Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Carré Consultancy Limited (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you visit our website www.carre.co.uk (the “Website”) or engage with our services.

Carré Consultancy Limited is the data controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our registered office is 123 Harvey Drive, Chestfield, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 3QY.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following personal data:

2.1 Information you provide to us

When you submit an enquiry through our contact form, you may provide us with your name, email address, telephone number, and any additional information you include in your message. We only collect the information you choose to give us.

2.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit our Website, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, pages viewed, and navigation paths. This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies (see Section 7 below).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to enquiries submitted through our contact form
• To provide you with information about our building surveying and consultancy services
• To administer and improve our Website
• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including those imposed by RICS
• To establish, exercise, or defend legal claims

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following lawful bases under the UK GDPR:

• Consent: Where you have submitted an enquiry through our contact form, you consent to us processing your data to respond to that enquiry.
• Legitimate interests: We may process your data where it is in our legitimate business interests to do so, for example to administer and improve our Website, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
• Legal obligation: We may process your data where necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation, including our obligations as an RICS Regulated Firm.
• Contractual necessity: Where we enter into a professional engagement with you, we will process your data as necessary for the performance of that contract.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients where necessary:

• Service providers: Third parties who provide services to us, such as website hosting, IT support, and email delivery services. These providers process your data only on our instructions and are subject to appropriate contractual safeguards.
• Professional advisers: Our accountants, auditors, and legal advisers where reasonably necessary.
• Regulatory bodies: Including RICS, where required by our regulatory obligations or in response to a legitimate request.
• Law enforcement: Where we are required to do so by law, court order, or regulatory obligation.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. Specifically:

• Contact form enquiries are retained for up to 12 months from the date of your enquiry, unless the enquiry leads to a professional engagement, in which case retention is governed by our client engagement terms.
• Website analytics data is retained in anonymised or aggregated form and does not identify you personally.
• Professional engagement records are retained for a minimum of 6 years following the completion of our services, in accordance with our professional and regulatory obligations.

7. Cookies

Our Website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device — to enhance your experience and help us understand how the Website is used.

7.1 Types of cookies we use

• Strictly necessary cookies: Essential for the operation of the Website. These include cookies that enable you to navigate the site and use its features.
• Analytics cookies: These help us understand how visitors interact with our Website by collecting information anonymously. We use this data to improve the Website’s performance and user experience.

7.2 Managing cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Website. For further information about cookies and how to manage them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

8. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as the lawful basis.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 11 below. We will respond to your request within one month of receipt.

9. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s supervisory authority for data protection:

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

We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you contact the ICO, so please reach out to us in the first instance.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us at:

Carré Consultancy Limited
Monkshill Farm, Monkshill Road
Hernhill, Faversham
Kent, ME13 9EH
Telephone: 01227 314124
Email: info@carre.co.uk