Privacy Policy

Last updated: 17/08/26

1. Who we are

John Hoole Estate Agents is a trading name of Hoole Estate Agents Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales No. 5825625. Our registered office is at 26 Stroudley Road, Brighton, BN1 4BH.

We are the “data controller” of your personal information for the purposes of UK data protection law (UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018).

You can contact us at:

• Email: admin@johnhoole.co.uk

• Phone: 01273 555115

• Post: Hoole Estate Agents Ltd, 26 Stroudley Road, Brighton, BN1 4BH

2. What personal information we collect

We may collect and use the following types of personal information about you:

• Name, title, and contact details (address, email, phone number)

• Property details (e.g. address, value, mortgage information, landlord details)

• Financial information needed to complete a transaction (e.g. bank details, proof of funds, source of funds)

• Identification documents (e.g. passport, driving licence, utility bills) for anti‑money laundering checks

• Information you provide in enquiries, feedback, or complaints

• Technical information when you use our website (e.g. IP address, browser type, pages visited) via cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy, if you have one)

3. How we collect your information

We collect information:

• Directly from you (e.g. when you contact us, instruct us to sell/let a property, register as a buyer/tenant, or complete a form on our website)

• From third parties where necessary (e.g. solicitors, mortgage brokers, lenders, other estate agents, or public sources)

• Automatically via our website and email systems (e.g. IP address, device information, cookies)

4. Why we use your information and our lawful basis

We use your personal information to:

a) Provide estate agency services

• To market, sell, or let your property, arrange viewings, negotiate offers, and progress sales/lettings.

• Lawful basis: performance of a contract with you and/or steps taken at your request before entering a contract.

b) Comply with legal obligations

• To carry out anti‑money laundering checks, verify identity and source of funds, and keep required records.

• Lawful basis: compliance with a legal obligation (e.g. Money Laundering Regulations 2017, Estate Agents Act 1979).

c) Communicate with you

• To respond to enquiries, send viewing feedback, updates on your sale/purchase/letting, and service messages.

• Lawful basis: performance of a contract and/or our legitimate interests in running our business and communicating with clients.

d) Marketing (only where you have agreed or where permitted by law)

• To send you property alerts, market updates, or newsletters by email/SMS/post.

• Lawful basis: your consent, or (for existing customers) our legitimate interests in marketing similar services, subject to your right to opt out.

e) Improve our website and services

• To understand how people use our website, fix issues, and improve our services.

• Lawful basis: our legitimate interests in running and improving our business.

You do not have to provide all the information we ask for, but if you don’t, we may not be able to provide certain services (for example, we cannot proceed with a sale or letting without the information needed for AML checks).

5. Who we share your information with

We may share your personal information with:

• Other parties involved in a transaction (e.g. buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, their solicitors, mortgage brokers, lenders, surveyors, and contractors)

• Our service providers and processors (e.g. IT hosting, email and marketing platforms, CRM systems, document signing services, payment processors)

• Professional advisers (e.g. accountants, lawyers, insurers)

• Regulatory and public authorities where required by law (e.g. HMRC, local authorities, the ICO, or law enforcement)

We require third parties to keep your information secure and only use it for the purposes we specify.

6. International transfers

Some of our service providers may store or process data outside the UK (for example, cloud hosting or email providers). Where this happens, we put in place appropriate safeguards (such as UK‑approved contractual clauses) or rely on recognised adequacy decisions to protect your data.

7. How long we keep your information

We keep your personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out above, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Typical retention periods:

• Client files for sales/lettings: 6 years after the transaction completes, to meet legal and regulatory obligations

• Marketing lists: until you unsubscribe or ask us to stop

• Website analytics and logs: 24 months, unless a longer period is required for security or legal reasons

8. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you

• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information

• Ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances

• Ask us to restrict or object to certain types of processing

• Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format (data portability)

• Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent (this does not affect processing done before withdrawal)

• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk

To exercise these rights, contact us at admin@johnhoole.co.uk or write to us at the address above. We will respond within one month, subject to any legal extensions.

9. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, and disclosure. This includes secure systems, access controls, and staff training.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website with the “Last updated” date shown at the top.

11. Contact and complaints

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at admin@johnhoole.co.uk or write to:

Hoole Estate Agents Ltd, 26 Stroudley Road, Brighton, BN1 4BH.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the ICO: www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.