PRIVACY POLICY
WHO ARE WE
We are O’Connor Kennedy Turtle (OKT).
Our head office is located at 22 Adelaide Street, Belfast BT2 8GD.
INTRODUCTION
We are committed to protecting your privacy. This statement explains how and for what purposes we use the information we collect about you. Some of the reasons we use the information collected are:
To contact you with information about OKT properties and other content we think may be of interest to you
To personalise your experience on our website / Forward to you information that you have specifically opted in to receive
To process payments
To comply with statutory obligations such as Money Laundering Regulations
INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT
Personal information collected Via the Website
When you visit, register or use the services on our website, you may be asked to provide information about yourself, including your name and contact details. We may also collect information about how you use our website, including your searches and properties and pages you look at. Finally, we may also collect information from any correspondence that you have with us.
If you have any queries or comments about our use of your personal information or wish to unsubscribe from our mailing lists, please email us on dpo@okt.co.uk.
You can also unsubscribe using the unsubscribe link at the foot of any marketing emails you receive from us.
Cookies and tracking
Like many websites, we use “cookies” to enable us to personalise your visits to our website, simplify the signing–in procedure, keep track of your preferences and to track the use of our website. Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored in the hard drive of your computer by your browser. Your browser will have the option to prevent websites using cookies (your browser’s help screen or manual will tell you how to do this), but please note that this may reduce the functionality of our website and other websites.
For further information about the cookies visit our ‘Cookie Policy’.
Links to other websites
Our website may provide links to third–party websites for your convenience and information. If you access those links, you will leave our website. OKT is not responsible for the content of linked internet sites. We encourage you to review the privacy statement of any company before submitting your personal information.
Social Networks and Third–Party plug–ins
Our websites may include plug–ins from social networks or other third parties. An example of a plug–in is the Facebook “Like” button. Where legally permitted, these plugins may communicate with and send information to the party that provided the plug–in, even if you do not click on the plug–in. This information may include your IP address, information about your browser and device, and the address of the web page you are visiting on our site. Loading, using or clicking the plug–ins may also place, read and transmit cookies. These cookies may contain a unique identifier that the social network or third party assigns to you. The loading, functionality and your use of the plug–ins are governed by the privacy statement and terms of the party that provided the plug–in.
Social Network and Third–Party Login
Our website may allow you to log in using a social network or other third–party account. An example of a third–party login is “Log in with Facebook.” Logging into one of our sites with your social network or other third–party account may allow us to gather information that you give us permission to access from that social network or third party. The login feature may also transfer information to the social network or third party, such as your username and password, to authenticate you. The social network or third party may also automatically collect information such as your IP address, information about your browser and device, and the address of the web page you are visiting on our site. The login feature may also place and read cookies from that third party that may contain a unique identifier the social network or other third party assigns to you. The functionality of, and your use of, the login is governed by the privacy statement and terms of the party that provided the login functionality.
Personal information collected via Email
We shall treat receipt of an email from you as a request to us to communicate with you by email.
Should you not wish to receive emails from us, please email us on dpo@okt.co.uk.
PLEASE NOTE – We may keep information for record keeping to ensure we fulfil your request not to send particular types of messages.
Personal information collected via a Phone call
When you call our office we may collect Calling Line Identification (CLI) Information, i.e. retain your telephone / mobile number. As you are entering into dialogue with us about our services we may use this information to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our business.
Should you wish us not to retain your contact details please contact us on belfast@okt.co.uk.
Depending on the service that we provide to you (or on your behalf) we may also collect additional personal information as detailed below;
Buying, Selling, Letting, Renting
If you are selling or letting a property through us:
We will collect a contact telephone number to get in touch with you about organising viewings and updating you on any offers received or rental applications for your property.
Where you are not the legal owner of the property we will request details from you as to your ability to sell or let the property such as a Power of Attorney, Guardianship Order or Grant of Probate.
We will collect your bank account details to arrange onward payment of rent due to you.
If you wish to rent a property we are listing:
We may collect specific requirements so that we can find a property that is suitable for your needs
We may collect your bank / building / similar account details to allow us to manage an approved tenancy deposit account for you and to set up your rental payments.
If you wish to purchase a property we are listing:
We will collect personal information relating to any specific requirements you may have in relation to a property so that we can find a property that is suitable for your needs.
We will also collect personal information required to source a property for you and, where required, negotiate the purchase of a property on your behalf.
Please note that calls may also be recorded for training and quality assurance purposes only. Recorded calls will not be shared with any third parties.
Property Management
Where we engage with you to manage property on your behalf, we will ask for additional emergency contact information in case we need to get in touch with you outside of working hours or in the event there is a matter requiring your urgent attention.
Job application and employment
If you send us information in connection with a job application, we may keep it for up to three years in case we decide to contact you at a later date. If we employ you, we collect information about you and your work from time to throughout the period of your employment. This information will be used only for purposes directly relevant to your employment. After your employment has ended, we will keep your file for 6 years before destroying or deleting it.
Credit Reference
To assist in combating fraud, we may share information with credit reference agencies.
HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires all organisations that process personal data to have a Lawful Basis for doing so.
We rely on the following legal bases to use your information;
Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for your legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests. (This cannot apply if you are a public authority processing data to perform your official tasks.)
Contract: the processing is necessary for a contract we have with the individual, or because the individual has asked us to take specific steps before entering into a contract.
Consent: the individual has given clear consent for us to process their personal data for a specific purpose.
For specific information on how your personal information will be used for the services you have requested from us, please select from any of the options below;
Buying, Selling, Letting, Renting
We use your personal information for the purposes of fulfilling our obligations to you to let or sell your property or, if you are a buyer or tenant, for the purposes of arranging a contract for sale or a lease for you.
If you are purchasing a property we are acting as agents for the sale of or selling a property through us we will share your personal information with your appointed solicitors and the solicitors acting for the other side of the deal as is necessary to facilitate the sale or purchase.
If you are renting a property we are acting as letting agents of, we will share your personal data with third party referencing agencies for the purposes of the prevention and detection of crime, fraud and/or money laundering and checking your suitability to rent that property.
Property Management
Where we are managing property on your behalf we may need to pass your personal information from time to time on to third party contractors whom we have engaged to carry out maintenance on your properties.
Mobile Text Messages:
We may send you a text with a viewing reminder for a property you wish to view. You can stop receiving reminder text messages by using the text stop option within the text or you can also contact dop@okt.co.uk.
WHO HAS ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION
We engage third–party service providers to perform a variety of business operations on our behalf. In so doing, we may share your personal information with them. We provide our service providers with only the personal information they need in order to perform the services we request, and we require that they protect this information appropriately and not use it for any other purpose.
Disclosure of your personal data
We may disclose your personal data as follows:
To estate agents, sellers and landlords if you have expressed interest in a property;
Where we are managing property on your behalf we may need to pass your personal information from time to time on to third party contractors whom we have engaged to carry out maintenance on your properties.
Where we use third party services providers who process personal information on our behalf in order to provide services to us. This includes IT systems providers and IT contractors as well as third party referencing or screening agencies.
If we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation or governmental request, or in order to enforce or apply our Terms, or to protect our rights, property or safety.
When you submit your personal data to us you are giving your consent to the use of your personal data in the manner described.
HOW WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SECURE
Security, storage and transfer of information
We follow strict security procedures to ensure that your personal information is not damaged, destroyed, or disclosed to a third party without your permission and to prevent unauthorised access to it. The computers that store the information are kept in a secure facility with restricted physical access and we use secure firewalls and other measures to restrict electronic access. If we are working with third parties we will require them to have in place similar measures to protect your information.
All of the information we collect or record is restricted to our offices. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job are granted access to personally identifiable information.
Your Information will not be transferred outside of the European Economic Area.
We will retain your information for a reasonable period or for as long as is required by law.
FOR HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
The period for which we will keep your personal information will depend on the type of service you have requested from us. The retention period may be longer than the period for which we are providing services to you where we have statutory or regulatory obligations to retain personal information for a longer period, or where we may need to retain the information in case of a legal claim.
YOUR RIGHTS IN RELATION TO YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
You have a number of rights in relation to your personal information, these include the right to:
Be informed about how we use your personal information
Obtain access to your personal information that we hold
Request that your personal information is corrected if you believe it is incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate
If you would like to exercise any of your rights please contact dpo@okt.co.uk.
COMPLAINTS
If you have any complaints about the way we use your personal information please contact the dpo@okt.co.uk.
CHANGES TO POLICY
We may change this policy from time to time as we add new services or features or in response to changes in the law or our commercial arrangements. Any changes to this policy will be posted on our website.