Scottish Home Inspections is the trading name of New Homes (Scotland) Inspections Limited, registered in Scotland under company number SC879297. We are the Data Controller for the personal information we collect, and we are registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO Registration Number: ZC138569). This privacy policy explains how we collect, use and protect personal information when you use our website, book an inspection, or contact us, in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1.Information We Collect
We may collect personal information including your name, email address, phone number, property address, booking details, and payment information when you book an inspection or contact us through our website. We may also collect technical information about your device and browsing behaviour via cookies, where you have given consent (see Section 6 and our Cookie Policy).
2.How We Use Your Information & Lawful Basis
We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under Article 6 UK GDPR. The bases we rely on are:
| Processing activity | Lawful basis (UK GDPR Art. 6) |
|---|---|
| Booking management and delivery of inspections | 6(1)(b) — performance of a contract |
| Customer enquiries (pre-booking) | 6(1)(b) pre-contractual steps, or 6(1)(f) legitimate interests (responding to your request) |
| Payment processing and refunds | 6(1)(b) contract; 6(1)(c) legal obligation (HMRC records) |
| Booking confirmations, reminders, and report delivery | 6(1)(b) contract |
| Website analytics and performance monitoring | 6(1)(a) consent — set only after you accept analytics cookies via our consent banner |
| Complying with tax, accounting and regulatory obligations | 6(1)(c) legal obligation |
| Defending or pursuing legal claims | 6(1)(f) legitimate interests |
3.Booking and Scheduling
Our online booking system is built and operated by Scottish Home Inspections. When you book an inspection, your information is securely stored in our own database — Google Firebase Firestore, hosted in the European Union (Belgium region) — to manage your appointment.
Booking confirmations and reminders are sent by email via SendGrid and by SMS via Twilio. Where supported, you may also receive a calendar invitation so the appointment can be added to your preferred calendar app.
4.Payment Processing
Payments are processed securely through Stripe, our payment provider. Stripe handles all card data directly — we do not see or store your full payment card details. For more information on how Stripe processes payments, please see the Stripe Privacy Policy.
5.Marketing Communications
Scottish Home Inspections does not send marketing emails. All communications you receive from us are transactional in nature (booking confirmations, reminders, report delivery, complaints handling). We do not maintain a marketing email list and we do not share your data with third parties for marketing purposes.
6.Cookies and Website Analytics
Our website uses cookies. Strictly necessary cookies (site security and functionality) are set without consent. All other cookies — including analytics — are only set after you record consent via the cookie banner. We use Google Consent Mode v2 to ensure analytics and advertising tags do not fire until you consent. For a full per-cookie breakdown, see our Cookie Policy.
7.Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out below, after which it is securely deleted or anonymised:
| Category | Retention period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Booking and payment records | 6 years | HMRC business records (Companies Act 2006 / VAT Notice 700/21) |
| Delivered inspection reports | 6 years | Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 — five-year prescriptive period for contract claims, plus 1-year buffer |
| Customer enquiries (no booking made) | 12 months | Legitimate interests — short window in case you return to book |
| Complaints correspondence | 6 years from resolution | Defence of legal claims and complaints audit trail |
| Website analytics (anonymised, aggregate) | 26 months | Google Analytics 4 default; data is aggregated and cannot identify individuals |
| Cookie-consent records | 12 months | PECR audit / regulatory evidence of consent |
8.Your Data Rights
Under UK GDPR (Articles 15–22) you have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Article 15)
- Rectification — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data (Article 16)
- Erasure — request deletion where data is no longer necessary or consent is withdrawn ("right to be forgotten", Article 17)
- Restriction of processing — request that we pause processing while a dispute is resolved (Article 18)
- Data portability — receive your data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format (Article 20)
- Object to processing — including processing based on legitimate interests (Article 21)
- Withdraw consent — for any processing based on consent (analytics, optional cookies) at any time, with no detriment to other services
- Complain to the ICO — you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office at any time
To exercise any right, contact us at info@scottishhomeinspections.co.uk or by post at the address below. We will respond within one calendar month.
ICO contact details: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF — ico.org.uk — Helpline: 0303 123 1113.
9.Sharing of Information & International Transfers
We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties. Information is only shared with service providers (data processors) involved in delivering our services. Each processor acts under written data processing terms compliant with Article 28 UK GDPR. Our current processors are:
| Processor | Purpose | Location | Transfer safeguard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google (Firebase Firestore) | Booking database hosting | European Union (Belgium) | Within UK/EEA adequacy — no additional safeguard required |
| SendGrid (Twilio Inc.) | Transactional email delivery | United States | EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) with UK Addendum (ICO) |
| Twilio Inc. | SMS booking reminders | United States | EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) with UK Addendum (ICO) |
| Stripe Payments Europe Ltd | Card payment processing | Ireland (EU) with US sub-processors | Stripe's UK GDPR-compliant processor terms; SCCs + UK Addendum for US sub-processors |
| Google (Tag Manager & Analytics 4) | Website analytics (after consent) | United States / EU | EU SCCs with UK Addendum; data anonymised; Consent Mode v2 default-deny |
| CookieYes Ltd | Cookie consent management | United Kingdom / India | UK GDPR-compliant; SCCs + UK Addendum where applicable |
Copies of the relevant Data Processing Agreements and Standard Contractual Clauses are available on request.
Information may also be shared with professional advisers (accountants, solicitors, insurers) where strictly necessary, or with regulators or law enforcement where we are required to do so by law.
10.Automated Decision-Making and Profiling
We do not use automated decision-making or profiling within the meaning of Article 22 UK GDPR. All booking acceptance decisions, report findings and customer service responses are made by human staff.
11.Children's Data
Our services are intended for property owners and prospective buyers aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us and we will delete it.
12.Data Security
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss or alteration, including encryption in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and at rest, access controls and regular review of our processor agreements. In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours as required by Article 33 UK GDPR, and we will notify you directly where the breach poses a high risk.
13.Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The "Last Reviewed" date at the top of this page indicates the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated by an update notice on this page.
14.Contact
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact Scottish Home Inspections, or write to us at the registered office address below. We do not currently have a designated Data Protection Officer, as we are not required to appoint one under Article 37 UK GDPR.
Company Information
Scottish Home Inspections is a trading name of New Homes (Scotland) Inspections Limited.
Company Number: SC879297
Registered in: Scotland
Registered Office:
Summit House, 4–5 Mitchell Street, Edinburgh, EH6 7BD, United Kingdom