Privacy Policy
BACKGROUND:
Property118 Ltd understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used and shared online. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits this website,
www.property118.com (“Our Site”) and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with Our obligations and your rights under the law.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of Our Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of Our Site
. If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Policy, you must stop using Our Site immediately.
- Definitions and Interpretation
In this Policy the following terms shall have the following meanings:
| “Account” |
means an account required to access and/or use certain areas and features of Our Site; |
| “Cookie” |
means a small text file placed on your computer or device by Our Site when you visit certain parts of Our Site and/or when you use certain features of Our Site. Details of the Cookies used by Our Site are set out in section 13, below; |
| “Cookie Law” |
means the relevant parts of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003; |
| “personal data” |
means any and all data that relates to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified from that data. In this case, it means personal data that you give to Us via Our Site. This definition shall, where applicable, incorporate the definitions provided in the EU Regulation 2016/679 – the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”); and |
| “We/Us/Our” |
Means Property118 Ltd , a limited company registered in England under company number 10295964, whose registered address is 1st Floor, Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4AB. |
- Information About Us
- Our Site is owned and operated by Property118 Ltd, a limited company registered in England under company number 10295964, whose registered address is 1st Floor, Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4AB.
- Our VAT number is 990 0332 34.
- Our Data Protection Officer is Neil Patterson, and can be contacted by email at npatterson@property118.com, by telephone on 01603 489118, or by post at 1st Floor, Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4AB.
- What Does This Policy Cover?
This Privacy Policy applies only to your use of Our Site. Our Site may contain links to other websites. Please note that We have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and We advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.
- Your Rights
- As a data subject, you have the following rights under the GDPR, which this Policy and Our use of personal data have been designed to uphold:
- The right to be informed about Our collection and use of personal data;
- The right of access to the personal data We hold about you (see section 12);
- The right to rectification if any personal data We hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete (please contact Us using the details in section 14);
- The right to be forgotten – i.e. the right to ask Us to delete any personal data We hold about you (We only hold your personal data for a limited time, as explained in section 6 but if you would like Us to delete it sooner, please contact Us using the details in section 14);
- The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data;
- The right to data portability (obtaining a copy of your personal data to re-use with another service or organisation);
- The right to object to Us using your personal data for particular purposes; and
- If you have any cause for complaint about Our use of your personal data, please contact Us using the details provided in section 14 and We will do Our best to solve the problem for you. If We are unable to help, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
- For further information about your rights, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
- What Data Do We Collect?
Depending upon your use of Our Site, We may collect some or all of the following personal data (please also see section 13 on Our use of Cookies and similar technologies):
- Name;
- Date of birth;
- Address and post code;
- Business/company name and trading status;
- Number of properties owned;
- Accountants details;
- Contact information such as email addresses and telephone numbers;
- Proof of residence and ID;
- Financial information such as income and tax status;
- Landlords insurance renewal dates;
- Property Portfolio details such as value and mortgage outstanding;
- How Do We Use Your Data?
- All personal data is processed and stored securely, for no longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. We will comply with Our obligations and safeguard your rights under the GDPR at all times. For more details on security see section 7, below.
- Our use of your personal data will always have a lawful basis, either because it is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data (e.g. by subscribing to emails), or because it is in our legitimate interests. Specifically, we may use your data for the following purposes:
- Providing and managing your access to Our Site;
- Supplying our products and or services to you (please note that We require your personal data in order to enter into a contract with you);
- Personalising and tailoring our products and or services for you;
- Replying to emails from you;
- Supplying you with emails that you have opted into (you may unsubscribe or opt-out at any time by the unsubscribe link at the bottom of all emails;
- Analysing your use of our site and gathering feedback to enable us to continually improve our site and your user experience;
- Provide information to our partner service and product suppliers at your request.
- With your permission and/or where permitted by law, We may also use your data for marketing purposes which may include contacting you by email and or telephone with information, news and offers on our products and or We will not, however, send you any unsolicited marketing or spam and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that We fully protect your rights and comply with Our obligations under the GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.
- You have the right to withdraw your consent to us using your personal data at any time, and to request that we delete it.
- We do not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. Data will therefore be retained for the following periods (or its retention will be determined on the following bases):
- Member profile information is collected with your consent and can be amended or deleted at any time by you;
- Anti-Money Laundering information and tax consultancy records are to be kept as required by law for up to seven years.
- How and Where Do We Store Your Data?
- We only keep your personal data for as long as We need to in order to use it as described above in section 6, and/or for as long as We have your permission to keep it.
- Some or all of your data may be stored outside of the European Economic Area (“the EEA”) (The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). You are deemed to accept and agree to this by using our site and submitting information to Us. If we do store data outside the EEA, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated as safely and securely as it would be within the UK and under the GDPR
- Data security is very important to Us, and to protect your data We have taken suitable measures to safeguard and secure data collected through Our Site.
- Do We Share Your Data?
- We may share your data with other partner companies in for the purpose of supplying products or services you have requested.
- We may sometimes contract with third parties to supply products and services to you on Our behalf. Where any of your data is required for such a purpose, We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data will be handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, Our obligations, and the obligations of the third party under the law.
- We may compile statistics about the use of Our Site including data on traffic, usage patterns, user numbers, sales, and other information. All such data will be anonymised and will not include any personally identifying data, or any anonymised data that can be combined with other data and used to identify you. We may from time to time share such data with third parties such as prospective investors, affiliates, partners, and advertisers. Data will only be shared and used within the bounds of the law.
- In certain circumstances, We may be legally required to share certain data held by Us, which may include your personal data, for example, where We are involved in legal proceedings, where We are complying with legal requirements, a court order, or a governmental authority.
- What Happens If Our Business Changes Hands?
- We may, from time to time, expand or reduce Our business and this may involve the sale and/or the transfer of control of all or part of Our business. Any personal data that you have provided will, where it is relevant to any part of Our business that is being transferred, be transferred along with that part and the new owner or newly controlling party will, under the terms of this Privacy Policy, be permitted to use that data only for the same purposes for which it was originally collected by Us.
- How Can You Control Your Data?
- In addition to your rights under the GDPR, set out in section 4, we aim to give you strong controls on Our use of your data for direct marketing purposes including the ability to opt-out of receiving emails from Us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in Our emails.
- Your Right to Withhold Information
- You may access certain areas of Our Site without providing any data at all. However, to use all features and functions available on Our Site you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.
- You may restrict Our use of Cookies. For more information, see section 13.
- How Can You Access Your Data?
You have the right to ask for a copy of any of your personal data held by Us (where such data is held). Under the GDPR, no fee is payable and We will provide any and all information in response to your request free of charge. Please contact Us for more details at info@property118.com, or using the contact details below in section 14.
- Our Use of Cookies
- Our Site may place and access certain first party Cookies on your computer or device. First party Cookies are those placed directly by Us and are used only by Us. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of Our Site and to provide and improve Our products AND/OR We have carefully chosen these Cookies and have taken steps to ensure that your privacy and personal data is protected and respected at all times.
- All Cookies used by and on Our Site are used in accordance with current Cookie Law.
- Before Cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a cookie prompt requesting your consent to set those Cookies. By giving your consent to the placing of Cookies you are enabling Us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of Cookies; however certain features of Our Site may not function fully or as intended. You will be given the opportunity to allow only first party Cookies and block third party Cookies.
- Certain features of Our Site depend on Cookies to function. Cookie Law deems these Cookies to be “strictly necessary”. These Cookies are shown below in section 13.5. Your consent will not be sought to place these Cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these Cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings as detailed below in section 13.9, but please be aware that Our Site may not work properly if you do so. We have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them.
- The following first party Cookies may be placed on your computer or device:
| Name of Cookie |
Purpose |
Strictly Necessary |
| JSESSIONID |
Used only to collect performance data, with any identifiable data obfuscated |
No |
| __cfduid |
This cookie is strictly necessary for Cloudflare's security features and cannot be turned off. |
Yes |
- Our Site uses analytics services provided by Google Analytics and Facebook. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse anonymous usage information, enabling Us to better understand how Our Site is used. This, in turn, enables Us to improve Our Site and the products AND/OR services offered through it. You do not have to allow Us to use these Cookies, however whilst Our use of them does not pose any risk to your privacy or your safe use of Our Site, it does enable Us to continually improve Our Site, making it a better and more useful experience for you.
- The analytics service(s) used by Our Site use(s) Cookies to gather the required information.
- The analytics service(s) used by Our Site use(s) the following Cookies:
| Name of Cookie |
First / Third Party |
Provider |
Purpose |
| __utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmt, __utmz |
First |
Google |
Helps to understand how their visitors engage with our website |
| _fbp |
First |
Facebook |
Helps to understand how their visitors engage with our website |
- In addition to the controls that We provide, you can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all cookies or only third party cookies. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device.
- You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access Our Site more quickly and efficiently including, but not limited to, login and personalisation settings.
- It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.
- Contacting Us
If you have any questions about Our Site or this Privacy Policy, please contact Us by email at info@property118.com, by telephone on 01603 489118, or by post at 1st Floor, Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4AB. Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a request for information about the data We hold about you (as under section 12, above).
- Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time (for example, if the law changes). Any changes will be immediately posted on Our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of Our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.
Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118
9:34 AM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
Possible angles of attack:-
Unfair contact terms
1) Mortgage sold as a tracker at a margin over base rate
2) Margins not adjusted previously
3) Incentive to move offered with no mention of intention to change margin
4) Terms relied upon by the bank being not clear, not fair and apparently misleading
5) Irish Nationals not being subjected to the increased margin
6) Ambiguity of whether the "differential" actually applies to the tracker margin
7) Contract terms being relied upon not being allowed post FSA regulation of mortgage lending in 1994
This morning I have invited 1,000's of landlords to look at this thread and to join The GOOD Landlords Campaign in order to build a fund to obtain initial legal advice on the structure of complaint letters to the BOI and the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Please spread the word and if you receive that email please forward it on to any other landlords you know.
Today we are fighting Bank of Ireland, if they are allowed to win, will other mortgage lenders follow their lead?
I'm not affected personally today but I'm taking up this fight because tomorrow is another day.
Nigel Spalding
9:56 AM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
From the FSA''
Dear Mr XXXX
Thank you for your email of 1 March (below) addressed to myself. As I manage the Team responsible for the conduct supervision of the Bank of Ireland.
We are sorry to learn of your concerns that in increasing its interest rate differential on a number of its base rate tracker mortgages, you and Mr Wilson are of the view that view the Bank of Ireland “clearly did not consider whether it was treating its customers fairly by doing so”.
We welcome information about the firms we regulate which might highlight wider concerns that could affect our regulatory activities. We were aware of the matter outlined in your email but unfortunately, due to the confidentiality restrictions placed on us by the Financial Service and Markets Act, we are not able to provide you with information regarding any actions that we may take.
If, as a result of this increase, you and Mr Wilson feel you have been treated unfairly, you should follow the Bank of Ireland’s complaints procedure in the first instance. If you are not satisfied by the firm’s response then you can refer your complaint to the independent Financial Ombudsman Service (‘the ombudsman service’) for a decision. This service is free of charge to consumers. The ombudsman service’s finding is binding on the firm, but not on the consumer, who has the option of rejecting the decision and pursuing the matter through the courts. The contact details for the ombudsman service are:
The Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza
183 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SR
I hope that this is helpful.
Yours sincerely
Fed Up Landlord
9:57 AM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
Hi all, don't know if this has been mentioned elsewhere on this topic but here is an excerpt from the Office of fair Trading Website
"The OFT cannot determine whether a term is or is not unfair or whether any individual consumer is entitled to compensation. It is our duty to consider any complaints about the unfairness of a contract term and if we believe that a term is unfair, we have powers to ask a court for an injunction to prevent it being used or recommended for use. However, only the courts can finally decide whether a term is or is not unfair".
So is it worth sending copies of letters to the OFT? Would be very nice if they brought an injunction against BOI but do not hold your breath.
And just started my "Don't buy BOI" Campaign with the Post Office. Letting them know what a bunch of scammers they are in bed with!!
10:04 AM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
ALL: Please do not wait for the final response from BOI. You can lodge the initial complaint with FOS.
If you wait 8 weeks, the lines might be too busy or blocked. The daily statistics should be provided by FOS now.
The FSA should be able to help us if a few thousand people has lodged a complaint with the FOS.
But the power of people is more powerful than we think.
Richard Kent
10:06 AM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
I know that the FSA published the definitions for different types/styles of mortgage in their MCOB documents and here is the link for it.
I doubt the BOI could have achieved using the clauses once the FSA took control in October 2004.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/hb-releases/rel49/rel49mcob.pdf
MCOB 9 : Lifetime mortgages: product Section 9.4 : Content of illustrations
disclosure
Tracker rate - must be described as a variable Amount based on Y%.
rate which is [X% above/X% below/the same
as] [insert interest rate tracked, currently Z%],
[where applicable insert the date at which the
interest rate ends or the period for which the
interest rate applies], to give a current rate
payable of Y%. Details should also be provided
of how soon after an interest rate change the
mortgage interest rate is adjusted.
12:19 PM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
GARY
Good idea to send letters to OFT.
Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118
12:19 PM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
@Tony - it is not uncommon for banks to do this on business overdraft or other commercial banking and financing agreements and there is no dispute about them having the rights to do this. However, buy to let and residential mortgage facilities are different. What type of facility was the HSBC facility? If it was a mortgage please email me a copy of their letter announcing the increase and also your mortgage offer letter and conditions of mortgage booklet to mark@property118.com and I will look into this for you.
Denise Donovan
13:19 PM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
Hi,
Was doing an internet search and came across this from BOI. It does say that the FSA aware.
http://www.bankofireland.com/btlirinfo/faqs/
There are a lot of different comments about this on this forum and moneyexpert. Am going to follow the process outlined earlier complaining directly to BOI and wait on outcome. I agree we need to agree a process between us all first.
I would say though the argument about not increasing for Irish Nationals is not a valid one. This condition was in UK B&W mortgages and not in B&W mortgages after 2004. This is all about a special condition in some UK only mortgages. I'm all for arguing against but let's facts right.
I don't think we will have any joy though, although will obviously try. In the meantime do I need to start looking at remortgage options now ? Has anyone else done this ? Are there any good BTL rates ? I currently have about 35% LTV i.e. property worth £250k and mortgage £70k. Or are people waiting to see the outcome ?? Don't want to be left paying a higher rate mortgage than I need to. Would really welcome comments.
I can ask this in a different forum if not the correct one.
13:43 PM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
Another piece of documentation I have looked at is previous notifications from BOI when BOE rate changed, (and when I made draw downs or payments it is a flex morgtage). They send out a template letter, and include a sheet called Account Details. This lists the sub accounts, Balance, maturity date and forth comming payment schedule with the Interest rate, which is described as "Interest rate (Current Rate: 5.6%)" or whatever rate related to the letter all fair enough. Below the interest rate is a single sentence repeated on each sub account which reads "From now until the end of the mortgage term, the interest rate we will charge will be 0.85% above the BOE Base Rate."
They are prepared to star the balance to inform me its not the redemption figure, but no such indication that the differential is not a fixed one.
The last correspondance of this type was Feb 2010 when we made a lump sum repayment, and I have similar such letters dateing back to the start of the loan.
Please note this is on a residential mortgage, I dont know if such documents apply to BTL. I appreciate this thread is for landlords so your terms may be different, but I am willing to add my information in here if it helps.
I phoned the FOS this morning and I can confirm they will register a complaint has been raised (and they are aware of this matter), although you need to wait for the BOI response to your complaint to take it any further.
Karen Lupton
14:06 PM, 5th March 2013, About 11 years ago
I have just got off the phone from BofI - I decided it was ridiculous me being so scared of the postman.... the good news (for me) is that my 4 BofI accounts are not affected by the rate rise. I have never been so relieved in my life, I can tell you that!!
I asked what the reasoning was and she confirmed that it was a change in t&c's so was date related - my first account with them was 2004 so that would confirm the pre-2004 working theory.
The other thing she said was that all the letters were sent out last week, so everyone should have received the bad news by now if they were getting it.
I sincerely wish you all luck.