Privacy Policy

Who we are

Dampsafe Limited ("Dampsafe", "we", "us" or "our") is a specialist damp, mould and condensation contractor working with housing providers, public-sector organisations, principal contractors, property professionals and residents.

Dampsafe is the data controller for personal information it collects for its own purposes, including information submitted directly through the website, business enquiries, supplier and procurement contacts, and Dampsafe's own legal and administrative records.

When Dampsafe acts for a housing provider or contractor

When a housing provider, local authority, managing agent or principal contractor instructs Dampsafe to attend a property, that organisation will usually be the data controller and Dampsafe will normally act as its data processor. In those circumstances, Dampsafe processes resident, property and job information under the client's documented instructions and contract.

Personal information we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Identity and contact information, such as your name, organisation, job title, email address and telephone number.
• Enquiry information, including the service required, property or programme location, requested response time and correspondence with us.
• Resource and professional-update information, including white-paper or resource requests, work email address, organisation, job title or role, areas of interest, subscription preference and the date and source of the request.
• Property and service information, including an address, work order, access arrangements, inspection observations, moisture or environmental readings, treatment records, completion notes and follow-on recommendations.
• Photographs, videos or files supplied with an enquiry or created as part of an instructed survey, treatment or report. These may incidentally show personal belongings or occupied areas of a home.
• Resident, access, health or vulnerability information where it is relevant and necessary for safe attendance, safeguarding, communication or prioritisation.
• Commercial and administration information, including quotations, contracts, purchase orders, invoices, payment records and procurement or onboarding correspondence.
• Website and device information, such as IP address, browser and device type, referral source, pages viewed, approximate location, dates and times, cookie identifiers and consent choices.
• Information needed to investigate a complaint, legal issue, insurance matter, safety incident or suspected misuse of our systems.

We may receive information directly from you, from the organisation instructing us, from a resident or authorised representative, from contractors or suppliers, or automatically when you use the website.

How we use personal information and our lawful bases

We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis. The basis depends on the purpose and the circumstances.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the need for the processing, its expected benefit and its possible effect on individuals. We do not use legitimate interests where those interests are overridden by an individual's rights and freedoms.

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not make earlier processing unlawful.

How photographs and property reports are used

As part of an instructed survey, treatment or associated visit, Dampsafe may photograph affected areas, surfaces, rooms, ventilation, damp, mould, access issues, products used, works completed and relevant surrounding property conditions. These photographs may be used for:

• Evidence of property condition
• Job and attendance records
• Before-and-after reporting
• Compliance evidence and audit trails
• Health and safety records
• Client reporting
• Identifying further works
• Escalating repair, risk or safeguarding concerns

We aim to avoid capturing identifiable people or unnecessary personal belongings wherever practical. Where photographs incidentally include belongings or household context, they are used only where necessary for the instructed work, reporting, safety or compliance purpose.

You have an absolute right to object to direct marketing. You can opt out at any time by emailing enquiries@dampsafe.co.uk or using any unsubscribe link provided.

Health, vulnerability and other sensitive information

Information about health is special-category information and receives additional protection. Dampsafe may need limited information about respiratory conditions, disability, pregnancy, mental health, safeguarding concerns, communication needs or other vulnerabilities so that an urgent instruction can be prioritised and an attendance can be carried out safely and respectfully.

We only process this information where it is necessary and where an appropriate condition under data-protection law applies. This may include explicit consent or, in a genuine emergency where a person's life is at risk and consent cannot be obtained, vital interests. When this information is supplied under a housing provider's instruction, the housing provider determines the relevant lawful basis and Dampsafe normally processes it under that organisation's documented instructions.

We ask clients and website users to provide only the minimum information needed. Sensitive information is shared internally only with people who need it for the instruction, safeguarding response or legal requirement.

Cookies and Google Analytics

The website uses necessary cookies and similar technologies to operate securely and remember essential settings. These cannot always be switched off because they are required for the website to function.

Dampsafe also uses Google Analytics 4 through Squarespace's built-in integration to understand how visitors use the website. Analytics cookies are non-essential and should only be stored after a visitor accepts them through the cookie banner.

If you select Decline all, analytics storage is denied and Google Analytics cookies should not be read or written. Google Consent Mode may nevertheless send limited cookieless signals relating to consent status and page activity for aggregated or modelled measurement. These signals are not intended to create a persistent cookie-based profile of a returning visitor.

You can accept, decline or change your choices using the cookie banner or the Manage Cookies control available on the website. More information about individual cookies and their duration is provided in our separate Cookie Policy, available from the website footer.

Google's own use of information is explained in its privacy information.

Who we share information with

We may share personal information where necessary with:

• The housing provider, local authority, landlord, managing agent, principal contractor or other organisation that instructed the work.
• Residents, authorised representatives and relevant property professionals where needed to arrange or explain the service.
• Approved employees, operatives, surveyors, subcontractors and specialist service providers who need the information to perform their role, including asbestos, electrical, ventilation, roofing or waste-related specialists where required for a particular instruction.
• Providers supporting website hosting, analytics, email, file storage, photographic reporting, job administration, IT security, accounting and business systems.
• Professional advisers, insurers, auditors, certification bodies and procurement or compliance organisations.
• Regulators, courts, emergency services, safeguarding professionals or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
• A purchaser, investor or professional adviser involved in a proposed restructuring, sale or transfer of the business, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

International transfers

Some technology providers may store or process information outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we use providers and contractual arrangements intended to provide an appropriate level of protection. Depending on the destination, this may include UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or another lawful safeguard.

You can contact us if you would like more information about the safeguard relevant to a particular transfer.

How long we retain information

We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, contractual, accounting, insurance and dispute-resolution requirements. Our usual approach is:

• General enquiries that do not lead to work: normally up to 24 months after the last meaningful contact.
• White-paper, resource and professional-update contacts: until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent where applicable, or we determine that the contact is no longer relevant.
• Service, survey, remediation, photographic, contract and associated financial records: normally 6 to 7 years after completion or the end of the relevant contract.
• Complaints, incidents, insurance matters and legal claims: for the period needed to resolve the matter and any relevant legal or insurance period.
• Website analytics information: according to the retention settings applied within Google Analytics and the durations explained in the Cookie Policy.
• Information processed for a housing provider or other client: according to the client contract, documented instructions and applicable retention requirements.

We may keep information for longer where litigation, a regulatory investigation, safeguarding concern or legal hold requires it. We may delete or securely anonymise information earlier where it is no longer required.

How we protect information

Dampsafe uses proportionate technical and organisational measures intended to prevent personal information from being lost, misused, accessed without authority, altered or disclosed. These include role-based access, secure cloud systems, device and account controls, staff training, confidentiality requirements, controlled sharing and incident procedures.

No internet or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. If we identify a personal-data breach, we will investigate it and notify the ICO and affected individuals where the law requires us to do so.

Your data-protection rights

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

• Ask for access to the personal information held about you.
• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Ask for information to be deleted where there is no lawful reason to retain it.
• Ask us to restrict how information is used.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
• Receive certain information in a portable format where the right to data portability applies.
• Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing.
• Complain about how your personal information has been used.

These rights are not absolute and exemptions may apply. We may ask for information needed to verify your identity before responding. We do not charge a fee in most cases.

Dampsafe does not use personal information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

Data-protection requests and complaints

To exercise a right or make a data-protection complaint, email enquiries@dampsafe.co.uk with the subject line Data Protection Request or Data Protection Complaint. You can also write to our registered office or telephone us using the details in the “Who we are” section.

We will acknowledge a data-protection complaint within 30 days of receiving it and will investigate and communicate the outcome without undue delay. We will keep you informed if the matter requires further enquiries.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first, but you are not required to contact us before approaching the ICO.

Children

The Dampsafe website is aimed at organisations and adults seeking property services and is not designed to collect information directly from children. During work in occupied homes, Dampsafe may receive limited information about children from a parent, carer, housing provider or other responsible organisation where it is relevant to safety, vulnerability, access or safeguarding. We limit this information to what is necessary for the instruction.

Links to other websites

The website may link to external organisations and guidance. Dampsafe is not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites. You should read the privacy information provided by the site you visit.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our services, systems, legal obligations or website functions change. The current version will be published on the Dampsafe website with its effective date. Material changes will be highlighted where appropriate.