Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Wolverhampton Surveyors is an independent RICS-regulated building surveying practice based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. We are the data controller for personal information collected through this website and our services.

Registered address: Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1, United Kingdom

Website: www.wolverhamptonsurveyors.com

Email: info@wolverhamptonsurveyors.com

2. Data We Collect

We collect personal data in the following ways:

Information you provide directly

• Contact forms and quote requests: name, email address, telephone number, property address, survey type required, and any additional information you choose to include.
• Email or telephone enquiries: contact details and the content of your communication.
• Survey instructions: property address, ownership details, and any relevant information about the property or transaction.

Information collected automatically

• Website analytics: pages visited, time spent on site, referring website, browser type, device type, and approximate geographic location (via IP address). We use Google Analytics and HubSpot for this purpose.
• Cookies: see Section 8 (Cookies) for full details.

Information from third parties

• We may receive information about you from referral partners (estate agents, solicitors, mortgage brokers) who recommend our services to you.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data to:

• Respond to your enquiries and provide you with a quote for surveying services
• Arrange and carry out survey inspections and deliver survey reports
• Process payments for services
• Communicate with you about your survey or any follow-up matters
• Send you marketing communications (only where you have consented or where we have a legitimate interest — you can opt out at any time)
• Analyse website usage to improve our site and services
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations as an RICS-regulated practice
• Maintain records required by professional indemnity insurance

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases for processing your data:

• Contract: Where we have entered into or are in the process of entering into a contract with you to provide surveying services.
• Legitimate interests: For responding to enquiries, analysing website usage, and maintaining business records — where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent: For direct marketing communications where required. You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us or clicking "unsubscribe" on any marketing email.
• Legal obligation: Where we are required to retain records under professional regulations, tax law, or other legal requirements.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with:

• HubSpot: Our CRM and marketing automation platform, used to manage enquiries and communications. HubSpot processes data on our behalf under a data processing agreement. Data may be transferred to the US under Standard Contractual Clauses.
• Google Analytics: For website usage analysis. Google may process anonymised data on servers outside the UK.
• Professional advisers: Solicitors, accountants, and insurers where necessary for our business operations.
• Regulatory bodies: RICS and other regulators where we are required to disclose information.
• Law enforcement: Where we are legally required to disclose information.

We do not share your personal data with estate agents, mortgage brokers, or other third parties for marketing purposes without your explicit consent.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for the following periods:

• Survey reports and related client data: 15 years from the date of the survey. This extended period is required by our professional indemnity insurance obligations and RICS regulations.
• Enquiries that did not result in a survey: 2 years from the date of last contact.
• Marketing data: Until you withdraw consent or opt out, or 3 years from your last interaction with us, whichever is sooner.
• Financial records: 6 years, as required by HMRC.
• Website analytics data: As per Google Analytics and HubSpot's standard retention policies (typically 26 months for Google Analytics).

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).
• Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure: You can ask us to delete your data, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Right to restrict processing: You can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: You can object to processing based on legitimate interests, or to direct marketing at any time.
• Rights related to automated decision-making: We do not use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or significant effects.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@wolverhamptonsurveyors.com. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your experience and analyse how the site is used. We use the following types of cookies:

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the website. For more information about managing cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. These include:

• HTTPS encryption on all pages of our website
• Secure, access-controlled storage of client files and reports
• Staff training on data protection obligations
• Regular review of our data handling practices

While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no internet transmission is 100% secure. If you have concerns about the security of your information, please contact us.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. For significant changes, we will notify you by email if we hold your contact details.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

For any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us: