authority or other organisation where appropriate and lawful; or
- through information supplied when you use this website.
Where information is obtained from somebody other than the individual concerned, we will only use it where there is a legitimate and lawful reason to do so.
Why we use personal information
We may use personal information to:
- respond to enquiries;
- advise you about the most appropriate service;
- arrange inspections, appointments and property access;
- provide property and tenancy management services;
- prepare inventories, inspection reports and other professional reports;
- investigate disrepair or other housing concerns;
- communicate with landlords, tenants, agents, contractors and other relevant parties;
- coordinate repairs or works;
- help resolve housing and tenancy problems;
- maintain records of work undertaken;
- comply with legal, regulatory, insurance and accounting requirements;
- establish, exercise or defend legal rights where necessary;
- protect the security and proper operation of the website; and
- understand how the website is being used where you have permitted analytics.
Our lawful basis for using your information
Data protection law requires us to have a lawful reason for using personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:
- Contract where you are our client and we need information to respond to your instruction, arrange an inspection, manage a property, prepare a report or provide another agreed service.
- Legitimate interests where we need to communicate with or hold information about landlords, tenants, occupiers, agents, contractors or professionals in order to investigate, manage or resolve a housing matter, provided your rights do not override those interests.
- Legal obligation where information must be retained or used to meet legal, regulatory, tax or accounting requirements.
- Consent for optional activities where consent is appropriate, including certain website technologies and analytics.
The lawful basis will depend on the particular activity.
Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.
Housing cases involving more than one person
Housing matters often involve several people.
For example, a case may involve a landlord, tenant, agent, contractor and other professionals.
This means that information supplied by one person may sometimes need to be discussed or shared with another person involved in the matter.
We will only share information where it is reasonably necessary, relevant to the work being undertaken and lawful to do so.
We do not disclose personal information simply because somebody asks for it.
Who we may share information with
Where necessary for the work we are carrying out, information may be shared with:
- landlords or property owners;
- tenants or occupiers;
- managing and letting agents;
- contractors and tradespeople;
- surveyors and other property professionals;
- solicitors and other professional advisers;
- insurers, brokers or loss adjusters;
- local authorities, housing organisations or other public bodies where appropriate;
- accountants or professional advisers;
- website, email, IT and data-storage providers; and
- other parties where you have authorised us to communicate with them.
Only information relevant to the purpose should be shared.
We may also disclose information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
Contractors
The Housing Inspector may coordinate or introduce contractors as part of property management or repair work.
Contractors will only be given the information reasonably necessary to arrange access, communicate about the work and carry out the job.
Reports, photographs and property evidence
Our work may involve photographs, reports, inspection notes and other evidence concerning a property.
These records may contain personal information where, for example, somebody’s belongings, correspondence or other identifying information appear within an inspection.
We aim to record what is necessary for the purpose of the inspection or investigation and avoid unnecessary personal information wherever reasonably possible.
Reports and evidence may be shared with the client and other relevant parties where this forms part of the service being provided.
Website enquiries and forms
When you complete the How Can We Help? form, we use the information you provide to understand your enquiry, contact you and determine what assistance or service may be appropriate.
Please avoid including highly sensitive information in an initial website enquiry unless it is genuinely necessary for us to understand the matter.
Email, telephone and WhatsApp
If you contact us by email, telephone or WhatsApp, we may retain that communication where it forms part of an enquiry, instruction or housing matter.
If you choose to contact us through WhatsApp, information will also be processed by WhatsApp/Meta in accordance with its own privacy arrangements.
Google Analytics
Where you have consented to statistics cookies, we use Google Analytics through Google Site Kit to help us understand how visitors use the website.
This may include information about pages visited, how visitors navigate the site and general technical information about the device or browser being used.
Analytics is not necessary for you to use the website.
You can control your choice through our cookie settings.
Please see our Cookie Policy for further information.
Google reCAPTCHA
We may use Google reCAPTCHA to help protect website forms against spam and automated abuse.
Where consent is required for the technology to operate, it is controlled through our cookie-consent system.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar browser technologies.
Full details of the cookies and services currently used, together with controls for changing your preferences, are provided in our Cookie Policy.
How long we keep information
We do not keep personal information indefinitely simply because we have received it.
How long information is retained depends on:
- the nature of the service provided;
- whether the information forms part of a property, tenancy or inspection record;
- whether a dispute or claim may arise;
- legal, tax, accounting or insurance requirements;
- contractual obligations; and
- whether the information remains reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
When information is no longer required, it should be securely deleted or anonymised where appropriate.
Keeping information secure
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.
Access to information is limited to those who reasonably need it for the relevant purpose.
No method of electronic storage or communication can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but appropriate measures are used to reduce risk.
Information processed outside the UK
Some technology providers used to operate the website or communicate with clients may process information outside the United Kingdom.
Where a service provider processes personal information outside the UK and this constitutes a restricted international transfer, we use an appropriate transfer mechanism recognised under UK data protection law, such as an applicable UK adequacy regulation or approved contractual safeguards. You may contact us if you would like further information about the safeguards relevant to your information.
Do you have to provide your information?
You are not generally under a legal obligation to provide personal information to The Housing Inspector. However, some information may be necessary for us to understand your enquiry, arrange property access, investigate a matter or provide an agreed service. If information reasonably required for the work is not provided, we may be unable to act or may have to limit the service we can provide.
Automated decision-making
We do not use personal information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.
Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being relied upon, you may have the right to:
- ask for a copy of personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask us to erase personal information in certain circumstances;
- ask us to restrict the way information is used;
- object to certain uses of your information;
- receive certain information in a portable format; and
- withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Not every right applies in every circumstance.
In particular, information may sometimes need to be retained because of legal, contractual, accounting or dispute-related requirements.
Your right to object
Where we rely on legitimate interests to use your personal information, you have the right to object to that processing.
We will consider any objection in accordance with UK data protection law.
Requests about your information
If you wish to exercise a data protection right or have a question about how your information is being used, please contact The Housing Inspector.
Email: admin@thehousinginspector.com
We may need to confirm your identity before releasing personal information.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to address the matter.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator responsible for data protection.
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: ico.org.uk
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as our services, website or legal obligations change.
The current version will always be published on this website.