Privacy notice

Who we are

Waltham Estates Ltd is registered in England and Wales under company number 06782781. Registered office: 232 Hoe Street, London, E17 3AY. We are the data controller for the personal information described on this page. If you have a question about how we handle your details, call +44 20 8509 0444 or email info@walthamestates.co.uk.

What we collect, and when

We only collect what you choose to give us. In practice that means:

• Valuation requests. Your name, email address, telephone number, preferred contact method, the property address and postcode, and the property details you select, such as type, bedrooms, current status and timeframe.
• Enquiries. Your name, email address, optional telephone number, the subject you pick and the message you write.
• WhatsApp messages. If you message our WhatsApp assistant, we collect your phone number, the messages and any photographs you send, and the details you give us in them, such as your name, a property address, a repair description or a preferred viewing time. If you are a tenant and we cannot recognise your number, we may ask for your surname and postcode to confirm who you are.
• Portal accounts. If you are an existing landlord or tenant, your name, email address and the record identifiers that link your account to your properties or tenancy, plus the security information needed to issue and verify single-use sign-in codes.
• Technical information. When you submit a form we record the IP address and browser user agent it came from. We use this only to prevent spam and abuse.

We do not buy personal data from third parties, and we do not track you across other websites.

Why we use it, and our lawful basis

• To answer you. When you ask for a valuation or send an enquiry, we use your details to respond. Our lawful basis is legitimate interests, namely replying to someone who has asked us to get in touch.
• To provide our services. If you become a client, we use your details to carry out the letting or management work you have instructed. Our lawful basis is performance of a contract.
• To meet legal duties. Lettings and property management carry obligations including anti-money-laundering checks, deposit protection, right-to-rent checks and tax record keeping. Our lawful basis is legal obligation.
• To keep the site secure. Rate limiting and spam prevention rely on the technical information described above. Our lawful basis is legitimate interests.

We do not send marketing emails to people who have simply used a form on this website.

Messaging us on WhatsApp

Our WhatsApp number is answered first by an automated assistant, which can book viewings, take repair reports and answer common questions, and hands over to a member of staff when needed. Conversations are stored in our client system so our team can pick up where the assistant left off.

You can stop us messaging you at any time by replying STOP, and start again by replying START. WhatsApp's rules also limit when we can message you: outside 24 hours from your last message we can only send you approved notification templates, such as a viewing confirmation or a repair update.

Who else sees it

We never sell your personal information, and we do not pass it to third parties for their own marketing. We do use a small number of service providers who process data on our instructions:

• Our hosting provider, which runs this website and the client portal.
• Our email provider, which delivers portal invitations and notification emails.
• Our property management software, which is the system our team works in day to day.
• Meta, whose WhatsApp Business Platform carries our WhatsApp conversations. Meta delivers the messages between your phone and our system and processes them under its own terms as well as ours; WhatsApp's own privacy policy applies to your use of the app itself.
• Where a tenancy is involved, a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme, and referencing or contractor firms as needed to carry out the work.

Web fonts on this site are served by Google Fonts, which means your browser makes a request to fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com. Photographs on some pages are served by Unsplash. Both receive the same kind of technical request information as above.

We may also disclose information where the law requires it, for example to HMRC, a local authority or a regulator.

How long we keep it

• Enquiries and valuation requests that do not become instructions: up to two years, so we can pick up the conversation if you come back to us.
• Client and tenancy records: for the duration of the relationship and then for six years, to meet tax, anti-money-laundering and limitation-period requirements.
• Portal sign-in and activity logs: twelve months.

You can ask us to delete your details sooner, and we will unless the law requires us to keep them.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask us to:

• give you a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• correct anything that is wrong or incomplete;
• delete information we no longer need to keep;
• restrict or object to how we use it;
• transfer it to another provider where that applies.

Ask by emailing info@walthamestates.co.uk or writing to the office. We will respond within one month. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk, or on 0303 123 1113.

How we protect it

This website and the portal are served over an encrypted connection. Portal sign-in uses short-lived, single-use codes rather than a reusable password. Portal accounts are created for authorised users only, and each account can reach only its permitted records. Access is checked on our server for every request rather than in your browser.