Privacy Policy
BACKGROUND:
Property118 Ltd understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used and shared online. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits this website,
www.property118.com (“Our Site”) and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with Our obligations and your rights under the law.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of Our Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of Our Site
. If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Policy, you must stop using Our Site immediately.
- Definitions and Interpretation
In this Policy the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Account” |
means an account required to access and/or use certain areas and features of Our Site; |
“Cookie” |
means a small text file placed on your computer or device by Our Site when you visit certain parts of Our Site and/or when you use certain features of Our Site. Details of the Cookies used by Our Site are set out in section 13, below; |
“Cookie Law” |
means the relevant parts of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003; |
“personal data” |
means any and all data that relates to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified from that data. In this case, it means personal data that you give to Us via Our Site. This definition shall, where applicable, incorporate the definitions provided in the EU Regulation 2016/679 – the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”); and |
“We/Us/Our” |
Means Property118 Ltd , a limited company registered in England under company number 10295964, whose registered address is 1st Floor, Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4AB. |
- Information About Us
- Our Site is owned and operated by Property118 Ltd, a limited company registered in England under company number 10295964, whose registered address is 1st Floor, Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4AB.
- Our VAT number is 990 0332 34.
- Our Data Protection Officer is Neil Patterson, and can be contacted by email at npatterson@property118.com, by telephone on 01603 489118, or by post at 1st Floor, Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4AB.
- What Does This Policy Cover?
This Privacy Policy applies only to your use of Our Site. Our Site may contain links to other websites. Please note that We have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and We advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.
- Your Rights
- As a data subject, you have the following rights under the GDPR, which this Policy and Our use of personal data have been designed to uphold:
- The right to be informed about Our collection and use of personal data;
- The right of access to the personal data We hold about you (see section 12);
- The right to rectification if any personal data We hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete (please contact Us using the details in section 14);
- The right to be forgotten – i.e. the right to ask Us to delete any personal data We hold about you (We only hold your personal data for a limited time, as explained in section 6 but if you would like Us to delete it sooner, please contact Us using the details in section 14);
- The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data;
- The right to data portability (obtaining a copy of your personal data to re-use with another service or organisation);
- The right to object to Us using your personal data for particular purposes; and
- If you have any cause for complaint about Our use of your personal data, please contact Us using the details provided in section 14 and We will do Our best to solve the problem for you. If We are unable to help, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
- For further information about your rights, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
- What Data Do We Collect?
Depending upon your use of Our Site, We may collect some or all of the following personal data (please also see section 13 on Our use of Cookies and similar technologies):
- Name;
- Date of birth;
- Address and post code;
- Business/company name and trading status;
- Number of properties owned;
- Accountants details;
- Contact information such as email addresses and telephone numbers;
- Proof of residence and ID;
- Financial information such as income and tax status;
- Landlords insurance renewal dates;
- Property Portfolio details such as value and mortgage outstanding;
- How Do We Use Your Data?
- All personal data is processed and stored securely, for no longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. We will comply with Our obligations and safeguard your rights under the GDPR at all times. For more details on security see section 7, below.
- Our use of your personal data will always have a lawful basis, either because it is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data (e.g. by subscribing to emails), or because it is in our legitimate interests. Specifically, we may use your data for the following purposes:
- Providing and managing your access to Our Site;
- Supplying our products and or services to you (please note that We require your personal data in order to enter into a contract with you);
- Personalising and tailoring our products and or services for you;
- Replying to emails from you;
- Supplying you with emails that you have opted into (you may unsubscribe or opt-out at any time by the unsubscribe link at the bottom of all emails;
- Analysing your use of our site and gathering feedback to enable us to continually improve our site and your user experience;
- Provide information to our partner service and product suppliers at your request.
- With your permission and/or where permitted by law, We may also use your data for marketing purposes which may include contacting you by email and or telephone with information, news and offers on our products and or We will not, however, send you any unsolicited marketing or spam and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that We fully protect your rights and comply with Our obligations under the GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.
- You have the right to withdraw your consent to us using your personal data at any time, and to request that we delete it.
- We do not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. Data will therefore be retained for the following periods (or its retention will be determined on the following bases):
- Member profile information is collected with your consent and can be amended or deleted at any time by you;
- Anti-Money Laundering information and tax consultancy records are to be kept as required by law for up to seven years.
- How and Where Do We Store Your Data?
- We only keep your personal data for as long as We need to in order to use it as described above in section 6, and/or for as long as We have your permission to keep it.
- Some or all of your data may be stored outside of the European Economic Area (“the EEA”) (The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). You are deemed to accept and agree to this by using our site and submitting information to Us. If we do store data outside the EEA, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated as safely and securely as it would be within the UK and under the GDPR
- Data security is very important to Us, and to protect your data We have taken suitable measures to safeguard and secure data collected through Our Site.
- Do We Share Your Data?
- We may share your data with other partner companies in for the purpose of supplying products or services you have requested.
- We may sometimes contract with third parties to supply products and services to you on Our behalf. Where any of your data is required for such a purpose, We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data will be handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, Our obligations, and the obligations of the third party under the law.
- We may compile statistics about the use of Our Site including data on traffic, usage patterns, user numbers, sales, and other information. All such data will be anonymised and will not include any personally identifying data, or any anonymised data that can be combined with other data and used to identify you. We may from time to time share such data with third parties such as prospective investors, affiliates, partners, and advertisers. Data will only be shared and used within the bounds of the law.
- In certain circumstances, We may be legally required to share certain data held by Us, which may include your personal data, for example, where We are involved in legal proceedings, where We are complying with legal requirements, a court order, or a governmental authority.
- What Happens If Our Business Changes Hands?
- We may, from time to time, expand or reduce Our business and this may involve the sale and/or the transfer of control of all or part of Our business. Any personal data that you have provided will, where it is relevant to any part of Our business that is being transferred, be transferred along with that part and the new owner or newly controlling party will, under the terms of this Privacy Policy, be permitted to use that data only for the same purposes for which it was originally collected by Us.
- How Can You Control Your Data?
- In addition to your rights under the GDPR, set out in section 4, we aim to give you strong controls on Our use of your data for direct marketing purposes including the ability to opt-out of receiving emails from Us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in Our emails.
- Your Right to Withhold Information
- You may access certain areas of Our Site without providing any data at all. However, to use all features and functions available on Our Site you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.
- You may restrict Our use of Cookies. For more information, see section 13.
- How Can You Access Your Data?
You have the right to ask for a copy of any of your personal data held by Us (where such data is held). Under the GDPR, no fee is payable and We will provide any and all information in response to your request free of charge. Please contact Us for more details at info@property118.com, or using the contact details below in section 14.
- Our Use of Cookies
- Our Site may place and access certain first party Cookies on your computer or device. First party Cookies are those placed directly by Us and are used only by Us. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of Our Site and to provide and improve Our products AND/OR We have carefully chosen these Cookies and have taken steps to ensure that your privacy and personal data is protected and respected at all times.
- All Cookies used by and on Our Site are used in accordance with current Cookie Law.
- Before Cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a cookie prompt requesting your consent to set those Cookies. By giving your consent to the placing of Cookies you are enabling Us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of Cookies; however certain features of Our Site may not function fully or as intended. You will be given the opportunity to allow only first party Cookies and block third party Cookies.
- Certain features of Our Site depend on Cookies to function. Cookie Law deems these Cookies to be “strictly necessary”. These Cookies are shown below in section 13.5. Your consent will not be sought to place these Cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these Cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings as detailed below in section 13.9, but please be aware that Our Site may not work properly if you do so. We have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them.
- The following first party Cookies may be placed on your computer or device:
Name of Cookie |
Purpose |
Strictly Necessary |
JSESSIONID |
Used only to collect performance data, with any identifiable data obfuscated |
No |
__cfduid |
This cookie is strictly necessary for Cloudflare's security features and cannot be turned off. |
Yes |
- Our Site uses analytics services provided by Google Analytics and Facebook. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse anonymous usage information, enabling Us to better understand how Our Site is used. This, in turn, enables Us to improve Our Site and the products AND/OR services offered through it. You do not have to allow Us to use these Cookies, however whilst Our use of them does not pose any risk to your privacy or your safe use of Our Site, it does enable Us to continually improve Our Site, making it a better and more useful experience for you.
- The analytics service(s) used by Our Site use(s) Cookies to gather the required information.
- The analytics service(s) used by Our Site use(s) the following Cookies:
Name of Cookie |
First / Third Party |
Provider |
Purpose |
__utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmt, __utmz |
First |
Google |
Helps to understand how their visitors engage with our website |
_fbp |
First |
Facebook |
Helps to understand how their visitors engage with our website |
- In addition to the controls that We provide, you can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all cookies or only third party cookies. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device.
- You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access Our Site more quickly and efficiently including, but not limited to, login and personalisation settings.
- It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.
- Contacting Us
If you have any questions about Our Site or this Privacy Policy, please contact Us by email at info@property118.com, by telephone on 01603 489118, or by post at 1st Floor, Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4AB. Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a request for information about the data We hold about you (as under section 12, above).
- Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time (for example, if the law changes). Any changes will be immediately posted on Our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of Our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.
Prakash Tanna
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Sign Up10:18 AM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
Hi. I think it's a very valid question. The LHA rates were due to increase on 1st April 2020 as we came to the end of the 4 yr freeze on rates. But that increase was aprox. 3%. Then the Chancellor in his speech around 25th March, as I understand it (apologies if I get it wrong!) he changed the way the LHA rate is calculated from the 30th Percentile to 50th Percentile averages. This meant that rates in some areas shot up by 20-25%.
If like me, you have tenants on LHA rates, which previously was on average 20-30% below private rental rates, then I see no harm in increasing the rents where the increase will be picked up by the benefit system. It will help balance against a possible loss of income from tenants who cannot afford the top-up (if there is one) or those who pay themselves and can no longer afford to as they are out of work. It also brings the rents inline with what the property should rent for.
It's a discussion you should have with your tenant and reassure them you are not looking for them to pay the extra.
Moving forward, it's impossible to say what the Government will due post Covid19, but I can't imagine they would reduce the rates. I'm not aware of that ever happening in the past, but we are in unprecedented times and it's a lucky dip as to 'what happens next' so to speak!
Some may criticise increasing rents at this time, I get it, but I can't claim furlough, or a grant or any other sort of self-employed help from any of the schemes so by increasing rents (paid for by the benefit system and not the tenant) is just a work around in my opinion.
Paul Goulder
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Sign Up11:23 AM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
We are going to increase our rents by half the increase. We have the expenses of the electrical testing coming in and if and when some of are tenants go on LHA there will be late payments due to universal credits which lump it all together
Dylan Morris
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Sign Up13:42 PM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Paul Goulder at 23/04/2020 - 11:23
Has the electrical testing Bill been put on hold I think it was due to become law on 1st April ?
Martin Green
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Sign Up14:20 PM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
In oxfordshire the LHA rates are about 50% below the private rental amount, especially in HMOs . The councils / DHP response is to let the arrears amount up and evict them . Not ideal in current lockdown .
Bill irvine
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Sign Up16:13 PM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
Hi Reluctant landlord
Originally, the Government planned to increase the rates by no more than 1.7%, a rather measley amount, given the rates had been frozen for 4 years beforehand.
Out of the blue, and directly related to the COVID crisis, the Government changed tack, by its decision to restore the 30th percentile rate (not 50th). The reason for the large jump can be directly related to the 4 year freeze and significant increase in rental charges, in some parts of the country.
Many landlords were surprised by the rate of increase in some instances. Nevertheless, those LHA/UC tenants who were already being charged a contractual rent, equal to or greater than the LHA rate have already been awarded increases to the new rates, without doing anything.
Contrastingly, other landlords have since started the process of increasing their contractual rents, to partially cover the gap, whereas, others have made the jump in one step. Having done so, their tenants need to advise the Council (LHA) and/or DWP if Universal Credit is being claimed. A similar situation to April 2008, when the LHA scheme as first introduced, rent levels for the first time were specified in this way, causing an £800M hike in LHA costs that year!
The UC "housing costs" rules, as far as HMO's are concerned, are potentially more generous than HB/LHA, as they simply use as a yardstick, the age of 35. Anyone under 35 (unless they fall into an excepted category) is paid the Shared Rate, Whereas, those 35 + should receive the 1 bed rate, simply because of their age. Those under 35, for example, receiving PIP (Daily Living), DLA (Care), or previously spent 3 moths or more in a homeless hostel, again qualify for the 1 bedroom rate (rather than the SAR).
I agree with Prakash's view that the Government is unlikely to remove the 30th percentile next April but what it may do is simply freeze the rate.
Bill
Mick Roberts
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Sign Up17:22 PM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
Bill has put what I was just about to type.
Great minds think alike.
Some Landlords are now putting them up cause they've kept them far too low trying to look after existing tenant when LHA rates wasn't enough.
I have theories to why the chancellor put the rates up.
It's been far too low with the benefit freeze since 2016 as we know.
He can now please the benefit tenants & get some votes off them without cheesing off the workers who don't like benefit tenants, saying they need help cause of the Coronavirus.
Also we got 500,000 (at the time) working Let's call 'em posher people coming onto benefits Universal Credit LHA. And once they received the 'rent' Housing Element part, they'd say What u having a laugh, How can I pay my rent out that pittance. They'd kick up a fuss, complain more than the existing UC tenants & the Media would pick up on that much more. Hence he had to act as to not be seen to be too cruel cause we all know for last 5+ years, benefit tenants haven't been able to afford the cheapest houses almost anywhere.
Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up18:04 PM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
Thanks all. In some cases some direct rent direct payments have already been increased automatically, in others not yet so I will have to wait next months payments to be sure exactly what the status is for each tenant. At that point I am afraid I will be putting up the rents accordingly. For most of my tenants the rent is fully paid by HB/UC but where a tenant is paying a top up I wont in increase their contribution - but I will increase the rent so it is up to the LHA rate.
Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up18:19 PM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
Just thought of another question - if a rent increase will not effect the tenant at all in regard to any top ups (they currently do not pay anyway) - can I notify HB/DWP myself direct? If it is not for the benefit of my tenants, asking them to contact the department about the rent increase will fall on deaf ears....
Prakash Tanna
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Sign Up18:21 PM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
Looks like we all agree with what's happened and how to deal with it. The only thing I would add to what I said earlier is that many tenant's are on a Benefit Cap. If that's the case they won't get any more support even in the rents are hiked up to the new LHA rates. Well, UC may change the amount of HB they get but then reduce the same from their other benefits with no net increasing effect. In that situation, you won't receive any additional income, unless you charge the tenant which we all agree we don't want to do.
Also, the Councils should automatically increase the payments where the rent was set to a level higher than the previous LHA rate based on their entitlement. BUT if (like me) you was only charging LHA rates (yes, I do only charge LHA rates in London!) then you will need to increase the rate by way of a letter / addendum to the AST and inform HB or have the tenant update UC through their online/app account as Bill suggests.
Prakash Tanna
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Sign Up18:24 PM, 23rd April 2020, About 5 years ago
Reply to the comment left by WP at 23/04/2020 - 18:19
If they're on HB you can inform the LA HB department by way of email. If they're on UC, only the tenant can do this through their online/app account. You still need to inform them of course. If you explain you need their assistance to maintain their tenancy and there should be no net disadvantage to them, they should understand and be willing to co-operate. I didn't have any issues.