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Privacy Policy

Nicholls and Barnes Limited Company number: 13063148 Registered office: 43 Hoghton Street, Southport, England, PR9 0PG Trading as: Nicholls and Barnes Website: www.nichollsandbarnes.net Email: sales@nichollsandbarnes.net Telephone: 01704 541414

Last updated: 13th August 2026

1. Introduction

Nicholls and Barnes Limited ("we", "us", "our", "Nicholls and Barnes") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal data when you use our website, contact us, or use our estate agency and lettings services, and it tells you about your privacy rights.

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Nicholls and Barnes Limited is the data controller of your personal data.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details above.

2. The Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

  • Identity data — name, title, date of birth, and photographic ID (e.g. passport or driving licence) where required for anti-money laundering (AML) and "Know Your Customer" checks.

  • Contact data — address, email address, and telephone number.

  • Property data — details of properties you own, are buying, selling, letting, or renting, including valuations, floorplans, and photographs.

  • Financial data — proof of funds, mortgage or Agreement in Principle details, and, for tenants, income and affordability information, where relevant to a transaction.

  • Right to rent / right to reside data — for prospective tenants, as required under UK immigration checks.

  • Reference and credit data — references and credit check results obtained (with your consent) for tenancy applications, via third-party referencing providers.

  • Communications data — records of calls, emails, letters, and messages between us.

  • Technical and usage data — IP address, browser type, device information, and browsing activity on our website, collected via cookies and similar technologies (see our separate Cookie Policy).

  • Marketing preferences — your choices about whether you wish to receive marketing communications from us.

We do not intentionally collect special category data (such as health information) unless it is volunteered by you and relevant to a specific service, for example an access requirement relating to a viewing.

3. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal data:

  • Directly from you, when you register your interest in a property, request a valuation, instruct us to sell or let a property, complete an application form, or otherwise contact us.

  • Automatically, through your use of our website (via cookies and analytics tools).

  • From third parties, including mortgage brokers, solicitors and conveyancers, referencing agencies, portals such as Rightmove and OnTheMarket, and, where relevant, from publicly available sources such as the Land Registry or Companies House.

4. How We Use Your Information and Our Legal Basis

We only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. The table below summarises our main purposes and the relevant legal basis under UK GDPR.

Providing sales, lettings, and property management services you have requestedPerformance of a contractRegistering your interest and matching you with suitable propertiesPerformance of a contract / legitimate interestsConducting AML, right to rent, and referencing checksLegal obligation / performance of a contractCommunicating with you about your enquiry, viewing, offer, or tenancyPerformance of a contract / legitimate interestsSending you property alerts and marketing communicationsConsent (or legitimate interests for existing clients, where permitted)Improving our website and services, and analysing usageLegitimate interestsPreventing fraud and maintaining the security of our systemsLegal obligation / legitimate interestsComplying with our regulatory, tax, and record-keeping obligationsLegal obligation

Where we rely on consent (for example, for marketing emails), you may withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in our communications.

5. Sharing Your Information

We may share your personal data with:

  • Third parties involved in your transaction, such as the other party's estate agent, solicitors, conveyancers, and mortgage brokers, so that a sale, purchase, or tenancy can proceed.

  • Referencing and credit check agencies, for tenancy applications.

  • Property portals, such as Rightmove and OnTheMarket, where you have agreed to have a property marketed.

  • Our software and service providers, including our CRM and marketing platform provider (Spectre / Street Group), IT support providers, and print or mailing houses, who process data on our behalf under contract.

  • Regulatory or law enforcement bodies, where we are required to do so by law, for example under money laundering regulations.

  • Professional advisers, such as our accountants or insurers, where necessary.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

Any third party who processes personal data on our behalf does so under a written contract that requires them to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify.

6. International Transfers

Where any of our service providers store or process data outside the UK or European Economic Area, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as the UK's International Data Transfer Agreement or adequacy regulations, so that your data continues to receive an equivalent level of protection.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes we collected it, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. As a guide:

  • Transaction and AML records are typically retained for a minimum of 5 years after a transaction completes, in line with money laundering regulations.

  • Enquiry and marketing data for prospective clients who do not proceed with a transaction is typically retained for up to 3 years, or until you ask us to delete it or withdraw consent, whichever is sooner.

  • Tenancy and property management records are retained for the duration of the tenancy and for a period afterwards to deal with any disputes or legal claims.

Where retention periods differ for a specific service, we will inform you at the point of collection.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.

  • Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.

  • Erasure of your data in certain circumstances ("the right to be forgotten").

  • Restrict or object to our processing of your data in certain circumstances.

  • Data portability, to receive your data in a portable format.

  • Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.

  • Lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe we have not handled your data properly.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at sales@nichollsandbarnes.net or 01704 541414. We will respond within one month of receiving your request.

You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

9. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and understand how visitors use our site. Full details of the cookies we use and how to manage your preferences are set out in our separate Cookie Policy.

10. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction, including secure storage systems, access controls, and staff training. While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Children's Data

Our services are intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so that we can remove it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or your personal data, please contact:

Nicholls and Barnes Limited 43 Hoghton Street, Southport, England, PR9 0PG Email: sales@nichollsandbarnes.net Telephone: 01704 541414