1. Introduction
Tradesman Finance ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our website and services.
We are a data controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following types of personal information:
Information You Provide
- Identity Data: Full name, date of birth, national insurance number
- Contact Data: Email address, phone number, postal address
- Financial Data: Bank account details, income information, credit history
- Business Data: Company name, trading history, business address
- Application Data: Information provided in finance applications
Information We Collect Automatically
- Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device information
- Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on site, click patterns
- Cookie Data: Information collected through cookies and similar technologies
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
- To process and assess your finance applications
- To verify your identity and conduct credit checks
- To communicate with you about your application or account
- To provide customer support and respond to enquiries
- To improve our website and services
- To comply with legal and regulatory requirements
- To prevent fraud and protect our business
- To send marketing communications (with your consent)
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:
- Contract: To perform our contract with you (e.g., processing your finance application)
- Legal Obligation: To comply with legal requirements (e.g., anti-money laundering checks)
- Legitimate Interests: For our legitimate business interests (e.g., improving our services)
- Consent: Where you have given consent (e.g., for marketing communications)
5. Sharing Your Information
We may share your personal information with:
- Lending Partners: Finance providers and credit institutions who may fund your application
- Credit Reference Agencies: To verify your identity and assess creditworthiness
- Service Providers: Third parties who help us operate our business
- Regulators: The Financial Conduct Authority and other regulatory bodies
- Legal Advisers: Solicitors, accountants, and other professional advisers
We will never sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.
6. Credit Reference Agencies
When you apply for finance, we will search your credit file at one or more credit reference agencies (CRAs). This search will leave a "footprint" on your credit file that may be seen by other lenders.
If your application is successful, we will share information about your account and repayment history with CRAs. This information may be used by other lenders to assess future credit applications.
7. Data Security
We take the security of your personal information seriously. We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:
- SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit
- Encrypted storage for sensitive data
- Regular security assessments and penetration testing
- Staff training on data protection
- Access controls and authentication measures
8. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to comply with legal requirements:
- Successful applications: 6 years after the end of the agreement
- Unsuccessful applications: 3 years from the date of application
- Marketing data: Until you withdraw consent or 2 years of inactivity
- Website analytics: 26 months
9. Your Rights
Under data protection law, you have the following rights:
- Right of Access: Request a copy of your personal data
- Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
- Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data in certain circumstances
- Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we use your data
- Right to Data Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
- Right to Object: Object to certain types of processing
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.
10. Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.
You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent tool.
11. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any websites you visit.
12. Children's Privacy
Our services are not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new policy on our website and updating the "Last updated" date.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us:
- Email: privacy@tradesmanfinance.co.uk
- Post: Data Protection Officer, Tradesman Finance, Finance House, Business Park, London EC1A 1BB
- Phone: 0800 XXX XXXX
15. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):