Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

In accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations, this Privacy Policy sets out how David Coles architects ltd (DCa), obtain, store and use personal information when you use or interact with our business or where we otherwise obtain or collect your personal information.

2. Our details

The data controller in respect of our website is David Coles architects ltd [reg no: 623611175] of 2 Bank House, High Street, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 4YY. You can contact the data controller by writing to David Coles architects ltd, 2 Bank House, High Street, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 4YY, or sending an email to admin@colesarchitects.co.uk.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy you can contact the data protection officer by writing to The Office Manager at David Coles architects ltd, 2 Bank House, High Street, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 4YY.

3. How we collect or obtain personal information about you

We collect personal information about you when you provide it to us, such as through the use of our website and its features, when you contact us directly by email, phone, in writing, or via social media, when you appoint us to provide architectural or other services or by any other means by which you provide personal information to us.

Where permitted or authorised by law, we may also receive information about you from third parties such as affiliates, business partners, credit and fraud checking agencies, as well as third parties with whom we have had no prior contact.

We also collect information about your use of our website through cookies and similar technologies. Our cookies policy sets out more of the information on how we use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about you. You can access our cookies policy via this link: DCa Cookie Policy

4. Personal information we collect or obtain about you

The type of information we collect about you may include information such as:

• Your name;
• Your email address;
• Your address;
• Your phone number;
• Your payment information (e.g. debit or credit card details, electronic transfer information);
• Information about your computer (e.g. your IP address and browser type);
• Information about how you use our website (e.g. which pages you have viewed, the time you viewed them and what you clicked on); and
• Information about your mobile device (such as your geographical location).

Information we obtain from third parties will generally be your name and contact details but may include any additional information they provide to us, including (but not limited to) any of the types of information set out in the list above.

We may also obtain personal information about you from certain publicly accessible sources, including (but not limited to) the electoral register, online customer databases, business directories, Companies House, media publications, social media, websites and other publicly accessible sources.

5. How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to ensure that we can effectively and efficiently communicate with you when necessary, and to provide and improve the quality of our services.

We use your personal data in the following way:

• To store on our contact and accounts databases, as a means of contacting you for the legitimate interests of the business. By this, we mean that we will only hold your personal information on our contact database if you are providing a service (e.g. contractor / sub-contractor / supplier), or we are providing you with architectural, design or other services.
• To review our performance indicators via our website. We only hold very basic usage and location data and use this information to review our processes.

6. How long we store your personal information

We store personal information for as long as necessary for the legitimate operation of the business and to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

We do not hold data unnecessarily, and will respond to any subject access requests under the GDPR.

7. How we secure your personal information

Personal data DCa hold is treated as confidential and is held securely. Most of the data we hold is kept in encrypted / password protected / firewalled cloud-based systems. Paper documents containing personal data are kept in locked storage in the locked and alarmed office. Sensitive information is disposed of by shredding in house or through a legitimate shredding company which provides receipts for documents shredded.

8. Our use of cookies and similar technologies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.

You can access our cookies policy via this link: DCa Cookie Policy

9. Transfer of your personal information to other countries and safeguards used

We do not transfer any personal information to other countries, unless there is a legitimate need to do so for the provision of architectural or other services under client appointment or instruction.

DCa is currently only operational in the United Kingdom.

10. Your rights in relation to your personal information

We recognise and acknowledge your rights under the GDPR, and will act on any legitimate request within one calendar month from the date of the request. This includes:

• Your right to be informed;
• Your right of access;
• Your right to rectification;
• Your right to erasure;
• Your right to restrict processing;
• Your right to data portability; and
• Your right to object.

DCa does not engage in any automated decision making or profiling, nor does DCa track its clients over time and across third party websites to provide targeted advertising and therefore does not respond to Do Not Track (DNT) signals.

11. Changes to our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to amend our Privacy Policy, in light of new developments under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), or to reflect the changing needs of the business.

You have every right to contact us for the most up to date copy of our privacy policy at any time.

12. Changes to your information

Any changes made to the personal information held by us about you, will only be made should you notify us of a change in your personal details. For example, if you changed your telephone number and contacted us to let us know.

We will not change your information for any other purpose than to maintain our records as per the legitimate business interest we seek to achieve in holding any data.

13. Children’s Privacy

We do not seek to collect or distribute children’s information. We may have data obtained from children for the following reasons:

• A child has visited our website. This data is then collected as part of our google analytics software. The only information collected is IP address, browser type, geographic location (if using mobile device) and activity on our website: e.g. pages visited.

• A child contacts our company for any reason, including, but not limited to, seeking work experience, advice, or future job prospects.

• We will only hold such data if we are given express permission to do so by the parent/guardian or school in relation to the child’s involvement in the company.

14. Information Commissioners Office

Should you require advice or have a complaint you have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office which enforces data protection laws. You can telephone the ICO on 0303 123 1113 or via the ICO website.