Privacy Policy

HMSA Property Services Ltd is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you contact us, use our website, instruct us, or otherwise communicate with us.

1. Who we are

HMSA Property Services Ltd is a residential surveying and valuation practice providing services including RICS Home Surveys, Red Book valuations, lease extension and enfranchisement valuations, reinstatement cost assessments and related residential property advice.

For the purposes of data protection law, HMSA Property Services Ltd is the data controller for the personal information we collect and use.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact us using the details provided on our website.

2. Personal information we collect

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

• your name;

• your email address;

• your telephone number;

• your postal address;

• property address details;

• information you provide in enquiry forms, emails, letters or telephone calls;

• information relating to a proposed or confirmed instruction;

• billing and payment information;

• identification or verification information where required;

• documents, photographs or property information provided to us;

• professional correspondence with clients, agents, solicitors, lenders, managing agents, freeholders, leaseholders or other relevant parties.

We may also collect basic technical information when you use our website, such as your IP address, browser type and information about how you interact with the site, depending on the website and cookie settings in use.

3. How we collect personal information

We collect personal information when you:

• submit an enquiry through our website;

• contact us by email, telephone, post or social media;

• request a quotation;

• instruct us to provide services;

• provide information during the course of an instruction;

• are involved in a property matter where our services are required;

• communicate with us through a third party, such as an estate agent, solicitor, lender, managing agent or professional adviser.

We may also receive information from third parties where relevant to an instruction, including estate agents, solicitors, lenders, landlords, tenants, leaseholders, freeholders, managing agents, contractors, insurers, accountants, professional advisers or publicly available sources.

4. How we use your personal information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• to respond to enquiries;

• to provide quotations;

• to assess whether we can accept an instruction;

• to issue terms of engagement and invoices;

• to inspect, value, survey, report on or advise in relation to property;

• to communicate with you and relevant third parties;

• to manage client relationships and ongoing matters;

• to comply with legal, regulatory, professional and insurance obligations;

• to deal with complaints, claims or disputes;

• to keep business and accounting records;

• to improve our services and website.

We will only use your personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so.

5. Lawful basis for processing

The lawful bases we may rely on include:

Contract or steps before entering into a contract
Where we need to process your information to provide a quotation, issue terms of engagement, accept an instruction or deliver services.

Legitimate interests
Where processing is necessary for the running of our business, responding to enquiries, managing instructions, maintaining records, communicating with relevant parties, and protecting our professional position.

Legal obligation
Where we need to comply with legal, tax, accounting, regulatory or professional obligations.

Consent
Where we specifically ask for your consent, for example in relation to certain types of marketing or non-essential cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time.

6. Sharing your personal information

We may share personal information where necessary with:

• clients and prospective clients;

• estate agents, solicitors, lenders, managing agents, landlords, tenants, leaseholders, freeholders and other parties relevant to an instruction;

• professional advisers, including accountants, legal advisers and insurance brokers;

• our professional indemnity insurers;

• IT, website, email, cloud storage, payment and administrative service providers;

• contractors, consultants or specialist advisers where their input is required;

• HMRC, regulators, courts, tribunals, ombudsman services, professional bodies or other authorities where required;

• RICS or any relevant redress, complaints or alternative dispute resolution body where applicable.

We do not sell your personal information.

7. International transfers

Some service providers, such as cloud, email, website or software providers, may store or process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where this happens, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal information in accordance with data protection law.

8. How long we keep personal information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

In practice, we may need to retain records relating to professional instructions, reports, valuations, invoices, correspondence and complaints for a number of years after the matter has concluded. This is so we can comply with legal, tax, regulatory, professional and insurance requirements, and respond to any future queries, complaints or claims.

Where information is no longer required, we will delete it or securely dispose of it.

9. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Marketing

We may contact existing or prospective clients with relevant information about our services where permitted by law.

You can ask us to stop sending marketing communications at any time by contacting us.

We will not sell your details to third parties for marketing purposes.

11. Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to help the site function, improve user experience and understand how visitors use the website.

Some cookies are essential for the operation of the website. Others, such as analytics or marketing cookies, may require your consent depending on the website settings and tools in use.

You can usually control cookies through your browser settings or any cookie preferences tool available on our website.

12. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• request access to your personal information;

• request correction of inaccurate information;

• request deletion of your information;

• object to certain processing;

• request restriction of processing;

• request transfer of your information;

• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;

• complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal, regulatory, professional or contractual limitations.

13. Complaints

If you have any concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on our website.

Last updated: July 2026