1. Introduction
This Privacy Notice 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.
This Privacy Policy applies to Veritas Advisory Limited. We take our obligations in respect of the privacy of personal information very seriously and we will only process personal information as detailed in this policy unless we inform you otherwise. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy our commercial activities and services for individuals and businesses are referred to as ‘Capital Allowances Advisors’.
We hope the following sections will answer any questions you have but if not, please do get in touch with us.
2. Explaining the legal bases we rely on.
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
In specific situations, we can collect and process your data with your consent, for example when you register for e-mail newsletters via our website, www.veritasadvisory.co.uk.
Contractual obligations
In certain circumstances, we need your personal data to comply with our contractual obligations to provide Capital Allowances advice.
Legal compliance
If the law requires us to, we may need to collect and process your data.
Legitimate interest
We may require your data to pursue our legitimate interests in a way which might reasonably be expected as part of running our business, such as to educate and inform you of legislation briefings, updates and changes which may influence your own business undertakings. These legitimate interests will not and do not materially impact your rights, freedom or interests.
3. When do we collect your personal data? (this list is not exhaustive)
- When you visit our website and register for newsletters, seminar updates or other information
- When you enter into a contract with us
- When you enter into correspondence with us specific to Capital Allowances related matters, by e-mail, phone or post
- When you engage with us on social media
- When you attend industry events
- When you attend events that Veritas Advisory host or are involved in
- When you are included within industry marketing directories and databases and / or publish your contact information on public websites / portals.
4. What sort of personal data do we collect?
- Name
- Business Address
- Email and phone details
- Position / Title
5. How do we use your personal data?
The processing of your personal information may include:
- Collecting and storing your personal data in electronic file
- Notifying you of upcoming industry events
- Notifying you of informative legislation changes, issues, opportunities to assist you with both your business undertakings and that of your advisors and clients, either by e-mail, phone, post or in person.
- Providing advice either when contracted for a project / portfolio or speculative advice on Capital Allowances matters including estimates of potential savings, contract wording, HMRC interaction and tax planning
- Retaining a record of our correspondence
- Collating market or sector specific information
- The provision of Capital Allowances services either directly contracted or indirectly
- To send you communications required by law or which are necessary to inform you about our changes to the services we provide you. For example, updates to this Privacy Notice.
The data privacy law allows us to contact you as part of our legitimate interest in understanding our clients and contacts to provide the highest levels of service. Of course, if you wish to change how we use your data, you’ll find details in Section 12.
Remember, if you choose not to share your personal data with us, or refuse certain contact permissions, we might not be able to provide some services you’ve asked for.
Of course, you are free to opt out of receiving these requests from us at any time by updating your preferences to us directly at [email protected] or unsubscribing on the links provided on our newsletters and seminar invites.
Sometimes, we’ll need to share your details with a third party who is providing a related service (such as legal or agency advice on a transaction we are contracted to provide Capital Allowances advice on).
6. Why and how we process your personal data:
- Compliance with legal obligations (regulatory and statutory obligations):
We must comply with regulatory authorities such as HMRC and RICS when undertaking Capital Allowances advice.
- Our legitimate interests (carrying on the commercial activity of providing Capital Allowances advice):
In providing our services, we will carry out some processing of personal data which is necessary for the purpose of our legitimate interests, which include:
- Collecting and storing your personal data in electronic file
- Notifying you of upcoming industry events
- Notifying you of informative legislation changes, issues, opportunities to assist you with both your business undertakings and that of your advisors and clients, either by e-mail, phone, post or in person.
- Providing advice either when contracted for a project / portfolio or speculative advice on Capital Allowances matters including estimates of potential savings, contract wording, HMRC interaction and tax planning
- Retaining a record of our correspondence
- Collating market or sector specific information
- The provision of Capital Allowances services either directly contracted or indirectly
- To send you communications required by law or which are necessary to inform you about our changes to the services we provide you. For example, updates to this Privacy Notice.
- Establishing compliance with contractual obligations with Clients or suppliers
- Addressing any query or dispute that may arise
- Protecting our reputation
- Maintaining IT security systems for the purpose of being able to restore the system to a particular point in the event of a system failure or security breach
- Determining staff training and system requirements
For our commercial viability and to pursue these legitimate interests, we may continue to process your personal information for as long as we consider reasonably appropriate for these purposes.
- Consent
We may process your personal data on the basis that you have consented to us doing so for a specific purpose, for example, if you have provided your contact details in order that we may use these to provide you with details of our services you may have consented to our processing of the data for that purpose.
You may withdraw your consent to our processing of your personal data for a particular purpose at any stage. However, please note that we may continue to retain, or otherwise use your personal information thereafter where we have a legitimate interest or a legal or contractual obligation to do so. Our processing in that respect will be limited to what is necessary in furtherance of those interests or obligations. Withdrawal of consent will not have any effect on the lawfulness of any processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
7. What if we obtain your personal data from a third party?
Part of our business activity involves researching information for the purposes of assisting our business activities, including identifying Capital Allowances claim opportunities and providing legislation updates. This may include obtaining personal data from sources including websites, news articles, land registry documents, accounts, advertisements, LinkedIn or other social media, some information being publicly available but others being from sites or providers to which we subscribe.
Where information from third party sources is of no use to us we shall discard it. Where we consider that information may be of use to us in pursuance of the provision of our services, any processing will be in accordance with this Privacy Notice. You do have the right to object to processing.
8. Sensitive Personal Data (SPD).
Sensitive personal data is information which is intensely personal to you and is irrelevant to our dealings with you in respect of our services; we do not hold sensitive personal data. Examples of SPD include information which reveals your political, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, race or ethnic origin, or information relating to your health.
Regardless of the basis for your dealings with us, we request that you do not provide us with any sensitive personal data unless absolutely necessary. However, to the extent that you do provide us with any sensitive personal data, such as data which you choose to share with us in conversation, we shall only use that personal data for the purposes of our relationship with you or for the provision of our services.
9. Who we share personal data with.
We shall not share your personal data unless we are entitled to do so. The categories of persons with whom we may share your personal information include:
- Any regulatory authority or statutory body pursuant to a request for information or any legal obligation which applies to us
- Legal and professional advisors
- Insurers
10. How we protect your personal data.
We know how much data security matters to all our clients. With this in mind we will treat your data with the utmost care and take all appropriate steps to protect it.
Access to your personal data is password-protected
11. How long will we keep your personal data?
Whenever we collect or process your personal data, we’ll only keep it for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
At the end of that retention period, your data will be deleted.
12. What are your rights over your personal data?
You have the right to:
- The correction of your personal data when incorrect, out of date or incomplete.
- Stopping using your personal data for direct marketing (either through specific channels, or all channels).
- Stopping any consent-based processing of your personal data after you withdraw that consent.
- Request a copy of the personal data that we hold
- Object to our processing of your data where that processing is based upon legitimate interest and there are no compelling grounds for the continued processing of that data
- Request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances
- Request that data is erased where the continued use of that data cannot be justified
- Withdraw your consent to our processing of your personal data for a particular purpose at any stage. However, please note that we may continue to retain, or otherwise use your personal information thereafter where we have a legitimate interest or a legal or contractual obligation to do so. Our processing in that respect will be limited to what is necessary in furtherance of those interests or obligations
- Contact the regulator. If you feel that your data has not been handled correctly, or you are unhappy with our response to any requests you have made to us regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can contact them by calling 0303 123 1113 or go online to www.ico.org.uk/concerns
To stop direct marketing communication from us click the ‘unsubscribe’ link in any email communication that we send you. We will then stop any further emails.
13. Any questions?
We hope this Privacy Notice has been helpful in setting out the way we handle your personal data and your rights to control it.
If you have any questions that haven’t been covered, have any complaints or wish to contact us about your rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer, David Gibson, who will be pleased to help you:
Email us on [email protected]
Or write to us at:
Data Protection Officer
Veritas Advisory Limited
46 Blandford Street
London
W1U 7HT