Policies & Procedures

Richard Greener and Auction House Northamptonshire is the trading name of Richard Greener Estate Agents Limited whose registered number is 07009851 and registered office is 22 Bridge Street, Northampton NN1 1NW. Greener Rentals is a trading name of Greener Rentals & Property Management Limited whose registered number is 08800836 and registered office is 22 Bridge Street, Northampton NN1 1NW (“We/”Us/ Our”)

We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Cookie Policy forms part of our legal information and sets out how we use cookies on our websites to help make your visits more effective.

1. Introduction

Our use of your personal data will be governed by this Privacy Notice.

Richard Greener is a controller for the personal information that it collects and uses about you. We will treat your personal information as confidential and in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and your personal information will only be shared with others in accordance with this Privacy Notice.

This Privacy Notice explains;

• What personal information is
• How we collect your personal information
• The types of personal information we collect
• How we use your personal information
• The legal basis for processing your personal information
• How we share your personal information
• How long we keep your personal information
• How we keep your personal information secure
• Overseas transfers of your personal information
• Your rights in relation to your personal information
• How to make complaints and how to contact us

If there are any changes to the way in which your personal information is used, this Privacy Notice will be updated.

2. What is personal information?

Personal information is any information that tells us something about you. This could include information such as name, contact details, date of birth, bank account details or any information about your needs or circumstances which would allow us to identify you. Some personal information is classified as "special" data under data protection legislation. This includes information relating to health, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or political opinions and sexual orientation. This information is more sensitive and we need to have further justifications for collecting, storing and using this type of personal information. There are also additional restrictions on the circumstances in which we are permitted to collect and use criminal conviction data.

Any references to personal information in this privacy notice will include personal data, and where relevant, special categories of personal data.

3. What personal information do we collect?

We will collect your full name and contact details (such as phone number, email address and postal address) from you whenever you engage with us.

In addition, if we are providing a service to you, or on your behalf, where we are required to do so by law, we will collect information relating to your identity, which will be at least one form of photographic identification (such as a passport, a driving licence or an identification card) and one form of documentation with proof of your place of residence (such as a recent utility bill). We will also confirm whether you have any relatives or close connections working at Richard Greener so that we can consider potential conflict of interests and if identified how to manage these, in accordance with our statutory and regulatory obligations. Depending on the service that we provide to you (or on your behalf) we may also collect additional personal information as detailed below;

Buy, Sell, Let, Rent

If you are selling or letting a property through us;

• We will collect a contact telephone number to get in touch with you about organising viewings and updating you on any offers received or rental applications for your property.
• Where you are not the legal owner of the property we will request details from you as to your ability to sell or let the property such as a Power of Attorney, Guardianship Order or Grant of Probate.
• We will collect your bank account details to arrange onward payment of rent due to you

If you wish to rent a property we are listing;

• Specific access requirements so that we can find a property that is suitable for your needs
• Your bank / building / similar account details to allow us to manage an approved tenancy deposit account for you and to set up your rental payments.
• If you are a tenant renting under the 'Right to Rent' scheme we will collect details of your Biometric residence card, your immigration status document and/or your birth certificate to carry out our required checks under this scheme

If you wish to purchase a property we are listing for sale where you have specifically provided us with these, we will collect personal information relating to any specific access requirements you may have in relation to a property so that we can find a property that is suitable for your needs. We will also collect personal information required to source a property for you and, where required, negotiate the purchase of a property on your behalf.

Property Management

Where we engage with you to manage property on your behalf we will ask for additional emergency contact information in case we need to get in touch with you outside of working hours or in the event there is a matter requiring your urgent attention. Where you engage us for portfolio management services we will share your personal information with third party lenders as is necessary to allow us to fulfil our obligations to you and to properly manage and advise you on your property investments.

4. How we use your personal information

What is the legal basis of our data processing?

Under data protection legislation we are only permitted to use your personal information if we have a legal basis for doing so. We rely on the following legal bases to use your information;

• For employment-related purposes
• Where we need information to perform the contract we have entered into with you
• Where we need to comply with a legal obligation
• Where the processing is necessary for us to carry out activities for which it is in Richard Greeners’ legitimate interests (or those of a third party) to do so and provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests, including:
  • Processing that is necessary for us to promote our business, brands and products and measure the reach and effectiveness of our campaigns. – this will include sending you marketing information from time to time after you have engaged us to provide services or received services from us either which may be similar and of interest to you or where you have expressly indicated that you would like to receive such information. You have the right to opt out of receiving this information at any time.
  • Processing that is necessary to improve our knowledge of the real estate sector – this will include undertaking market analysis and research so that we better understand trends in the property sector and provide better knowledge along with more tailored and relevant services for our customers in the future.
  • Processing necessary for us to operate the administrative and technical aspects of our business efficiently and effectively – this will include: verifying the accuracy of information that we hold about you and create a better understanding of you as a customer; processing for administrative efficiency purposes such as where we outsource certain administrative functions to third parties who are specialise in such services; processing for network and information security purposes i.e. in order for us to take steps to protect your information against loss, damage, theft or unauthorised access or to comply with a request from you in connection with the exercise of any of your rights outlined below.

In more limited circumstances we may also rely on the following legal bases:

• Where we need to protect your interests (or someone else's interests); and/or
• Where it is needed in the public interest or for official purposes we may process special categories of personal information and criminal conviction information in the following limited circumstances:
• With your explicit consent, in which case we will explain the purpose for which the information will be used at the point where we ask for your consent.

How we use your personal information

For specific information on how your personal information will be used for the services you have requested from us, please select from any of the options below;

Buy, Sell, Let, Rent

• We use your personal information for the purposes of fulfilling our obligations to you to let or sell your property or, if you are a buyer or tenant, for the purposes of arranging a contract for sale or a lease for you.
• If you are purchasing a property we are acting as agents for the sale of or selling a property through us we will share your personal information with your appointed solicitors and the solicitors acting for the other side of the deal as is necessary to facilitate the sale or purchase.
• If you are renting a property we are acting as letting agents of, we will share your personal data with third party referencing agencies for the purposes of the prevention and detection of crime, fraud and/or money laundering and checking your suitability to rent that property.

Property Management

Where we are managing property on your behalf we may need to pass your personal information from time to time on to third party contractors whom we have engaged to carry out maintenance on your properties.

Other uses of your personal information

• If we sell any part of our business and/or integrate it with another organisation your details may be disclosed to our advisers and to prospective purchasers or joint venture partners and their advisers. If this occurs the new owners of the business will only be permitted to use your information in the same or similar way as set out in this privacy notice.
• We will share personal information with our regulators, governmental or quasi-governmental organisations, law enforcement authorities and with courts, tribunals and arbitrators as may be required from time to time in order to comply with our regulatory and legal obligations;
• Where we use third party services providers who process personal information on our behalf in order to provide services to us. This includes IT systems providers and IT contractors as well as third party referencing or screening agencies for the purposes of the prevention and detection of crime.
• We will hold your personal information on our client management systems and use this to provide you with marketing information about similar services offered by Richard Greener to those which you have engaged us to provide which we feel you might find useful from time to time. You have the opportunity to opt out of receiving this information at any time.

What happens if you do not provide information that we request?

We need some of your personal information to perform the services you have requested from us. For example:

• where we are selling a property on your behalf we need to know your contact information so that we can update you with information on viewings, offers and the progress of the sale;
• where you have asked us to find you a property which meets certain access requirements, we may need to know some further details about your particular circumstances so that we can find you a suitable property;

We also need some information so that we can comply with our legal obligations. For example, we may need identity documents from you to meet our obligations to prevent fraud and money laundering.

If you do not provide the information required for these purposes, we will not be able to perform our contract with you and may not be able to provide services to you or continue to provide certain services to you. We will explain when this is the case at the point where we collect information from you.

5. How we keep your information secure

The security of information is very important to us and we have measures in place which are designed to prevent unauthorised access to your personal information including but not limited to:

• Our client files are stored on our secure client management systems. Access is restricted on our client systems to those within the business who are required to have access to your information for legitimate business purposes.
• Hard copy documentation is stored in locked cabinets. We ensure access to personal information is restricted to Richard Greener employees and workers or other persons working within the Company on a need to know basis. Training is provided to any of those employees and workers who need access to personal information.

6. For how long do we keep your personal information?

The period for which we will keep your personal information will depend on the type of service you have requested from us. The retention period may be longer than the period for which we are providing services to you where we have statutory or regulatory obligations to retain personal information for a longer period, or where we may need to retain the information in case of a legal claim.

7. Your rights in relation to your personal information

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal information, these include the right to:

• Be informed about how we use your personal information
• Obtain access to your personal information that we hold
• Request that your personal information is corrected if you believe it is incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate
• Request that we erase your personal information in the following circumstances:
  • If Richard Greener is continuing to process personal information beyond the period when it is necessary to do so for the purpose for which it was originally collected
  • If Richard Greener is relying on consent as the legal basis for processing and you withdraw consent
  • If Richard Greener is relying on legitimate interests as the legal basis for processing and you object to this processing and there is no overriding compelling ground which enables us continue with the processing
  • If the personal information has been processed unlawfully (i.e. in breach of the requirements of the data protection legislation)
  • If it is necessary to delete the personal information to comply with a legal obligation

Ask us to restrict our data processing activities where you consider that:

• personal information is inaccurate
• our processing of your personal information is unlawful
• where we no longer need the personal information but you require us to keep it to enable you to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim
• where you have raised an objection to our use of your personal information
• Request a copy of certain personal information that you have provided to us in a commonly used electronic format. This right relates to personal information that you have provided to us that we need in order to perform our agreement with you and personal information where we are relying on consent to process your personal information
• Object to our processing of your personal information where we are relying on legitimate interests or exercise of a public interest task to make the processing lawful. If you raise an objection we will carry out an assessment to determine whether we have an overriding legitimate ground which entitles us to continue to process your personal information; and
• Not be subject to wholly automated decisions which produce legal effects or which could have a similarly significant effect on you.

If you would like to exercise any of your rights please contact sales@richardgreener.co.uk

The use of cookies by Richard Greener

1  What are cookies?

1.1 Cookies are small text files placed on your computer by websites [or sometimes by emails].  They provide useful information to organisations, which helps to make your visits to their websites more effective and efficient.  We use cookies to ensure that we are able to understand how you use our websites and to ensure that we can make improvements to the websites.

1.2  Cookies do not contain any personal or confidential information about you.

2. How we use cookies

2.1 We use cookies to ensure that you get the best from our website. The first time that you log on to our website you will be asked to consent to our use of cookies and we suggest that you agree to allow the cookies to be active on your machine whilst you visit and browse our website to ensure that you experience our website fully.  [You may not be able to access your account if you browse with the cookies disabled].

3 The types of cookies that we use

3.1 We use three types of cookies on our websites:

(a) Session cookies that are deleted after each visit

(b) Tracking cookies that remain in place after each visit

(c) Third party cookies that are used by other parties

Some cookies are essential and some are optional.

4 Essential cookies – Session Cookies, Persistent Cookies & Tracking Cookies

4.1 Session cookies and persistent cookies are necessary in order for you to use our website.  These cookies can be deleted via your browser, but this will restrict the functions that you are able to carry out on our websites. For more information on how to disable cookies in your browser please visit the About Cookies Website. (Please link underlined to http://www.aboutcookies.org/)

4.2 Session cookies expire when you leave the website and are not stored on your computer and do not contain any personal data.

4.3 Persistent cookies last beyond your visit to our website.

4.4 We use Google Analytics on our website. This is a tracking cookie which enables us to track how popular our site is and to record visitor trends over time. The cookie does not contain any personal data but it does use your computers IP address to determine where in the world you are accessing the website from, and to track your page visit within the site.

5. Optional cookies

5.1 These cookies are usually supplied by business partners and help us to filter out information which is not relevant to you.

6 Accepting/blocking cookies

6.1 You can accept or block any cookies from any website through your browser settings. For further information about how to disable a cookie in your browser please visit the About Cookies Website. (Please link underlined to http://www.aboutcookies.org/)

6.2 Please note that if you share the use of a computer, accepting or blocking the use of cookies will affect all users of that computer.

7 More information on cookies

7.1 For more information about cookies visit the Information Commissioners website (www.ico.gov.uk) or www.allaboutcookies.org.

Updated May 2018

1. Richard Greener Estate Agents

Richard Greener Estate Agents is a private company whose registered address is 22 Bridge Street , Northampton NN1 1NW ("Richard Greener Estate Agents")

2. This Website

Richard Greener Estate Agents owns the website located at http://www.richardgreener.co.uk (the "Website"). By accessing and using the Website you the user agree to be bound by these terms and conditions (the "Terms") which govern your access to and use of the Website.

3. Ownership and Use of Content

3.1 All text, data, charts, tables, software, video, music, sound, graphics, photographs, illustrations, artwork, names, logos, trade marks, service marks and other material on the Website (the "Content") and all rights in it belong to Richard Greener Estate Agents You may retrieve and display Content from the Website on a computer screen, print individual pages on paper (but not photocopy them) and store such pages in electronic form on disk (but not on any server or other storage device connected to a network) for your personal use. Content may not be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast or transmitted in any other way.

3.2 You agree not to adapt, alter or create a derivative work from any of the Content on the Website or to use it for any purpose other than for your personal and non-commercial use.

4. Unlawful Use

You agree to use this Website only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of the Website by any third party. Such restriction or inhibition includes, but is not limited to, conduct which is defamatory, or which may harass, cause distress or inconvenience to any person and the transmission of obscene or offensive content or the disruption of normal flow of dialogue within the Website.

5. Intellectual Property Rights

5.1 All copyright, trade marks, database rights and other intellectual property rights that may exist in this Website and the Content shall remain at all times the property of Richard Greener Estate Agents

5.2 The trade marks, service marks and logos used and displayed on this Website ("Trade Marks") are registered or unregistered trade marks of Richard Greener Estate Agents. Nothing on this Website should be construed as granting, by implication or otherwise, any licence or right to use any Trade Mark without written permission from Richard Greener Estate Agents. The name of Richard Greener Estate Agents may not be used in any way, including in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of Content without the prior written permission of Richard Greener Estate Agents

6. Liability

6.1 The Website and Content is provided "AS IS" and on an "AS AVAILABLE" basis and Richard Greener Estate Agents does not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of the Website or any Content. All implied warranties, including but not limited to the implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security and accuracy are excluded from these Terms to the extent that they may be excluded as a matter of law.

6.2 In no event will Richard Greener Estate Agents be liable for any loss including, without limitation, indirect or consequential loss, or any damages arising from loss of use, data or profits, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, arising out of or in connection with the use of this Website.

6.3 Richard Greener Estate Agents has tried to ensure that all the Content provided on the Website is correct at the time of publication. The Content is provided on an information basis only and should not be relied upon. No responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of Richard Greener Estate Agents for any errors, omissions, or misleading Content on the Website or on any websites to which the Website connects.

6.4 Richard Greener Estate Agents does not warrant that the Website or Content will be uninterrupted or error free, that any defects will be corrected, or that this Website or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or bugs.

7. Privacy

You must read and accept the Richard Greener Estate Agents Privacy Policy which details what type of personal information Richard Greener Estate Agents may collect from you when you visit the Website and how Richard Greener Estate Agents may store and use the information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Act 2004.

8. Changes to the Terms

Richard Greener Estate Agents reserve the right, at its discretion, to make changes to any parts of the Website or these Terms. When these Terms are amended, Richard Greener Estate Agents will publish details of the amendments on the Website. Your continued use of the Website is taken as your agreement to be bound by these Terms as amended.

9. Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

10. Severability

If these Terms or any part of them should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable under the laws of any state or country in which these Terms are intended to be effective, then to the extent that they are so illegal, invalid or unenforceable, they shall in that state or country be treated as severed and deleted from these Terms and the remaining Terms shall survive and remain in full force and effect and continue to be binding and enforceable in that state or country.

11. Conflict

If there is any conflict between these Terms and any other written agreement between you and Richard Greener Estate Agents then the latter shall prevail.

12. Events beyond our control

Richard Greener Estate Agents will not be responsible for any breach of these Terms caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

13. Links

Richard Greener Estate Agents is not responsible for the availability or content of any third party websites or material you access through this Website.

14. File Download

Certain files of Content are available for download from the Website. These files of Content are subject to these Terms.

15. Contact

If you wish to contact Richard Greener Estate Agents regarding the Website, these Terms or the Privacy Policy please contact us by post or in person at 22 Bridge Street , Northampton NN1 1NW or by telephone on 01604 230222.

We are committed to providing a professional service to all our clients and customers. When something goes wrong we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.

If you have a complaint. please put it in writing, including as much detail as possible. We will then respond in line with the timeframes set out below (if you feel we have not sought to address your complaints within eight weeks, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Property Ombudsman to consider without our final viewpoint on the matter).

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three working days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally be dealt with by the office manager who will review your file and speak to the member of staff who dealt with you. A formal written outcome of our investigation will be sent to you within 15 working days of sending the acknowledgement letter.
3. If, at this stage, you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for a seperate review to take place by a senior member of staff.
4. We will write to you within 15 working days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final viewpoint on the matter.

If you remain dissatisfied, you can then contact The Property Ombudsman to request an independent review:

The Property Ombudsman Ltd
Milford House
43-45 Milford Street
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP1 2BP

Please note the following:

You will need to submit your complaint to The Property Ombudsman within 12 months of receiving our final viewpoint letter, including any evidence to support your case.

The Property Ombudsman requires that all complaints are addressed through this in-house complaints procedure, before being submitted for an independent review.