We’ve all experienced it – signing up for a service only to receive an unsolicited call from some other random serpent a day later trying to sell you a product that you’re not interested in.

I despise it.

“No – I’ve not been involved in a car accident recently…”
“No – I’ve not taken out any loans recently…”
“No – my home insurance isn’t due for renewal…”

Junk mail too – either via post or via email – how the heck do these people get your contact details? Well the answer is probably through companies that misuse the data you have provided them with. Or worse still – companies that already had your personal information from a historic transaction but didn’t sufficiently protect it from prying eyes!

Luckily the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an initiative that will apply to all companies in the UK from May 2018 and aims to regulate how personal data is collected, stored and used. It’s not a completely new concept – in fact the legislation bares a close resemblance to the existing UK Data Protection Act (DPA) that has been in place since 1998. The key principles of GDPR are:

  • Process data fairly, lawfully and transparently
  • Collect data for a specific and legitimate purpose
  • Only collect data that is relevant and necessary for the intended purpose
  • Keep the data accurate and up to date
  • Do not keep the data for longer than required
  • Process the data in accordance with the rights of the data subject
  • Keep the data secure and protect against accidental loss/destruction/damage
  • Do not transfer data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA)

What’s even better news is that Investate are a DIY estate agent that are ahead of the curve! We’re constantly striving to create a platform that gives our users maximum autonomy over selling and letting property, whilst maintaining the security and integrity of the data that we store.

  • We are transparent with the reasons we collect your personal information
  • Any financial data is safely stored off-site with a PayPal service called Braintree. Security is extremely important to them as is fraud protection
  • We only collect data that is necessary. Often this information is used to facilitate communications between buyers/renters and sellers/letters, and other third-party services that we provide (credit checks, conveyancing etc.)
  • We don’t sell or pass any of your data on to other, non-related companies
  • Any third-party suppliers that we use are vetted as being GDPR compliant

Whether you’re looking for the cheapest way to sell your house or not, you should never compromise when it comes to the security of your personal information.