Privacy Policy

We collect information from visitors to our commercial website – www.howsy.com, including, but not limited to, the use of online forms and our LiveChat service. We also collect information on our web platform – app.howsy.com, from calls with our sales and customer service teams and we will collect your details when you email us.

We may collect the following information:

• First and last name
• Contact information including phone number and email address
• Address of your property
• IP addresses
• Details about your rental property

If you decide to come on board as a customer of Howsy, we will collect the following information:

Landlords:

• First & last name
• Phone number
• Email address
• IP address
• A copy of your official identity papers
• The details of your rental property
• Bank account details
• Your residence address

Tenants:

• First & last name
• Phone number
• Email address
• IP address
• A copy of your official identity papers
• Bank account details

Sensitive information we collect from prospective tenants:

For the purpose of verifying your suitability to rent a property, we will run industry standard credit checks and references through an accredited agency. They will access and share with us the following information:

• Whether you have any CCJs
• Late payments or default payments
• The amount of each of the above, when they were issued, whether they have been resolved or whether they are active

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

• Providing information about our services
• Providing and personalising our services
• Dealing with your enquiries and requests
• Internal record keeping
• Providing you our services
• To customise the website according to your interests
• To customise our service according to your interests
• The details you provide when you register on the Howsy web platform will be used to respond to your inquiries, and/or other requests or questions and for us to occasionally inform you about changes and discounts or offers on our service we consider you might be interested in.
• If you decide to opt-in to our mailing lists, you will receive emails that may include articles and news of interest to landlords, event & webinar invitations, offers and discounts. If at any time you will like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email.

TENANTS:

If you apply to rent a property through Howsy, the personal data you fill in on the application form will be passed on to the landlord.

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

• If you do not have an account on the Howsy web platform, you will only receive emails that may include articles and news of interest to landlords, company updates, event invitations, related product or service information, etc if you have opted-in to our mailing lists.
• If you have created an account on the Howsy platform (app.howsy.com) and after discussion with our Sales representatives you decide not to become a customer straight away but you are still interested in our service for the future, we might occasionally send you emails or phone you. We will use this occasion to inform you about new features of our service or send you offers and discounts which we think might benefit you.
• If at any time you will like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, click on the ‘email center’ link at the bottom of any email you receive from us, email Steven Kemp to data-protection@howsy.com, email us to hello@howsy.com or call us on 0330 999 1234.
• We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.
• You can request details of personal information which we hold about you at any time by emailing our Data Protection Officer Steven Kemp to data-protection@howsy.com. There will be no charge for this service. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to data-protection@howsy.com.
• If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have created an account on the Howsy platform (app.howsy.com), we will occasionally and infrequently email you to inform you about new features of our service, and offers and discounts which we think might be of benefit you.

Due to the nature of our business, not all the users who create an account become customers immediately, but it is obvious they are interested in the service and many do become customers in time, following reminder emails. We consider this to be a relevant and appropriate relationship between you as a user and us as data controller to establish it as a legal basis for this processing of your data in this scenario. If at any time you will like us to stop this communication, you can do any of the following:

• Click on the ‘email centre’ link at the bottom of any email you receive from us and adjust your preferences.
• Go to the ‘Account Information’ section on your Howsy dashboard and adjust your preferences.
• Reply directly to any email you receive from us and ask us to cease communication
• Tell the representative who called you that you would like us to cease any communication
• Email Steven Kemp data-protection@howsy.com
• Email hello@howsy.com
• Call us on 0330 999 1234.

If you are a landlord instructing us with regards to your property, we will need to process your personal data in order to be able to carry out tasks related to your instructions. This processing is done on the basis of legitimate interest.

If you are a tenant customer, we may pass on your data to third parties as follows:

For repairs and inspections:

• Your first name
• Your contact number
• Your email

For viewings, photos, EPC:

• Name
• Contact number

CONSENT

Excepting the cases where we process user data under the legal basis of legitimate interest, all our marketing email communication is sent under the legal basis of Consent. This means that you have opted-in to be on our mailing lists .

If at any time you will like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails or would like to update your email preferences, you can do any of the following:

• Click on the ‘email center’ link at the bottom of any email you receive from us
• Email Steven Kemp data-protection@howsy.com
• Email hello@howsy.com
• Call us on 0330 999 1234.

If you are a renter applying for a property, we will need to process your personal data in order to be able to carry out our tasks related to your application. You will be asked for your consent when your data is collected for the purpose.

CONTRACTUAL

Once you become a Howsy customer as a landlord or as a tenant, processing of your Personal Data is necessary for the performance of our contract with you or for us to take pre-contractual steps.

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

As a business, we need to retain all data for reporting and statistical purposes for a 7 year period.

We keep landlord’ data for as long as they remain customers, then if they decide to terminate the contract we delete their data after 7 years.

If a landlord is managing their property through a limited company, that company needs to keep records for 7 years from the end of the last company financial year. If the landlord is managing the property as self-employed, then it is 5 years after the 31st Jan deadline for the relevant year. Although this is the landlords’ obligation, Howsy retains these financial records for the benefit of our landlords should they need it.

If you think your data has been misused or that Howsy hasn’t kept it secure, you should first contact us and tell us. Please contact our Data Protection Officer Steven Kemp at data-protection@howsy.com.

If you’re unhappy with our response or if you need any advice you should contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

ICO helpline
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Find out about call charges

You can also chat online with an ICO advisor.

The ICO can investigate your claim and take action against anyone who’s misused personal data.

You can also visit their website for information on how to make a data protection complaint.

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes, and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.

You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

For the purpose of collecting and processing your personal data, we use a series of 3rd party companies that have servers in the US. These companies your data securely and in accordance with GDPR requirements. These companies are:

• Autopilot
• Unbounce
• Goto Webinar
• Help Scout