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.
Scotty Lifetracker
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Sign Up19:56 PM, 15th November 2013, About 11 years ago
Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "15/11/2013 - 11:10":
Hi Mark,
I have received legal advice, that although I am resident in Scotland and my 3 buy lo lets mortgages are in Scotland, I should still be eligible to join the class action. If I send my payment of £720 and this is not the case will I receive a full refund ?
If legal opinion is not positive will I receive a pro rata refund less expenses if the class action doesn't proceed ?
I am planning to send my payment by online banking this evening, should I put my name and WBBS mortgage account numbers as reference so Justin can identify when he receives my documentation next week .?
Thanks
Ian Burton
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Sign Up20:51 PM, 15th November 2013, About 11 years ago
Hi Mark/Justin
Just a simple question. Justin poses questions but no answers in that he says 2 or less, what about 3 or more? Own solicitor, what about Enact i.e. their appointed solicitor? I ask this as it is sensible to at least allay worries for the other people involved even if only to say e.g. as yet for the other categories we do not have a definitive action. Some what like the motorway signs giving conciliatory information even if its not really saying much.
David Ellis
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Sign Up21:45 PM, 15th November 2013, About 11 years ago
Reply to the comment left by "Justin Selig" at "15/11/2013 - 13:20":
Justin this 2 or less properties at the time we took out our WBBS loan are you referring to just BTL properties or are we also to include the property where we lived and wasn't a BTL property.
Concerned Landlord
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Sign Up9:14 AM, 16th November 2013, About 11 years ago
Justin, would you please clarify the followings:
Should this include BTL properties only?
Should this include the actual property being mortgaged?
Should this include properties exchanged on but not completed?
Do we email this information to you or post?
Thanks
Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118
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Sign Up10:43 AM, 16th November 2013, About 11 years ago
RESPONSES TO LAST NIGHTS QUESTIONS
Hello All
Sorry I didn't respond to comments last night, just so you know for the future, I'm always out with my wife and friends on a Friday evening and generally don't look at my PC after 5pm.
Most of the questions I received last night on the forum and to my personal email address related to Justin's comment regarding the number of mortgages/properties we had at the time of taking out our mortgages with West Brom and what if only used West Broms were used. Therefore .....
If you owned your own home (with or without a mortgage) at the time your took your FIRST buy to let mortgage ever and that was the mortgage you took with West Brom then you should be entitled to consumer based protection. If it was your second ever buy to let mortgage then your entitlement to consumer protection begins to fall into a grey area and it gets greyer for each subsequent property/mortgage you owned. Therefore, I suggest you tell Justin what your circumstances were at the time of doing a deal with West Brom. It is then for Justin and Counsel to decide what to advise you.
If you used West Brom's lawyers only then you SHOULD have been advised to take independent legal advice. If you didn't that was your choice. That doesn't mean that you don't have a claim against West Brom, it just means that you don't have a potential claim against your solicitor and that Justin's advice to you will not include the correspondence you need to send to your solicitor - simply because you didn't have one.
Regardless of where you are located, if we do not raise enough money to purchase legal fees insurance then fees on account will be returned less a deduction for the legal work to get to that stage, shared pro-rata against the fees paid per property with everybody else who has contributed to the legal action fund. The budget set for the initial legal work including Justin's fees and advice from Counsel was £15,000 and that budget still seems realistic. I have answered this question only because it has been asked. I would obviously not be putting as much effort into this if I thought for one minute this scenario was likely. I would also point out that even if we don't go to Court then we could still eventually win when the FOS eventually make a decision. Don't hold your breath for that one though. They have been pontificating in how to deal with the BoI complaints since Feb 2013, that's how to deal with the complaints, not the final decision!!!
Also with regards to acceptance into the scheme, if you can't be included in the legal action for whatever reason, being located in Scotland for example, then 100% of any fees paid will be refunded. There may be other reasons you can't be included in the legal action, I can't think of one off the top of my head, but if you can't be included the same 100% refund of fees paid would apply.
Justin will send an email to you next week, I suspect all will be much clearer then. I haven't seen that email yet so I can't say whether it will be better to respond by email or whether we will need to obtain more information and send it by post. I do know that those of us who instructed our own solicitors to advise us will have a letter template to use to send to our solicitors. Obviously Justin will be wanting us to deal with that ASAP and get our solicitors responses back to him ASAP as these responses may well be required as evidence to progress the case and are certainly required for Counsel to complete the advice and recommended strategy.
I trust this answers all questions from last night, if not, please re-post.
.
Concerned Landlord
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Sign Up11:28 AM, 16th November 2013, About 11 years ago
Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "16/11/2013 - 10:43":
Thanks Mark for clarifying those points.
Hopefully returning the funds back won't be needed. I for one am prepared to contribute as much as it takes to see this to its conclusion - say half of those already in the action group feel the same way we should easily see this through...
I am also at a loss to see why 6400 affected people are not joining - mind boggles! What are these guys thinking? I'd be loosing £4400 a year and it just makes financial sense to get WB decision reversed...
George Top
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Sign Up11:30 AM, 16th November 2013, About 11 years ago
Thanks for your responses to the questions posed Mark.
Do you have any thoughts on the reason for WBMC change of interest rate increase to 1.9% and the implications this has for legal action?
Concerned Landlord
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Sign Up11:45 AM, 16th November 2013, About 11 years ago
Reply to the comment left by "Helen Landlord" at "16/11/2013 - 11:30":
A number of reasons I guess - for one thing they want to be seen that they are fair! (a joke, I know!) Also, it is possible that after the barrage of opposition they know that in a court of law they need to justify this in accountable detail so having revisited their books and with all fudging they could muster they've come up with a figure of 1.9%....
I do think this's made their position weaker rather than stronger suggesting that their action wasn't thought through properly.
Alternatively as opportunistics as WB really are they think 1.9% sounds less aggressive than 2% for exactly the same reason as everything is priced £X.99....
Mark Landlord
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Sign Up11:47 AM, 16th November 2013, About 11 years ago
Received my letter from West Brom last night mentioning that they are going for a 1.9% increase now and what my monthly payment will be from next month.
Somebody mentioned sending a letter back to them in reponse to the latest 1.9% letter to say that we are still disputing it incase silence is deemed as acceptance. Will sent a reply to them next week.
Still wonder what their gameplan is with the 1.9% though !!
Also received a letter back from my MEP Fiona Hall saying that she was also going to write to Sajid Javid MP at the Treasury and let me know when she heard back from him. I know most people have written to their MP but if you can, send one to your MEP too as the more letters going to the Treasury the better.
Keep up the good work everyone!
Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118
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Sign Up11:52 AM, 16th November 2013, About 11 years ago
COMPLAINT TO ADVERTISING STANDARDS AGENCY
I have just completed my online complaint to the ASA. It is a five step process. The basis of my complaint was target only at the statement of the west Brom Website.
If you want to do something similar this is the link to get you started >>> http://www.asa.org.uk/Consumers/How-to-complain.aspx
Step 5 of the complaint process is the basis of complaint, below is what I wrote .....
The West Bromwich Building Society website said
“Tracker mortgages give you the certainly of knowing that the rate you pay will move in line with Bank Base Rates”
I took this at face value, as did 6,700 people who purchased this product.
Bank Base Rates have not moved for nearly 5 years but West Bromwich Building Society have decided to increase the interest rate on my buy to let mortgage by 1.9% as of 1st December 2013. Therefore, my complaint is the statement on the West Bromwich Building Society website was misleading. This is the sole purpose of my complaint to ASA at this stage.
For further information .....
West Bromwich Building Society are pointing to small print in their Mortgage Conditions to justify this increase and I am taking legal advice together with a large group of other affected borrowers about this. I also believe their mortgage documentation was misleading and that their hike in interest rates is not legal but that's another story.
You may also wish to note that West Bromwich Building Society also believe they have the right to call in these mortgages within 28 days, even if their customer isn't in default. They are actually using this as a veiled threat in response to complaints from their customers about the interest rate hike. The legal action group I am part of are also taking Counsels advice on this point as this appears to be out of sync with the rest of the mortgage market.
I backed this up with the following link with an explanation that I took this screen shot from the west Brom website and now host the screen shot on my website as evidence for all to see. Link here >>> https://www.property118.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/West-Brom-Screen-Shot-21.png