We respect your trust in us to use, store and share your information. In this notice, we explain how we collect personal information about you, how we use it and how you can interact with us about it.
This notice is designed to be as simple as possible, however, if you wish to discuss any of its terms, or wish to receive more detail, please see our website at www.engelvoelkers.com/cork/privacypolicy.
You can also ask for more details at or office on 71 Main Street, Kinsale, Co Cork or contact us on 021 477 3200.
1. Who we are
This privacy notice (the “Privacy Notice”) applies to all personal information processing activities carried out by Finest International Real Estate Ireland Ltd.
Finest International Real Estate Ireland Ltd. is a private company limited by shares, trading as Engel & Voelkers.
Finest International Real Estate Ireland Ltd. is a data controller in respect of personal information that we process in connection with our business (including the products and services that we provide).
When we talk about “Engel &Voelkers”, or “E&V”, “us” or “we” in this notice, we are talking about Finest International Real Estate Ireland Ltd. t/a Engel & Voelkers.
Our principal address is 71 MainStreet, Kinsale, Co Cork and we can be contacted by emailing to westcCork@engelvoelkers.com or by phone on 021 4773200.
Any reference to “you” or “your” refers to anyone whose personal information we process.
We may share your information within the Engel & Voelkers Group to help us provide services that you have requested from us, comply with regulatory and legal requirements, and improve our products.
We respect individuals’ rights to privacy and to the protection of personal information. The purpose of this Privacy Notice is to explain how we collect and use personal information in connection with our business. “Personal information” means information about a living individual who can be identified from that information (either by itself or when it is combined with other information).
2. How we collect information about you
We collect personal information from you, for example when:
· You enquire with us about our services of selling and/or leasing a property for you or finding a property for you.
· You instruct us to sell or lease a property for you;
· You enquire about our property listings for sale or for rent in Ireland and/or Overseas;
· You proceed with the purchase of any of the properties we are instructed to sell;
· You enter into a lease agreement for any of the rental properties we are instructed to let;
· You ask us to keep you informed about any of our new properties that we may list for sale or for rent.
· You sign up to our regular property updates.
We may also collect information through our website, apps, social media, discussion forums.
Our website uses ‘cookie’ technology. A cookie is a little piece of text that our server places on your device when you visit any of our websites or apps. They help us make the sites work better for you.
When you apply to avail of our services, and during the time you use these, we may carry out information searches and verify your identity.
Personal information we collect may include:
· Personal information, including name and postal address, date of birth and contact details (phone and fax numbers, email address etc);
· If we are providing a service to you, or on your behalf, where we are required to do so by law, we will collect information relating to your identity, which will be at least one form of photographic identification (such as a passport, a driving licence or an identification card) and one form of documentation with proof of your place of residence (such as a recent utility bill).
· Where you are not thelegal owner of the property we will request details from you as to your abilityto sell or let the property such as a Power of Attorney, Grant of Probate,proof of directorship etc.;
· Your Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) or Tax Reference Number (TRN);
· Information about the type of property you are searching for including but not limited to size, location,home specifications, your budget etc. or any information about your circumstances which would allow us to help you in your property search and find a property that is suitable to your needs;
· Bank Account Details
· Financial information,such as mortgage approval letters, proof of funds to verify offers made on properties can be met financially etc.;
· employment information;
· and such other information that may be required to make a decision on a sale or rental of a property.
3. How we keep your information safe
We protect your information with security measures. We keep our computers, files and buildings secure.
The security of information is very important to us and we have measures in place which are designed to prevent unauthorised access to your personal information including but not limited to:
· Our client files are stored on our secure Customer Relationship Management System. Access is restricted on our client systems to those within the business who are required to have access to your information for legitimate business purposes.
· Hard copy documentation is stored in secure offices and locked cabinets.
All information is hosted by our service provider Engel & Voelkers Technology GmbH in information centres which have systems and protections in place to protect against both unauthorised access, and other external factors that could cause damage to your personal information.
We ensure access to personal information is restricted to Engel & Voelkers Cork employees and workers or other persons working within the Engel & Voelkers Group on a need to know basis.
Training is provided to any of those Engel & Voelkers employees and workers who need access to personal information.
When you contact us to ask about your information, we may ask you specific personal information in order to identify yourself. This is to help protect your information.
4. How long we keep your information
The period for which we will keep your personal information will depend on the type of service you have requested from us. The retention period may be longer than the period for which we are providing services to you where we have statutory or regulatory obligations to retain personal information for a longer period, or where we may need to retain the information in case of a legal claim. We do not hold it for longer than necessary.
5. Meeting our legal and regulatory obligations
To use your information lawfully, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases:
· performance of a contract;
· legal obligation;
· protecting the vital interests of you or others;
· public interest;
· our legitimate interests; and
· your consent.
To meet our regulatory and legal obligations, we collect some of your personal information, verify it, keep it up to date through regular checks, and delete it once we no longer have to keep it. We may also gather information about you from third parties to help us meet our obligations. If you do not provide the information we need, or help us keep it up to date, we may not be able to provide you with our products and services.
6. Consent
Sometimes we need your consent to use your personal information. With direct marketing for example, we need your consent to make you aware of products and services which may be of interest to you. We may do this by phone, post, email, text or through other digital media.
You can decide how much direct marketing you want to accept when you apply for our services.
Before you give your consent, we tell you what information we collect and what we use it for. You can remove your consent at any time by contacting us.
7. How we use your information
We use information about you to:
· We use your personal information for the purposes of fulfilling our obligations to you to let or sell your property or, if you are a prospective purchaser or tenant, for the purposes of arranging a contract for sale or a lease for you.
· provide relevant products and services;
· provide you with updates on our property listings;
· identify ways we can improve our products and services;
· protect both our interests;
· meet our legal and regulatory obligations;
· for employment related purposes;
To provide our products and services under the terms and conditions we agree between us, we need to collect and use personal information about you. If you do not provide this personal information, we may not be able to provide you with our products and services.
8. Your information and third parties
Sometimes we share your information with third parties.
For example to:
· Provide products, services and information;
· To communicate with other parties involved in the sale or rental of a property such as solicitors (including the solicitors of the other side of the deal), banks, landlords, tenants etc. as is necessary to facilitate the sale, purchase or tenancy;
· To fulfil our or ourclients obligation to register a tenancy with the Residential Tenancies Board;
· To carry out maintenance of properties that we are managing we may share your contact details with third party contractors whom we engage in order to organise access with for maintenance checks and work to be carried out;
· Prevent financial crime; and
· Protect both our interests.
We expect these third parties to have the same levels of information protection that we have.
We will share personal information with our regulators, governmental or quasi-governmental organisations, law enforcement authorities and with courts, tribunals and arbitrators as may be required from time to time in order to comply with our regulatory and legal obligations.
Where we use third party services providers who process personal information on our behalf in order to provide services to us. This includes IT systems providers and IT contractors as well as third party referencing or screening agencies for the purposes of the prevention and detection of crime.
9. International transfers of data
We may transfer your personal information outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) to help us provide your products and services. We expect the same standard of data protection is applied outside of the EEA to these transfers and the use of the information, to ensure your rights are protected.
10. Your personal information rights
You will find information about your rights, when they apply and our responsibility to you on our website’s Privacy Policy Section.
You can exercise your rights by contacting us at 021 4773200, calling to our office at 71 Main Street, Kinsale,Co Cork, or by visiting our website at www.engelvolkers.com.com/cork/privacypolicy.
We can help you with:
Accessing your personal information: You can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold. You can ask us about how we collect, share and use your personal information.
Updating and correcting your personal details.
Removing consent: You can change your mind wherever you give us your consent, such as for direct marketing.
Restricting and objecting: You may have the right to restrict or object to us using your personal information.
Deleting your information (your right to be forgotten). You may ask us to delete your personal information.
Moving your information (your right to Portability). Where possible we can share a digital copy of your information directly with you or another organisation.
When you contact us to ask about your information, we may ask you to identify yourself. This is to help protect your information.
We generally do not charge you when you contact us to ask about your information.
11. Making a complaint
If you have a complaint about the useof your personal information, please let a member of staff in our office know, giving them the opportunity to put things right as quickly as possible.
If you wish to make a complaint you may do so in person, by telephone, in writing and by email. Please be assured that all complaints received will be fully investigated. You can register a complaint through our office, by phone, by email or in person.
We ask that you supply as much information as possible to help our staff resolve your complaint quickly.
You can also contact the Data Protection Commission in Ireland at www.dataprotection.ie.
12. Updates to this notice
We will make changes to this noticefrom time to time, particularly when we change how we use your information, andchange our technology and products.
You can always find an up-to-date version of this notice on our website at www.engelvoelkers.com/cork/privacypolicy. You will also find a copy on display at office or you can ask us for a copy.
We would encourage you to visit our website regularly to stay informed of the purposes for which we process your information and your rights to control how we process it.