Privacy Policy

Ashcourt Properties (Newland) Limited t/a Ashcourt Student Accommodation is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy in accordance with applicable laws.

This Privacy Policy tells you about how and why we collect and use the personal data which you provide to us or which we collect about you when you interact with us, for example, when you use our website or we provide you with forms to complete and return to us in order for you to enter into a tenancy agreement with us.

We want you to be fully informed about how we use your data, how we keep it secure and your rights. We trust this Privacy Policy will answer any questions you have, but if not, please get in touch with us using the contact details provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.

We may need to update this Privacy Policy from time to time by updating this page. We will notify you of any significant changes, but would encourage you to come back and review it from time to time.

ABOUT US – WHO ARE ASHCOURT STUDENT ACCOMMODATION?

This Privacy Policy is provided by Ashcourt Properties (Newland) Limited t/a Ashcourt Student Accommodation (referred to as “we”, “us” or “our” in this Privacy Policy). We are the data controller of any personal data we collect about you and we are responsible for the Ashcourt Student Accommodation website at http://www.ashcourtstudents.com/ (our “Website”).

ENSURING THE LAWFUL USE OF YOUR DATA

We will only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis to use it. We will usually only use your data where it is necessary for us to perform our contract with you (for example, to enter into a tenancy agreement with you or to provide you with the services you have requested), or in a way which might reasonably be expected as part of running our business and which does not materially impact your interests, rights or freedoms. For example, we might undertake credit or identity checks in order to perform a “Right to Rent” check or process your personal data in order to help improve our Website and services. Please contact us using the details below if you would like further information about this.

We may sometimes need to use your data to comply with our legal obligations (for example to pass on details of people who are involved in fraud or to inform the council that you are exempt from paying Council Tax). In some cases we will ask for your consent to use your data, for example, where you sign-up to receive our email marketing.

Further details of how we will use your personal information are provided below.

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT FROM YOU AND HOW WE USE IT

The information we collect about you and how we will use it, depends on how you interact with us, for example, if you provide the information in a completed form, request services from us or contact us with a query by email or phone. The table below provides some examples of the information we collect about you and how we will use it.

The personal data we collect from you

How we use it

Lawful Basis

Personal data we need to identify and contact you such as your name, address, email address, telephone contact number(s), fax number, passport/driving licence or other information which may be required to identify you.

To enter into a tenancy agreement with you and to provide our associated services and to contact you about them where necessary.

To fulfil our contract with you.

If you are parent or guardian, to enter into a guarantor arrangement and in order for us to contact you in the event that your child falls into arrears with their rent and you are required to cover their debt.

Legitimate business purposes.

To send you email newsletters and updates relating to our accommodation, services and campus events and to keep you up-to-date about our products and services which we think will interest you.

Where you consent.

To comply with applicable laws and Government requests, such as to provide the Council with the information you provide to us on our “Student Registration/Council Tax Exemption Form” to enable you to be exempt from Council Tax.

Legal obligation.

So that you can enter competitions, events or prize draws run by us.

Legitimate business purposes.

If you raise an enquiry or complaint with us.

Legitimate business purposes.

Fraud prevention and detection.

Legal obligation/legitimate business purposes.

To perform “Right to Rent” checks in which student tenants are requested to submit an identity document which is retained for our records.

Legal obligation/legitimate business purposes.

Information relating to your student status, such as university, course title, year of study, Student ID number, National Insurance number, rental address, date of birth, next of kin details and their contact details.

To enter into a tenancy agreement with you and to provide our associated services.

To fulfil our contract with you.

To comply with applicable laws and Government requests, such as to provide the Council with the information you provide to us on our “Student Registration/Council Tax Exemption Form” to enable you to be exempt from Council Tax.

Legal obligation.

Fraud prevention and detection

Legal obligation/legitimate business purposes.

Vehicle registration information.

To enable you to park your car at our accommodation.

To fulfil our contract with you.

Financial information to take payment for rent and other services we may provide, such as account/building society number and sort code.

To take rental payments and more generally to run accounts, administration, accounting, billing and auditing activities.

To fulfil our contract with you.

Fraud prevention and detection

Legal obligation/legitimate business purposes.

Information you provide to us when you contact us by telephone, by email, by post, on social media or via the “Get in Touch” function on our Website.

Provide you with the support and customer service you have requested.

Legitimate business purposes.

To record calls in order to train our employees.

Legitimate business purposes.

CCTV footage at our student accommodation site(s).

To record images for security purposes.

Legitimate business purposes.

Technical information about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns including the Internet Protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer or device to the internet, login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, operating system and platform, full URL clickstream to, through and from our Website, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information and methods used to browse away from the page.

We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs and other similar technologies and full details as to how we process and use cookies can be found on our Cookies Policy

To administer and to improve our Website, to ensure it is presented in the most effective manner for you and to give you the best Website experience and to allow you to participate in interactive features of our Website if you choose to do so.

Legitimate business purposes.

For data analysis, testing, research and statistical statistics to help us to improve our products and services.

Legitimate business purposes.

To keep our Website safe and secure.

Legitimate business purposes.

To make suggestions and recommendations to you and other users of our Website about products or services that may interest you or them.

Legitimate business purposes.

To measure or understand the effectiveness of advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you.

Legitimate business purposes.

You do not have to give us any of the personal data set out above but, if you do not provide us with certain information, you will be unable to enter into a tenancy arrangement with us and we may not be able to provide you with the products and services you have requested from us. The forms you fill in on our Website and/or which are sent to you by us in hard copy/by email will make it clear what information we need in order to provide the product or service you are requesting and what information you can choose to provide if you wish.

AUTOMATED DECISION MAKING

We do not currently carry out automated decision-making using information we hold about you.

SHARING YOUR DATA

SHARING YOUR DATA WITHIN THE ASHCOURT GROUP

We may share your personal data with other companies within our group, specifically, Swipe Living Limited (“Swipe Living”) which hosts the Ashcourt Group’s property management platform.

SHARING YOUR DATA WITH TRUSTED THIRD PARTIES

We share your personal data with trusted third parties to allow us to provide our services to you. When we share your data with these third parties we have written contracts in place with them which require them to only use your data for the purpose we specify to them and that your privacy is secure and respected.

These trusted third parties include the following:

professional service providers such as our software developer, Big Orange Software Ltd and The One Point, our IT service providers, who help us run our business;

our third party payment providers, Go Cardless and Secure Collections, in order to allow you to make one off payments or set up direct debits directly to us; and

our security company, Shield Security, in order for them to identify or assist you with any security issues (for example, if you get locked out of your accommodation).

We may also share your personal data:

in connection with a business transition (such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or a sale of all of or portion of our assets). In these circumstances, we may need to share your personal data with a prospective buyer and external professional advisors such as accountants, insurers, lawyers or financial institutions; and/or

where we have a duty or a legal obligation to do so, such as with the police, administrative authorities, other enforcement, regulatory or Government bodies, or in order to enforce or apply our Terms and Conditions

INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA

Your personal data will not be transferred outside of the EU/EEA.

HOW LONG WILL WE KEEP YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

We will only keep your personal data for as long as we need to for the reason we collected it, as set out in this Privacy Policy, for example, for as long as needed to allow us to provide our services or to provide any support you have requested. Once you have entered into a tenancy agreement with us, for example, we will keep your personal data for the duration of your tenancy and for six years after your tenancy ceases for legal and accounting purposes.

We may also keep hold of some of your personal data if we are required to do so for legal purposes, for example, to meet our legal or regulatory requirements or to prevent fraud and abuse.

Once your personal data is no longer required by us for the above purposes, we will delete and/or destroy it.

SECURITY

We are committed to ensuring that your personal data is secure and we have put in place suitable administrative, technical, physical, contractual and managerial measures to protect your personal data from loss, theft, unauthorised use, disclosure or modification, including encryption, where appropriate. Our employees who have access to and process your personal data are obliged to respect the confidentiality and security of your personal data. Personal data from any hard copy forms completed and submitted to us are held in password protected areas on our server and the hard copy forms are kept in a locked filing cabinet in a locked office.

Your personal data is also uploaded onto the Swipe Living Student Swipe property management platform. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access, such as the use of SSL and hashing passwords stored on the database with Bcrypt. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our app; any transmission is at your own risk.

It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes during your relationship with us.

THIRD PARTY LINKS

Our Website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, we do not have any control over third party websites and they will be governed by their own privacy policies, not this Privacy Policy.

HOW CAN I UNSUBSCRIBE FROM MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS?

You can unsubscribe from our marketing communications by contacting us at any time using the details provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the following rights in relation to the personal information we hold about you, to request:

access to the personal data we hold about you (commonly known as a “data subject access request”) including a copy of it;

the correction of the personal information that we hold about you if it is incomplete or inaccurate;

the deletion or removal of personal data we hold about you where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it or where you have exercised your right to object to processing (see below);

for our processing of your personal information to be restricted in certain circumstances, for example if you want to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it;

to obtain a copy of the personal information you’ve provided us with and to reuse it elsewhere or to ask us to transfer it to a third party of your choice; and

to withdraw any consent you have provided to our use of your personal data. Where you withdraw consent we will stop using your data for the specific purpose, unless we have an alternative legal basis to use it.

We may ask you for proof of your identity before dealing with your request, as a security measure to protect your data.

RIGHT TO OBJECT

Where we are processing your personal data on the basis of our legitimate interests, you can ask us to stop processing it and we must do so unless we believe we have an overriding legitimate reason to continue processing your personal data or the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

If you are dissatisfied with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to make a complaint to your data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”), and we will work with them to resolve it. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please do contact us in the first instance.

CONTACTING US

If you have any queries, comments or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, you have a complaint or you would like to exercise any of your rights set out above, you can contact us in the following ways:

by email at info@ashcourt.com;

by post: Ashcourt Properties Limited t/a Ashcourt Student Accommodation, Ashcourt House, 60 Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7SD; or

by phone: 01482 442288.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on 24 May 2018.