Sussex Subsidence
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Privacy Policy

How we collect, use and protect your personal information.

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1. Introduction

At Sussex Subsidence, we understand that when you contact us about structural repairs to your property, you are sharing sensitive information about your home or business premises. We take our responsibility to protect your personal data seriously and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of data protection.

This privacy policy sets out how we collect, store, and use your personal information when you use our website, request a quote, or engage our services. We comply fully with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Who We Are

Sussex Subsidence is a specialist structural repair business operating throughout Sussex. For the purposes of data protection legislation, we are the data controller responsible for your personal information.

Contact Information:

  • Company Name: Sussex Subsidence
  • Postal Address: Bell Tower Industrial Estate, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN2 5RU
  • Website: sussexsubsidence.co.uk

If you have any questions about how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us using the details above.

3. Information We Collect About You

When you interact with our business, we may collect and process several categories of personal information. The specific data we collect depends on the nature of your interaction with us.

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you request a quote, book a survey, or engage our services, you may provide us with:

  • Contact details: Your name, postal address, email address, and telephone number.
  • Property information: Details about your property including its location, age, construction type, and the nature of structural issues you are experiencing.
  • Survey and assessment data: Information gathered during site visits, including photographs of structural damage, measurements, and technical assessments.
  • Financial information: Payment details and billing information when you engage our services.
  • Communication records: Correspondence between you and our team, including emails, phone call notes, and messages through our website contact forms.

3.2 Information We Collect Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information:

  • Device and browser information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, and screen resolution.
  • Usage data: Pages you visit, time spent on pages, links clicked, and the website that referred you to us.
  • Location data: General geographic location based on your IP address (we do not collect precise GPS coordinates).

3.3 Information from Third Parties

Occasionally, we may receive information about you from third parties such as:

  • Building surveyors or structural engineers who recommend our services.
  • Insurance companies when repairs are covered under a policy.
  • Estate agents or property managers when work is commissioned on behalf of property owners.

4. How and Why We Use Your Personal Data

We process your personal information for specific purposes and only when we have a lawful basis to do so under UK GDPR. These purposes include:

  • Responding to your enquiry and providing quotes.
  • Arranging and conducting structural surveys.
  • Delivering our repair and engineering services.
  • Preparing insurance claim reports.
  • Internal record keeping and business administration.

We do not send marketing communications unless you have explicitly opted in. You can opt out at any time by contacting us.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your data with carefully selected partners and service providers in the following circumstances:

  • IT service providers who host our website and maintain our systems.
  • Payment processors who handle secure payment transactions on our behalf.
  • Specialist subcontractors who may assist with complex structural repair projects (only when necessary and with appropriate confidentiality agreements).
  • Structural engineers and building surveyors when technical expertise is required.
  • Legal advisers, accountants, and insurers who provide professional services to our business.
  • HMRC, regulatory authorities, and law enforcement when required by law.

All third parties who process data on our behalf are required to maintain appropriate security measures and to process your information only as instructed by us.

6. International Data Transfers

Your personal data is stored and processed within the United Kingdom. We do not routinely transfer personal data outside the UK. In the rare event that an international transfer becomes necessary, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR requirements.

7. How We Protect Your Personal Data

We implement robust technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information, including:

  • Encryption: Sensitive data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.
  • Access controls: Only authorised personnel can access personal data on a need-to-know basis.
  • Secure systems: Our IT systems are protected by firewalls, anti-virus software, and regular security updates.
  • Staff training: All employees receive data protection training and are bound by confidentiality obligations.
  • Incident response: We have procedures in place to detect, report, and respond to data breaches.

8. How Long We Keep Your Personal Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. Our standard retention periods are:

  • Enquiry data: Up to 24 months.
  • Client records: 6 years in line with professional indemnity insurance requirements and the limitation period for contractual claims.

Once the retention period expires, we securely delete or anonymise your personal data so that it can no longer identify you.

9. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, free of charge within one month.
  • Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to erasure: Request deletion of your data where it is no longer necessary, subject to legal obligations.
  • Right to restrict processing: Limit how we use your data in certain situations.
  • Right to data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in section 2. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience:

  • Essential cookies: Necessary for the website to function properly and cannot be disabled.
  • Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it.

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

11. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We recommend that you review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

12. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

14. Questions, Concerns, and Complaints

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data protection practices, please contact us at:

  • Post: Bell Tower Industrial Estate, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN2 5RU

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 working days.

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

  • Website: www.ico.org.uk
  • Telephone: 0303 123 1113
  • Address: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF