Effective Date: DD/MM/YYYY
Protecting your privacy is important to us; we want to be open with you on how and why we use your personal information. Below are some key highlights of our privacy policy.
This Privacy Policy provides a comprehensive explanation of how we collect, use, share and safeguard your personal data when you interact with our various services, which include our website (www.bestinmoves.co.uk) and all customer support channels. It also clearly outlines your fundamental privacy rights and how the law in the United Kingdom protects you.
1. Who We Are
Best In Move Ltd is a registered real estate company based in the United Kingdom, specializing in a wide range of property-related services. Our core activities encompass facilitating property sales, managing lettings, assisting with property purchases and rentals and providing comprehensive property advertising solutions. We proudly serve a diverse client, including potential buyers, property sellers, landlords, tenants, real estate agents and property developers across the United Kingdom. Our operational practices are meticulously designed to be fully compliant with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, ensuring the highest standards of data protection and privacy for all our users.
2. What Information We Collect
We collect and process various categories of personal data to effectively provide our services and enhance your experience. These categories include, but are not limited to:
2.1. Identity Information: This includes your full name, title, date of birth, gender, nationality and any identification documents you may provide for verification purposes.
2.2. Contact Information: This encompasses your primary home and work addresses, telephone numbers (both landline and mobile), email addresses and other preferred methods of communication.
2.3. Financial Information: This may include your bank account details, payment transaction records, information related to your creditworthiness (obtained from credit reference agencies with your consent where required) and details necessary for processing payments and financial transactions related to property services.
2.4. Property-Related Data: This includes detailed information about properties you list for sale or rent, properties you view or express interest in, properties you currently own or manage, including the property address, number of rooms, specific property features, associated photographs, videos and virtual tours.
2.5. User Account Data: When you register an account with us, we collect your login credentials (username and password), saved property searches, your specified property preferences and alerts and your interaction history within your account.
2.6. Technical Information: This involves data related to your interaction with our digital platforms, such as your IP address, the type of device you are using (e.g., computer, smartphone, tablet), your browser type and version, information collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies, your time zone settings and other technical specifications of your device and internet connection.
2.7. Communication Data: This includes records of your correspondence with us through various channels, such as the content of emails, transcripts of chat sessions, recordings of phone calls (where permitted and with prior notification) and any other forms of communication you have with our team.
2.8. Marketing Preferences: This records your explicit choices regarding receiving marketing communications from us, including whether you have opted in or opted out of receiving newsletters, promotional offers and other marketing materials.
2.9. Verification Data: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, we may collect identification documents (e.g., passport, driving license), proof of address (e.g., utility bills) and information regarding your employment status and financial background.
2.10. Visual Content: This includes photographs and videos captured during property viewings, images and videos provided for property listings and potentially recordings or photographs taken at promotional events or within our offices (with explicit consent).
3. Why We Collect Your Information & Sources of Collection
We collect your personal data for various specific purposes and the sources from which we obtain this information are diverse:
3.1. Direct Collection from You: We collect information directly from you when you actively provide it to us. This occurs when you fill in forms on our website, contact us via phone or email, register for an account, subscribe to our services, participate in surveys or promotions or otherwise interact directly with our team. For example, when you register your property for sale, you directly provide us with property details and your contact information.
3.2. Automatic Collection Through Technology: When you browse our website we automatically collect certain technical information through the use of cookies and other tracking technologies. This helps us understand how you use our platforms, personalize your experience and improve our services. For instance, cookies help us remember your login details and track your browsing activity on our site.
3.3. Collection from Third Parties: We may also receive information about you from various third-party sources, including:
3.4. Property Portals and Listing Websites (e.g., Rightmove): If you have listed your property on other platforms, we may collect publicly available information about your property from these sources to enhance our services and ensure comprehensive market coverage.
3.5. Solicitors and Legal Advisors: In the context of property transactions, we may exchange necessary information with your legal representatives to facilitate the process.
3.6. Referencing Agencies: For tenancy applications, we may collect information from referencing agencies to verify your identity, employment history and financial status.
3.7. Social Media Platforms: If you interact with us through social media, we may collect certain information from your profile, depending on your privacy settings on those platforms.
3.8. Public Records: We may access publicly available information from government databases or other public sources to verify details or comply with legal obligations.
4. We collect and process your personal information for the following key purposes:
4.1. To Respond to Your Enquiries and Provide Requested Services: We use your contact information and property preferences to respond to your inquiries about properties, services and the market and to provide you with the specific services you have requested, such as arranging viewings or providing property valuations.
4.2. To Facilitate Property Sales, Purchases, Lettings and Rentals: We process your data to connect buyers with sellers, landlords with tenants and to manage all aspects of the property transaction process, including negotiations, documentation and coordination between parties.
4.3. To Conduct Referencing, Background and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) Checks: We collect and process identification and financial information to conduct necessary checks to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, ensuring the security and integrity of our services and preventing illegal activities.
4.4. To Manage Transactions and Payments: We use your financial information to process payments related to our services, such as fees for listings, rental deposits or sales commissions and to maintain accurate financial records.
4.5. To Improve and Personalise Our Services: We analyse your usage patterns, preferences and feedback to understand how we can enhance our website and overall service offerings to better meet your needs and provide a more tailored experience, such as suggesting properties that match your saved searches.
4.6. To Provide Tailored Property Recommendations: Based on your expressed interests, search history and saved preferences, we may use your data to provide you with relevant property recommendations and market updates that we believe will be of interest to you.
4.7. To Carry Out Marketing and Promotional Activities (Only if Consented): If you have given us your explicit consent, we may use your contact information to send you marketing communications about new properties, special offers, market insights and other promotional materials that we believe may be relevant to you. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
4.8. To Comply with Legal Obligations: We may process your personal data to comply with various legal and regulatory obligations, such as responding to requests from law enforcement agencies or adhering to tax and accounting requirements.
5. How We Use Your Personal Data
We utilise your personal data in a variety of ways to deliver our services effectively and enhance your experience:
5.1. Creating and Managing User Accounts: We use your identity and contact information to create and manage your user account on our website allowing you to save searches, track properties and manage your preferences.
5.2. Connecting Buyers with Sellers and Landlords with Tenants: We use the information you provide to match potential buyers with suitable properties for sale and prospective tenants with appropriate rental properties, facilitating introductions and viewings.
5.3. Matching You with Suitable Agents or Listings: Based on your property requirements and preferences, we may use your data to connect you with real estate agents who specialize in the types of properties you are interested in or to highlight specific property listings that align with your criteria.
5.4. Conducting Fraud Checks and Due Diligence: We process your identification and financial information to perform necessary fraud prevention measures and due diligence checks to ensure the legitimacy of transactions and the safety of our platform.
5.5. Responding to Support Queries and Complaints: When you contact our customer support team with inquiries or complaints, we use your contact information and the details of your issue to provide you with effective assistance and resolve any concerns you may have.
5.6. Sending Transactional Messages (Confirmations, Updates, Invoices): We use your contact information to send you essential transactional messages related to your activities on our platform, such as booking confirmations for viewings, updates on the status of your property listing and invoices for our services.
5.7. Administering Competitions or Surveys: If you participate in any competitions or surveys we offer, we will use your provided information to manage your participation, notify you if you win and analyse the survey results to improve our services.
5.8. Notifying You of Changes to Our Services: We may use your contact information to inform you about significant changes or updates to our privacy policy, our terms and conditions or the functionality of our website and applications.
5.9. Enforcing Our Terms and Conditions: We may process your data to enforce our terms and conditions of service, including investigating potential breaches and taking appropriate action.
6. Where and How We Store Your Data
The security of your personal data is paramount to us. We implement robust measures to ensure its protection against loss, misuse or unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.
6.1. Secure Storage Locations: Your data is primarily stored on secure servers located within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area (EEA). We utilise reputable hosting providers with stringent security protocols.
6.2. Physical Security: Our physical premises and data centers are protected by comprehensive security measures to prevent unauthorised physical access.
6.3. Technical Safeguards: We implement various technical safeguards, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems and regular security audits, to protect our systems and your data from cyber threats. We also utilise access control lists to restrict data access to only authorised personnel based on their roles and responsibilities.
6.4. Administrative Controls: We have established strict internal policies and procedures regarding data access, handling and storage. Our employees undergo regular training on data protection best practices to ensure they understand their responsibilities in safeguarding your information. We also implement strong password protection policies and multi-factor authentication where feasible.
We continuously review and update our security measures to align with industry best practices and evolving security threats.
7. Children Under 18
Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we discover that we have unintentionally collected data from a child under 18, we will delete it promptly.
8. Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies
We utilise cookies and other similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience on our website, gather valuable insights into how our website is used and provide you with tailored advertisements that may be of interest to you.
Types of Cookies: We use various types of cookies, including:
8.1. Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for the basic functionality of our website and enable you to navigate the site and use its features, such as accessing secure areas.
8.2. Performance/Analytics Cookies: These cookies collect anonymous information about how visitors use our website, such as which pages they visit most often and if they encounter any errors. This data helps us improve the performance and usability of our site.
8.3. Functionality Cookies: These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your language preference or region) and provide enhanced, more personalized features.
8.4. Targeting/Advertising Cookies: These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests based on your browsing activity on our website and other websites. They may also be used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
8.5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences: You have the ability to control and manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Most web browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. Please note that blocking or deleting certain cookies may impact the functionality and user experience of our website.
9. Your Rights (Buyers, Sellers, Agents and Others)
As a data subject under the UK GDPR, you have several important rights regarding your personal data. We are committed to upholding these rights and making it easy for you to exercise them:
9.1. Right to Access – You can request a copy of your personal data.
9.2. Right to Rectification – You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
9.3. Right to Erasure – You can request we delete your data.
9.4. Right to Restrict Processing – You can ask us to limit how we use your data.
9.5. Right to Object – You can object to certain types of processing, including marketing.
9.6. Right to Data Portability – You can request we transfer your data to another provider.
To exercise any of these rights, please send a written request to our Data Protection Officer at support@bestinmove. To protect your privacy and security, we may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request. We will respond to your request within the statutory timeframe.
10. Storing Personal Data
We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, accounting or reporting requirements. The specific retention period will depend on the nature of the data, the purpose for which it is processed and any applicable legal or regulatory obligations.
10.1. Marketing Data: Personal data used for direct marketing purposes will be retained until you explicitly unsubscribe from our marketing communications or withdraw your consent.
10.2. Property Transaction Records: Records related to property sales, purchases, lettings and rentals are typically kept for a period of up to 7 years from the completion of the transaction to comply with legal and accounting obligations.
10.3. Account Data: If you have a user account with us, we will generally retain your account data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. If you choose to delete your account or request deletion of your data, we will process your request in accordance with our data retention policies and applicable laws.
10.4. Customer Support Inquiries: Records of customer support inquiries and related communications are usually retained for a period necessary to address your concerns and for internal record-keeping and service improvement purposes.
We periodically review our data retention policies to ensure that we do not keep your data for longer than necessary. When the retention period expires, we will securely delete or anonymize your personal data.
11. Sharing Personal Data
To effectively provide our services, we may need to share your personal data with certain categories of recipients:
11.1. Property Professionals: This includes real estate agents, mortgage brokers, surveyors and other professionals involved in the property transaction process to facilitate viewings, valuations and other related services.
11.2. Solicitors and Legal Advisors: We may share necessary information with your legal representatives and our own legal counsel to facilitate property transactions and address any legal matters.
11.3. IT Service Providers and Software Platforms: We engage third-party IT service providers for website hosting, data storage, software solutions and other technical support. These providers may have access to your personal data in the course of providing their services to us, but they are contractually obligated to protect your data and process it only according to our instructions.
11.4. Credit Reference and Identity Verification Agencies: We may share your identification and financial information with these agencies for the purpose of conducting necessary credit checks and verifying your identity, particularly for tenancy applications and to comply with AML regulations.
11.5. Government Authorities and Regulatory Bodies: We may be required to disclose your personal data to government authorities, law enforcement agencies or regulatory bodies if required by law or in response to a valid legal request.
11.6. Payment Processors: We use third-party payment processors to securely handle financial transactions. When you make a payment through our platform, your payment details will be shared with these processors in accordance with their privacy policies.
12. Third-Party Advertising
We may use third-party advertising services (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Pixel) to show you targeted ads based on your browsing activity. These partners may use cookies and similar technologies.
13. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We may use AI tools to:
13.1. Analyse property trends
13.2. Match users to listings
13.3. Provide virtual assistance (chatbots)
13.4. Improve service recommendations
AI tools are monitored to avoid bias and ensure fairness. AI-based decisions do not override human review in any significant transaction.
14. Our Communication & Other Communication
We may contact you via:
14.1. Email
14.2. SMS
14.3. Phone calls
14.4. Push notifications (if enabled)
You may also receive communication from our authorised partners, such as agents or mortgage providers. You can manage your preferences through your account settings or by contacting us directly.
15. Direct Marketing
We will only send you direct marketing communications (e.g., newsletters, special offers) if you have opted in. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the message or by contacting us.
16. Photos, Videos and Visual Content
We may take and use photos or videos of your property for marketing purposes, with your consent. These may be displayed on our website, social media or printed materials. You have the right to request removal of any visual content featuring you or your property.
17. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally to reflect changes in law or our business practices. The updated version will always be available on our website. Where appropriate, we will notify you of significant changes via email.
18. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this policy or your personal data, please contact:
Data Protection Officer
BestIn Move Ltd
Address:
Email:
Phone:
Thank you for trusting BestIn Move. Your privacy matters to us.
Last Updated: DD/MM/YYYY