With effect from 25 May 2018, Data Protection laws are being updated to give individuals more rights over how their personal data is used and processed by organisations. In order to make sure existing and prospective clients of Building Control Services (Approved Inspectors) Ltd (referred to below as BCS (AI) Ltd) are aware of these changes, we have updated our Privacy Statement. In it, we explain what client information we may hold and why.

How we collect data
As a client of BCS (AI) Ltd, we collect personal data about you in connection with our products and services in the following ways:
•    From your enquiry or fee quote request, whether over the phone, in person, in writing, or through our website
•    From subsequent interactions, including submission of a Project Information Sheet, with us by the methods listed above
•    From third parties, such as an agent or architect, appointed by you to act on your behalf

How the law protects you
Data Protection legislation says that we can use personal information only if we have a valid reason for doing so. The law says this must be for one of the following reasons:
•    To fulfil a contract we have with you
•    When it is our legal duty
•    When it is in our legitimate interest
•    When you consent to it
A legitimate interest is when we need to use your information for internal administrative purposes, to enable us to efficiently record and monitor the progress of your project.

How we use your personal data
The main ways in which we may use your personal data are:
•    To create your project file, to administer it, to analyse your requirements and tailor our services to you
•    To communicate with you and provide appropriate information about your project when requested
•    To meet our legal obligations by sending information to the relevant Local Authority, Fire Authority and Water Authority, to meet the requirements of Building Control Regulations
•    To keep records as required by the terms of our licence as Approved Inspectors, including transactional analysis and monitoring key performance indicators for internal and external audits

Sharing your personal information
BCS (AI) Ltd will only share your personal information with:
•    Internal staff and appointed contractors, such as surveyors or engineers employed as specialists for your project, to provide the service you have requested
•    Relevant local government and statutory bodies, solely for the purposes of obtaining necessary consents for your project
•    Industry regulators and auditors, as required under the terms of our licence
•    Dispute resolution bodies, including solicitors and courts, if necessary
By completing our online Application Form, you are submitting personal information to us through a third-party site. We have carried out reasonable checks to ensure your data is not put at risk by doing so, but please visit https://www.cognitoforms.com/security to assure yourself of their security measures.

Retaining your personal information
BCS (AI) Ltd will retain your personal information for as long as is necessary for the purposes described above.  Typically, we will store data for a minimum of ten years to fulfil our business purposes, to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, or in case of any legal claims.
We may keep your data for longer, where this is necessary for statistical purposes. In such cases, we will ensure any personally identifiable information is removed where technically feasible. We will, always, maintain the security of any information we hold.

Your data subject rights
Under the new GDPR legislation, you have certain rights relating to the personal information we hold about you. These are outlined below and can be exercised at any time by contacting us. We will action and/or respond to your request within 30 days of receipt.
By post:     Data Administrator, Building Control Services (Approved Inspectors) Ltd,                         Moulsham Mill, Parkway, Chelmsford CM2 7PX
By email:    info@building-control.co.uk
By phone:    01245 895466

•    Right to access
You may request access to a copy of the personal information we hold about you.  We can refuse to provide information where to do so may reveal another person’s personal data or would otherwise negatively impact another person’s rights.
•    Right to object
You may object to us using automated processes or fully automated decision making, using your personal data, except where used to detect and prevent criminal activity.  You may also object to us using your personal data for direct marketing analysis, including profiling. Please note, BCS (AI) Ltd does not currently undertake such processing.
•    Right to portable data
Where you gave us personal information directly or via the contract you have with us, and it was processed electronically, you can request the data we hold about you in a commonly used machine-readable format.
•    Right to be forgotten
You can ask us to delete the personal information we hold about you when it is no longer required for a legitimate business need, legal or regulatory obligations, or for the purposes it was collected for.
•    Right to rectification
We will correct any errors in the personal data we hold. Please contact us as soon as possible, if you believe your information is inaccurate, incorrect, or incomplete.
•    Right to restrict
If you have a complaint about the way we use your data, or if you think our processing is unlawful but do not want your data deleted, you may ask us to restrict our processing of your data while we resolve the issue.  This also applies if you require your data for a legal claim.
•    Right to withdraw
You may withdraw consent for use of personal data for direct marketing at any time. When you withdraw your consent, the lawfulness of any past activities based on the previous consent is not affected.

Use of website cookies
A cookie is a small file which is placed on your computer's hard drive, if your browser is set to accept cookies. We use traffic log cookies to help us improve our website by enabling us to monitor how visitors reach the site, which pages are visited, and how long visitors spend on each page. A cookie does not give us access to your computer or any personal information about you. Data generated by cookies is not traced back to individuals, but is only used for statistical analysis purposes.
If you have a client access account with us we may also use a cookie to remember your login information for you, to save you entering it again next time.
We will not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you. However, if you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by our website, you can do this through your browser settings. Please be aware that if you restrict cookies, it may stop our website from working properly.
To find more information about how to control and delete cookies, please visit your browser’s help page.

Making a data protection complaint
If you are dissatisfied about our use of your personal information, or the way we have handled any requests relating to your data privacy rights, you can raise a complaint directly with us using the contact details above. Any complaints will be dealt with according to our Complaints Policy.
If you are unhappy about the way we handle your complaint, you are entitled to raise a complaint directly with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. Please visit their website at www.ico.org.uk for details of how to do this, or for further details on Data Privacy law.

Building Control Services (Approved Inspectors) Limited
April 2024