Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains in detail the types of personal data we may collect about you when you interact with us. It also explains how we’ll store and handle that data, and keep it safe.

We hope the following sections will answer any questions you have but if not, please do get in touch with us.

Who are we?

Michael Everett & Co refers to three distinct companies operating under one brand to provide estate agency services to customers.

In this Privacy Policy, the terms ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us’ refer to:

• Michael Everett & Co, a partnership trading from our Ashtead and Epsom offices. The partners are Mark & Hamish Everett. The registered office is 87 High Street, Epsom KT19 8DP.
• Michael Everett  and Company (Banstead) Limited, trading from our Banstead office. Registered office: Regency House, 61a Walton Street, Walton On The Hill, Surrey, KT20 7RZ.       
• Michael Everett & Company (Walton) Limited, trading from our Walton-on-the-Hill office. Registered office: Regency House, 61a Walton Street, Walton On The Hill, Surrey, KT20 7RZ

Collectively these companies trade as Michael Everett & Co using the website address www.michael-everett.co.uk

The law

The law on data protection sets out a number of different reasons for which a company may collect and process your personal data, including:

• Consent – where you give us explicit consent to hold and process your data. You can always withdraw this consent if you wish.
• Contractual obligations – this includes the situation where you register with us to be notified about new properties to rent or buy;
• Legal obligation – we have a number of legal obligations to meet as an Estate Agent
• Legitimate interest – the Information Commissioners Officer describe this as arising “where you use people’s data in ways they would reasonably expect and which have a minimal privacy impact, or where there is a compelling justification for the processing.”

As estate agents involved in the sale and letting of properties, we rely on each of these bases to process your data. We will only process your data in accordance with the law.

Examples of situations where we will process your data include:

• Where you ask us to add you to our database to keep you informed about properties we are selling or letting and providing you with information about the areas we work in;
• Where you ask us to value your property with a view to helping you sell it;
• Our legal obligation to carry out money-laundering checks on our clients;
• Where we arrange for a tradesman to carry out specific work on behalf of a landlord;
• Where we organise an EPC certificate for a property we are selling;
• Where you contact us via our website and provide your personal data to us.

What data we hold

We will only hold the data we need. Typically, this is information such as name, address and contact information along with information about your property or the type of property you are looking to buy or rent. We may also need some form of photographic identification from you. If you proceed with a sale, purchase or letting through us, we may also require some financial information to enable us to validate your ability to proceed with a purchase or tenancy.

Special category data: this is a new definition under the General Data Protection Regulations. In most circumstances, we do not hold any special category data about our customers. This refers to information about an individual’s race; ethnic origin; politics; religion; trade union membership; genetics; biometrics (where used for ID purposes); health; sex life; or sexual orientation.

There are however some very restricted circumstances where the law as it relates to estate agency requires us to do so. This is in relation to a tenants right to live in the UK. You can read more about this obligation here: https://www.gov.uk/check-tenant-right-to-rent-documents

We will ask you for consent to process your data in these circumstances. You do not have to give us your consent but if you do not do so, we may not be able to deliver the services you have asked us to deliver. For example, if we are processing your data in relation to a tenancy, we will not be able to proceed with the tenancy without your consent.

What we do with your data

We hold and use your data to provide you with the services expected of us as an estate agent. We also carry out certain checks required of us by law or as part of our normal duties as an estate agent. We do not sell or transfer data to third parties except where we are required to do so to perform the services expected of us.

We will only hold your data for as long as you wish us to do so or as long as we are required to do so to perform the services you want from us.

Storing your data

We use certain systems to manage our business. We take data security seriously and we have processes in place to control access to those systems and your data.

Who will we pass your data to

We will share details between offices of Michael Everett & Co, including those operated under a separate legal structure in Banstead and Walton-on-the-Hill. We do this where the information you have provided to us about your requirements indicates that they may be better placed to assist you.

We will only share your data with other people:

• where we are required to do so by law;
• where you expressly authorise us to do so;
• where you expressly ask us to do so;
• where it is necessary to do so in order to perform the services you want from us.

Your rights

The General Data Protection Regulations give you certain rights. You can read more about these rights on the Information Commissioners Office website at https://ico.org.uk/

Broadly, these rights are:

• to request a copy of the information we hold about you.
• to be confident that we handle your personal information responsibly and in line with good practice. This refers to security, accuracy, confidentiality, how long we keep your data and what we use it for.
• to ask that we correct your data if you believe anything we hold about you is wrong.
• to request that we delete your data.

You can raise any questions you have with any member of the team, or with our nominated Data Protection Officer.

Data Protection Officer

We have a nominated Data Protection Officer for each of the separate legal businesses. These are:

If you have any concerns about the way we process your data, please contact the relevant Data Protection Officer.

More Information

You can find more information about your rights on the Information Commissioners Office website at https://ico.org.uk/