Last updated: March 2026
1. Who We Are
David Britton Estates ("we", "us", "our") is the data controller responsible for your personal data. We are an estate agency operating in Cumbria, Scotland, and the North of England.
Data Controller: David Britton Estates Ltd
Address: Unit 3 Mason Court, Gillan Way, Penrith 40 Business Park, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 9GR
Phone: 01768 881111
Email: info@davidbrittonestates.co.uk
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us using the details above.
2. What Data We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
| Category | Data Collected | When Collected |
|---|
| Identity Data |
Full name, title, date of birth |
When you register, instruct us, or submit an enquiry |
| Contact Data |
Email address, phone number, postal address |
When you register, submit a form, or contact us |
| Property Data |
Property address, type, value, condition, and marketing details |
When you instruct us to sell or value your property |
| Financial Data |
Proof of funds, mortgage details, affordability information |
When you make an offer on a property or seek financial advice |
| Identity Verification |
Passport, driving licence, utility bills (for AML compliance) |
Before we can market your property or progress a transaction |
| Technical Data |
IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited |
Automatically when you use our website |
| Communication Data |
Correspondence via email, phone, or our website forms |
When you communicate with us |
| Portal Data |
Login credentials, portal activity, saved searches, viewing feedback |
When you use our client portal |
| AI Chat Data |
Conversation content with our AI Property Concierge |
When you use the chat feature on our website |
3. How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data through:
- Direct interactions — when you fill in forms on our website (contact, valuation booking, portal registration), correspond with us by phone, email, or in person, attend a property viewing, or instruct us to act on your behalf
- Automated technologies — when you browse our website, we automatically collect technical data using cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy)
- Third parties — we may receive data from property portals (e.g. Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket) when you enquire about one of our properties, from solicitors and conveyancers during a transaction, or from mortgage brokers and financial advisers you have authorised to share information with us
4. Lawful Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following bases:
- Contract — processing necessary to perform our agency agreement with you (e.g. marketing your property, arranging viewings, progressing a sale)
- Legal obligation — processing required to comply with the law (e.g. anti-money laundering checks, Estate Agents Act 1979 requirements, tax obligations)
- Legitimate interests — processing necessary for our legitimate business interests where these are not overridden by your rights (e.g. improving our services, marketing analysis, fraud prevention)
- Consent — where you have given clear consent for us to process your data for a specific purpose (e.g. receiving marketing communications, using the AI Property Concierge)
5. How We Use Your Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- Marketing and selling your property, including preparing particulars, arranging photography and DBTV video tours, and listing on property portals
- Matching buyers with suitable properties and arranging viewings
- Communicating offers, feedback, and transaction updates
- Processing valuation requests and providing market appraisals
- Providing access to our client portal (seller, buyer, developer, or customer dashboards)
- Responding to enquiries submitted through our website or by phone
- Complying with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, including identity verification and source of funds checks
- Providing our AI Property Concierge service to help you find suitable properties
- Improving our website, services, and customer experience
- Sending you marketing communications about our services, where you have consented or where we have a legitimate interest to do so
- Complying with legal and regulatory obligations
6. Who We Share Your Data With
We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:
- Other parties in a transaction — buyers, sellers, and their representatives (solicitors, surveyors) as necessary to progress a property sale
- Property portals — Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, and other listing platforms where we advertise properties
- Legal and regulatory bodies — the National Crime Agency (for AML reporting), HMRC, The Property Ombudsman, and courts or tribunals as required by law
- Professional advisers — solicitors, accountants, and insurers who provide professional services to us
- Technology providers — our website hosting provider (Netlify), AI service provider (Anthropic, for the AI Property Concierge), and other technology partners who process data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements
- Financial services partners — mortgage brokers and financial advisers, only with your explicit consent
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not share your data with any party for their own marketing purposes without your explicit consent.
7. International Transfers
Your personal data is primarily stored and processed within the United Kingdom. Where we use technology providers based outside the UK (for example, our AI chat service), we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, including:
- Standard contractual clauses approved by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- The recipient country being subject to an adequacy decision by the UK government
- Other appropriate safeguards as permitted under UK GDPR
8. Data Security
We take the security of your personal data seriously and have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it, including:
- Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) across our website
- Secure authentication for client portal access
- Access controls limiting data access to authorised personnel only
- Regular security reviews of our systems and processes
- Staff training on data protection and information security
- Secure disposal of physical documents containing personal data
While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your data to the highest practicable standard.
9. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. Our retention periods are as follows:
- Client and transaction data — 6 years after the completion of a transaction or the end of our business relationship, in line with statutory limitation periods and HMRC requirements
- AML/identity verification records — 5 years after the end of the business relationship, as required by the Money Laundering Regulations 2017
- Marketing and enquiry data — 2 years from your last interaction with us, unless you request deletion sooner
- Website analytics data — 26 months
- AI chat conversations — session-based; not retained after the browsing session ends
- Portal account data — retained while your account is active, plus 12 months after account closure
When personal data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.
10. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access — you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a "Subject Access Request")
- Right to rectification — you can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data
- Right to erasure — you can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances (the "right to be forgotten")
- Right to restrict processing — you can ask us to limit how we use your data
- Right to data portability — you can request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format
- Right to object — you can object to our processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interests or where we process your data for direct marketing
- Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on your consent to process data, you can withdraw it at any time
- Rights related to automated decision-making — you have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@davidbrittonestates.co.uk or write to us at the address above. We will respond to your request within one month. There is no fee for exercising your rights, although we may charge a reasonable fee for manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.
11. Marketing Communications
We may send you marketing communications about our services, new property listings, market updates, and events where:
- You have given us your explicit consent to receive marketing, or
- You are an existing client and the marketing relates to similar services to those you have previously used (soft opt-in)
You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, contacting us directly, or updating your preferences in the client portal.
12. Children's Privacy
Our website and services are not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a child, we will take steps to delete it promptly.
13. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's supervisory authority for data protection:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane
Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us first.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or regulatory guidance. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
15. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have a concern about how we handle your personal data, please contact us:
David Britton Estates
Unit 3 Mason Court, Gillan Way
Penrith 40 Business Park, CA11 9GR
Phone: 01768 881111
Email: info@davidbrittonestates.co.uk