Privacy Policy | Harding Property Mediation

1. Introduction

Harding Property Mediation ("HPM", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you use our website, engage our mediation services, or communicate with us.

Harding Property Mediation is a trading name. We are not a law firm and are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. However, we take data protection seriously and comply fully with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

Harding Property Mediation
Companies House registration number: 17171069
Email: [email protected]

3. What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following personal data:

Identity data: your name, title, and professional role.
Contact data: your email address, telephone number, postal address, and the name of your firm or organisation.
Enquiry data: information you provide when you contact us via our website form, email, or telephone, including details about your dispute.
Mediation data: information provided for and during the mediation process, including position statements, supporting documents, correspondence, and any agreed settlement terms.
Website statistics: limited anonymised and aggregated information about how visitors use our website, such as page visits and general usage patterns.

4. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data through:

Direct interactions: when you fill in our contact form, email us, call us, or engage us for mediation services.
Automated technologies: as you interact with our website, we may collect limited anonymised website statistics through cookies or similar technologies.
Third parties: we may receive your contact details from solicitors or other professionals who refer you to our mediation services, with your knowledge.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to your enquiries and provide information about our services.
To administer and deliver mediation services, including preparing for, conducting, and concluding mediations.
To send you pre-mediation documentation and settlement agreements.
To manage our relationship with you, including notifying you of changes to our services or policies.
To improve our website, services, and user experience.
To comply with legal obligations.

6. Legal Basis for Processing

We rely on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

Contract: processing is necessary for the performance of a contract (our mediation agreement) or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, such as improving our services and responding to enquiries, provided these are not overridden by your rights.
Consent: where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose, such as receiving marketing communications.
Legal obligation: processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

7. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share your data with:

Other participants in the mediation: where necessary for the mediation process and with your consent. Confidential information shared in private sessions will not be disclosed to another participant without your express permission.
Professional advisers: including accountants and insurers, where necessary for our business operations.
Service providers: including website hosting, email, and IT support providers who process data on our behalf under appropriate data processing agreements.
Regulatory bodies: where required by law or regulation.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. In particular, mediation data is processed for the purpose of carrying out the mediation and is then securely disposed of following the mediation, subject to any legal or regulatory obligation that requires us to keep specific information for longer. As a general guide:

Enquiry data: retained for up to 2 years from the date of your last contact with us.
Mediation data: processed for the mediation and securely disposed of following the mediation, unless retention is required by law or for a specific regulatory reason.
Website statistics: we use anonymised, aggregated website statistics and do not commit to a fixed retention period in this policy.

9. Data Security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, or accessed in an unauthorised way. These measures include encryption of data in transit, secure storage of physical documents, access controls, regular security reviews, and secure disposal processes for mediation materials once the mediation has concluded.

10. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing: to request that we limit processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability: to request transfer of your data to another organisation in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within one month.

11. Cookies

Our website may use cookies to improve your browsing experience and to generate anonymised website statistics. Cookies are small text files placed on your device. You can control cookies through your browser settings. For more information, see our cookie preferences on the website.

We use the following types of cookies:

Strictly necessary cookies: essential for the website to function properly.
Analytical cookies: to generate anonymised, aggregated website statistics and improve the user experience.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website you visit.

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):

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Harding Property Mediation
Companies House registration number: 17171069
Email: [email protected]
Or use our contact form.