Privacy Policy

Privacy Statement: How we use your information

At Moat, we are committed to protecting and respecting any personal data you share with us. The wording in this document reflects the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act, which ensure we, and others, use your information appropriately.

We are responsible for making decisions about the way your information is used and this statement describes what types of data we collect from you, how we use it, how we share it with others, how you can manage the data we hold and how you can contact us.

We will always give you the option not to receive marketing communications from us. We will never send you unsolicited ‘junk’ email or communications, or share your data with anyone else who might. We do not sell your data to third parties, but we do work closely with other organisations in order to provide services in a fair and equitable way.

The contents of this statement may change from time to time so you may wish to check this page occasionally to ensure you are still happy to share your information with us. Where possible, we will also contact you directly to notify you of these changes.

What data do we collect?

We collect data about you and other members of your household when first buy or rent a home from us. We only collect data which is necessary, relevant and adequate for the purpose(s) for which you are providing it.

We collect data about you and your household when you use Moat’s website and when you use our panel solicitors and / or mortgage advisors.

The data we collect includes some or all of the following:

When you apply to live in one of our properties

• Name (including title)
• Address (including former address(es)
• Phone number(s)
• Date of birth
• Proof of identity and address documents
• Email address(es)
• Household information (including name(s), date(s) of birth, contact numbers);
• Information about any disabilities or special requirements for you or other members of your household (where you have provided it)
• Employment and earning
• Deposit and savings
• Details of any transactions between you and us
• Any data within correspondence you send to us.

When you use our online services

• The date and time you used our services
• The pages you visited on our website and how long you visited them for
• Your IP address
• The internet browser and devices you are using
• Cookie information (for more information please see our Cookie Policy)
• The website address from which you accessed our website.

Where you engage with us in a business context, we may collect your job title, company contact details (including email addresses), and company details (some of which we may obtain from online or public business directories);

How do we use this data?

Moat will only process data that is necessary for the purpose(s) for which it has been collected, for example to send you details of properties in an area that you have told us you would like to buy or rent a home in.

You will always have the option not to receive marketing communications from us (and you can withdraw your consent or object at any time). We will never send you unsolicited ‘junk’ email or communications, or share your personal data with anyone else who might do so.

There are various ways in which we may use or process your personal data. We list these below:

Consent:

Where you have provided your consent, we may use and process your data to:

• Contact you from time to time about shared ownership and market sale housing developments which we think may be of interest to you (don’t worry, we won’t bombard you)
• Share your personal data with our recommended third party providers, so that they can contact you about their products and services (we will, of course, give you details about these third parties before you give your permission for us to send data to them).

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the unsubscribe option included in those messages.

Legitimate Interests

We may use and process your personal data as set out below where it is in our legitimate interests as a business to do so.

Processing necessary for us to support customers

• To respond to correspondence you send to us and fulfil the requests you make to us.

Processing necessary for us to respond to understanding customers’ needs

• To analyse, evaluate and improve our services so that they are more useful (we will generally use data amalgamated from many people so that it doesn’t identify you personally)
• To undertake analysis and research (including contacting you with customer surveys) so that we can better understand you as a customer and provide tailored services that we think you will be interested in
• We will only send marketing communications to you if you have provided your consent for us to do so.
• In some cases we may use automated methods to analyse, combine and evaluate data that you have provided to us. We collect and analyse this data in this way so that we can continually improve our services and plan for the future.

Processing necessary for us to promote our activities and measure the reach and effectiveness of our services

• To identify and record when you have received, opened or engaged with our website or electronic communications (please see our Cookie Policy for more information)

Processing necessary for us to operate the administrative and technical aspects of our business efficiently and effectively

• To verify the accuracy of data that we hold about you and create a better understanding of you as a customer
• For network and information security purposes i.e. in order for us to take steps to protect your data against loss, damage, theft or unauthorised access
• To comply with a request from you in connection with the exercise of your rights (for example where you have asked us not to contact you for marketing purposes, we will keep a record of this on our suppression lists in order to be able to comply with your request)
• To inform you of updates to our terms and conditions and policies.

Legal Obligation

We may process your personal data to comply with our legal requirements (e.g. to comply with the regulatory requirements of the Regulator of Social Housing).

How do we share this data?

We do not sell your data to third parties.

We do work closely with our partner organisations who deliver services with us (like mortgage applications, legal conveyancing satisfaction surveys and market research etc.)

We may from time to time disclose your data to legal and other professional advisors who you have instructed on the purchase of a home from us.

We will also share your data in situations where we need to pass it on to manage any request or complaint you have made to us. For example we may share details of any complaint with the Housing Ombudsman Service.

We take steps to ensure that any third-party organisations who handle your data comply with data protection legislation and protect your data just as we do. We only disclose personal data that is necessary for them to provide the service that they are undertaking. We will aim to anonymise your data or use aggregated non-specific data sets where ever possible.

Due to the international nature of modern business technology, there may be some instances where your data is processed or stored outside of the EU. In those instances, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for that transfer and storage as required by applicable law.

There are circumstances where we share your data with other companies within our Group in order to deliver services, complete transactions, handle complaints or provide you with information that you have requested.

How long do we keep your data for?

We will not hold your personal data in an identifiable format for any longer than is necessary. Once you have purchased or rented a home with us and we have a relationship with you (e.g. you are a customer or member of a customer’s household), we hold your personal data for 6 years from the date our relationship ends. We hold your personal data for this period to establish, bring or defend legal claims. Please see our www.moat.co.uk Privacy Statement for further details regarding this.

Where we have obtained your personal data following your registration to purchase or rent a home with us, we hold your personal data for 1 year from the date we collect that data, unless during that period we form a relationship with you.

The only exceptions to the periods mentioned above are where:

• The law requires us to hold your personal data for a longer period, or delete it sooner
• You have raised a complaint or concern regarding our services, in which case we will retain your data for a period of six years following the conclusion date of that complaint
• You exercise your right to have the data erased (where it applies) and we do not need to hold it in connection with any of the reasons permitted or required under the law (see ‘How you can manage the data we hold about you’ for further information).

How you can manage the data we hold about you

You have the right as an individual to access your personal data and make corrections if necessary. You also have the right to withdraw any consent you have previously given us and ask us to erase the data we hold about you. You can also object to us using your personal data (where we rely on our business interests to process and use your personal data).

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data under data protection law. In relation to most rights, we will ask you for data to confirm your identity and, where applicable, to help us search for your personal data. Except in rare cases, we will respond to you within one month after we have received any request (including any identification documents requested).

You have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of the data that we hold about you
• Correct and update your data
• Withdraw your consent (where we rely on it). Please see ‘How do we use this data’ for further information
• Object to our use of your data (where we rely on the public interest or our legitimate interests to use your personal data) provided we do not have any continuing lawful reason to continue to use and process the data. When we do rely on our legitimate interests to use your personal data for direct marketing, we will always comply with your right to object
• Erase your data (or restrict the use of it), for example when we do not have any continuing lawful reason to continue to use and process that data
• Receive copies of the data you have provided to us in a structured data file (in a commonly used and machine readable format) to transfer to another provider, where we rely on your consent to use and process your personal data or need to process it in connection with your contract.

You can exercise the above rights and/or manage your data by contacting our Data Protection Officer by emailing customer@moat.co.uk or writing to: Data Protection Officer, Moat, Mariner House, Galleon Boulevard, Crossways, Dartford, Kent, DA2 6QE.

If you are unhappy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office, the data protection regulator in the UK. Write to them at Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. You can call them on 0303 123 1113 or email at casework@ico.org.uk.