Privacy Policy

Hill Home Survey Ltd is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly and transparently. This Privacy Notice sets out how we collect, use, store, and share personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable data protection laws.

We understand the importance of safeguarding the personal information you share with us, whether you're enquiring through our website, engaging us to conduct a property survey or valuation, or simply browsing our content. We want you to feel confident that your personal data is handled lawfully, securely, and in a way that respects your rights.

This Privacy Notice applies to all personal data collected by Hill Home Survey Ltd through the following:

• Our website https://www.hillhomesurvey.com
• Enquiries submitted via our contact form (https://www.hillhomesurvey.com/contact-us)
• Communications by email, phone, or post
• The delivery of our survey and valuation services

It explains what types of data we collect, the reasons we collect it, how we use it, how long we retain it, as well as the rights you have over your personal data. It also outlines with whom we may share your information and the steps we take to keep your data secure.

We regularly review and update this notice to reflect changes in service or legal obligations. The current version was last updated on 1 April 2025.

If you have any questions about this notice or how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the details set out in Section 1.

Section 1 - Who we are

Hill Home Survey Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) is the controller of your personal data. This means we are responsible for deciding how and why your information is used. Our services include residential surveys and valuations across the UK.

Contact details:

Website: https://www.hillhomesurvey.com
Survey services: https://www.hillhomesurvey.com/surveys
Valuation services: https://www.hillhomesurvey.com/valuation
Email: office@hillhomesurvey.com
Postal Address: 21 Orton Enterprise Centre, Bakewell Road, Peterborough PE2 6XU

Section 2 - What personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data:

• Identity data – name, title
• Contact data – email address, telephone number, postal address
• Enquiry data – information you submit through our contact form, including your name, contact details, property address, and any other details you include in your message
• Property details – property address, type of property, access information
• Survey/valuation data – reports, recommendations, photographs
• Website usage data – IP address, browser type, referring site, pages visited (via cookies)
• Correspondence – any information you provide to us by phone, email, web forms, or otherwise

Section 3 - How we collect your data

We collect personal data directly from you and, in some cases, automatically when you interact with our website. Specifically, we may collect data through the following methods:

Direct interactions

You may provide your personal data when you:

• Make an enquiry through our ‘Contact Us’ form
• Request a home survey or valuation through our service pages
• Communicate with us by phone, email, or post
• Provide information during the property inspection or site visit

Automated technologies

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect technical data about your device, browsing actions and usage patterns through cookies, server logs, or tracking technologies such as Google Analytics.

Data from third parties

We may occasionally receive personal data about you from estate agents, solicitors, property platforms, or public sources like the Land Registry.

Section 4 - Why we use your personal data

We only process your personal data when we have a lawful basis to do so and for specific, limited purposes. These include:

To deliver our services

• Managing bookings and appointments
• Conducting inspections at the relevant property
• Creating and delivering reports
• Communicating with you about the findings or outcomes

To respond to enquiries

• Acknowledging receipt of your message
• Providing information or answering your questions
• Offering guidance on our services or pricing

To manage contracts and payments

• Administering invoicing and payment
• Maintaining records of services provided
• Handling disputes or billing queries

To comply with legal obligations

• Keeping accurate financial records for HMRC
• Retaining survey data for statutory periods
• Complying with regulatory or legal requests

To improve our website and services

• Monitoring website performance
• Identifying technical issues
• Understanding how users interact with our content
• Enhancing the user experience

For internal record-keeping and risk management

• Maintaining a record of past instructions
• Supporting legal and insurance requirements

Section 5 - Our lawful bases for using your data

We rely on the following lawful bases under the UK GDPR:

• Consent – where you have given us explicit permission to process your data (e.g. marketing preferences)
• Contract – when processing is necessary for a contract with you or because you have asked us to take steps before entering into a contract
• Legal obligation – to comply with laws (e.g. tax and accounting rules)
• Legitimate interests – for our business interests, provided your rights do not override these (e.g. improving our services or preventing fraud)

Section 6 - Sharing your data

We do not sell your data. We only share your personal information when necessary and with trusted third parties, including:

• Professional surveyors engaged by us
• Our accountants, legal advisers, or insurers
• Regulatory or law enforcement bodies, when required by law
• Software and service providers, as far as is necessary for us to be able to use their services in order for us to provide our service to you
• Our website analytics provider (e.g. Google Analytics) – see the Cookies section

All third parties are required to respect the security of your data and only process it for specified purposes.

Section 7 - How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data for no longer than necessary. This will typically be for the following periods:

• Survey and valuation records: 15 years from the date of the report or engagement
• Financial records: 6 years to comply with HMRC requirements
• Enquiries and correspondence: up to 2 years

We may retain your information longer if required for legal, regulatory, or operational reasons.

Section 8 - Your rights

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), you have several important rights in relation to your personal data:

Right to be informed - You have the right to be informed about how and why we collect and use your personal data.

Right of access - You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

Right to rectification - If the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to ask us to correct it.

Right to erasure - Also known as the 'right to be forgotten' - this applies in certain circumstances.

Right to restrict processing - You can ask us to limit how we use your personal data in certain circumstances.

Right to data portability - You can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.

Right to object - You have the right to object to processing where the processing is based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.

Rights related to automated decision-making and profiling - We do not carry out any automated decision-making or profiling using your personal data.

To exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 1. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Section 9 - Cookies and website analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• Improve performance and usability
• Understand how visitors use our site
• Remember your preferences

We use Google Analytics to collect information such as page visits, time on site, and geographic region. This helps us improve our services.

You can manage or disable cookies via your browser settings. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy or contact us.

Section 10 - Data security

We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent your personal data from being lost, used, accessed, altered or disclosed in an unauthorised way. These include physical, technical and organisational safeguards.

We limit access to your data to those with a genuine business need, and all processing is subject to a duty of confidentiality.

Section 11 – Complaints

We aim to offer our clients the highest levels of service, but things could go wrong. If you have any concerns about how we use your data, we encourage you to contact us by telephone or by writing to us at complaints@hillhomesurvey.com.

You also have the right to complain to the UK’s data protection authority, the ICO:

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Section 12 - Changes to this notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The most recent version will always be available on our website, and significant changes will be communicated directly where possible.