01
Who we are.
This privacy policy applies to Sterling Developments (Dorset) Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company no. 14380341). Our registered office is 35 Seamoor Road, Bournemouth BH4 9AE.
For the purposes of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the company acts as data controller for the personal information it holds. If you have a question about your data, you can contact us using the details in section 9.
02
What we collect.
The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. In most cases it falls into one of the following categories:
From enquiries via our website or email
- Your name, email address, and (if provided) phone number
- The content of your message and any attachments
- Information you choose to share, such as which development you are enquiring about or your preferred timescale
From buyers and investors
- Information needed to complete a property transaction, including identification, address history, and source of funds documentation
- Solicitor and mortgage adviser contact details
Automatically, when you visit the website
- Basic technical information such as device type and browser, used only to ensure the website works properly
We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18.
03
How we use it.
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To respond to enquiries and provide information about our developments
- To arrange viewings or appointments
- To complete property transactions with buyers and investors
- To comply with our legal obligations, including anti-money-laundering and tax requirements
- To maintain accurate business records
We do not use your information for marketing without your express consent. We do not run automated decision-making, and we do not sell or rent your information to anyone.
04
Lawful basis.
We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:
- Contract -- to provide services you have requested, such as completing a property purchase
- Legal obligation -- for things like anti-money-laundering compliance and tax records
- Legitimate interests -- to respond to your enquiry and to maintain accurate business records
- Consent -- where you have explicitly opted in (for example, agreeing to receive updates about a future development)
Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us.
05
Who we share it with.
We share personal information only when it is necessary to do our job, when we are required to by law, or when you have asked us to. The categories of recipients are:
- Professional advisers -- solicitors, accountants and surveyors involved in property transactions
- Contractors and tradespeople -- where access to a property is needed for construction or snagging
- Regulatory bodies -- including HMRC and local authorities, where required by law
- IT and email service providers -- to operate our website and email systems
- Banks and payment processors -- to handle deposits and property transactions
We do not transfer personal data outside the UK except where the law expressly permits it (for example, when using an email service whose servers may be located outside the UK, in which case appropriate safeguards are in place).
06
How long we keep it.
We do not keep information for longer than we need to. Specifically:
- Enquiries that do not lead to a transaction -- kept for up to 12 months, then deleted
- Property transaction records -- kept in line with HMRC's required retention periods (typically six years)
- Anti-money-laundering records -- kept for the periods required by UK law
07
Your rights.
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Be informed about what data we hold and why (this policy)
- Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Have inaccurate data corrected
- Have your data erased (subject to our legal obligations to retain it)
- Restrict or object to how we process your data
- Data portability -- to receive your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we relied on it
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in section 9. We will respond within one month.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
08
Cookies.
This website does not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics without your consent. Cloudflare Web Analytics, which sets no cookies and collects only aggregate counts, runs on every visit. If you accept cookies via the consent banner, we also use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site. No personal data is recorded if you decline. The website may set basic functional cookies if needed to remember preferences during a single visit.
10
Updates to this policy.
We review this policy from time to time and will update it where needed. For example, when our processes change or when the law changes. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated. Significant changes will be communicated to active counterparties directly.