Privacy Notice

Sterling Properties Privacy Policy.
Updated 12 December 2022.

Sterling House
Waterfold Business Park
Bury
BL9 7BR
Telephone: 0161 761 8755
Email: info@sterlingproperties.co.uk

Sterling Properties is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected, and our use of your personal information is governed by this Privacy Notice. Sterling Properties is a controller for the personal information that it collects and uses about you. We will treat your personal information as confidential and in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and your personal information will only be shared with others in accordance with this Privacy Notice.

If there are any changes to the way in which your personal information is used, this Privacy Notice will be updated on our website www.sterlingproperties.co.uk.

The type of personal information we collect

We will collect your full name and contact details (such as phone number, email address and postal address) from you when you engage with us.

In addition, if we are providing a service to you, or on your behalf, where we are required to do so by law, we will collect information relating to your identity, which will be at least one form of photographic identification (such as a passport, a driving licence or an identification card) and one form of documentation with proof of your place of residence (such as a recent utility bill).

Where you have enquired about renting a specific property, we will use your contact details to respond which may include us sending you alternative properties to help with your search
We may collect specific access requirements so that we can find a property that is suitable for your needs
Your bank / building / similar account details allow us to manage an approved tenancy deposit account for you and to set up your rental payments.
If you are a tenant renting under the ‘Right to Rent’ scheme we will collect details of your Biometric residence card, your immigration status document and/or your birth certificate to carry out our required checks under this scheme
We may also need to collect specific identity documents from you for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime, fraud or money laundering.

Where we engage with you to manage property on your behalf we will ask for additional emergency contact information in case we need to get in touch with you outside of working hours or in the event there is a matter requiring your urgent attention.
Where you are a tenant in a building managed by ourselves, we may need to share your personal information with the property owner, but will only do so where we have considered your own rights first.
Where we operate CCTV in a property, based on our legitimate interest in protecting the property and ensuring the safety of visitors, tenants and clients, as well as to assist with the prevention and detection of crime, we may capture your image which would constitute your personal data.

How we get the personal information and why we have it

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one or more of the following reasons:

Under data protection legislation we are only permitted to use your personal information if we have a legal basis for doing so. We rely on the following legal bases to use your information;

For employment-related purposes
Where we need information to perform the contract we have entered into with you
Where we need to comply with a legal obligation
Where the processing is necessary for us to carry out activities for which it is in our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) to do so and provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests

In more limited circumstances we may also rely on the following legal bases:

Where we need to protect your interests (or someone else’s interests); and/or
Where it is needed in the public interest or for official purposes

Your personal information will be used for the particular services you have requested from us –

We use your personal information for the purposes of fulfilling our obligations to you to let your property or, if you are a tenant, for the purposes of arranging viewings, obtaining feedback, and arranging a contract or a lease for you.
We will use your personal information to conduct due diligence in accordance with other legal or regulatory obligations
We will share your personal data with third party referencing agencies for the purposes of the prevention and detection of crime, fraud and/or money laundering and checking your suitability to rent that property. In such circumstances, the third-party referencing agency may act as a data controller for your information.

Where we are managing property on your behalf, we may need to pass your personal information from time to time on to third party contractors whom we have engaged to carry out maintenance on your property.

We will only share your information for legitimate purposes, this may include organisations referred to in this notice as well as, but not limited to – Debt collectors, bailiffs, payroll companies, medical benefits companies, HMRC, accountants, previous landlords, previous employers, police, courts, utilities companies, councils, maintenance contractors. Where we are working alongside third parties such as solicitors, developers, joint or multi agents, we may need to share information on the basis of legitimate interests.

What happens if you do not provide information that we request?

We need some of your personal information to perform the services you have requested from us. For example:

Where you have asked us to find you a property which meets certain access requirements, we may need to know some further details about your circumstances so that we can find you a suitable property.
We also need some information so that we can comply with our legal obligations. For example, we may need identity documents from you to meet our obligations to prevent fraud and money laundering.

How we keep your information secure

The security of information is very important to us and we have measures in place which are designed to prevent unauthorised access to your personal information including but not limited to:

Our client files are stored on our secure client management systems. Access is restricted on our client systems with two-factor authentication to those within the business who are required to have access to your information for legitimate business purposes.
Hard copy documentation is stored in locked cabinets.

All data is hosted in datacentres which have systems and protections in place to protect against both unauthorised access, and other external factors that could cause damage to, your personal data. There are strict access requirements in place and access is restricted to only those necessary.

We ensure access to personal information is restricted to our employees on a need-to-know basis.

How long do we keep your personal information

The period for which we will keep your personal information will depend on the type of service you have requested from us. The retention period may be longer than the period for which we are providing services to you where we have statutory or regulatory obligations to retain personal information for a longer period, or where we may need to retain the information in case of a legal matter.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:
You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

If you would like to exercise any of your rights please contact us on the details above.

Please note that we will keep a record of the fact that you have made a request to exercise your rights, and our response to your request, in order to demonstrate compliance with our data protection obligations and so that we can handle any queries, complaints or claims in relation to your request. This record will be kept in accordance with our retention policies explained above.

Complaints and Contact Details

If you have any complaints about the way we use your personal information please contact us and we will try to resolve the issue. If we cannot resolve any issue, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner in the UK.

If you have any questions, comments, or requests regarding any aspect of this Privacy Policy, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or writing to us at the address above.

You can also complain to the ICO at the address below if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF Helpline number: 0303 123 1113. ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk