How ARK Group Services uses your information

Who we are

ARK Group Services Ltd (“ARK”, “we”, “us”) is a property compliance and maintenance contractor working for letting agents, property managers and landlords. We are the data controller for the personal information described in this notice, except where we say otherwise.

This notice explains what personal information we collect, why, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights you have under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

What information we collect

If you contact us or enquire through this website

• Your name, company or branch, email address and phone number.
• The property address or postcode and the service you are asking about, the number of properties where you tell us, and anything you write in the message box.
• The date and time of your enquiry and the page it was sent from.

If you instruct us (letting agents, property managers and landlords)

• Your contact details and those of the people at your branch we deal with.
• Property addresses, access arrangements, key-holding details and job instructions.
• Authorisation limits, purchase order references and billing details.

If you are a tenant or occupier of a property we work at

• Your name and contact details, passed to us by your letting agent or landlord so that we can arrange access.
• Appointment notes, access instructions and, where relevant, notes about the condition of the property.
• Photographs taken during our work. These record the installation or the issue we are dealing with, not people or personal belongings, and we avoid including either wherever possible.

Records we create

• Inspection reports and certificates — for example Electrical Installation Condition Reports, Landlord Gas Safety Records, ventilation and damp surveys, EPC assessments and alarm reports — which include the property address and the name of the instructing agent or landlord.
• Job histories, quotes and invoices.

Website usage

Our web server records standard access logs (the IP address of your device, the pages requested, the date and time, and browser type) for security and troubleshooting. This website does not use analytics or advertising cookies — see our cookie policy.

Why we use it and our lawful basis

Where we rely on legitimate interests we have considered the effect on you and concluded the processing is proportionate and expected. You can ask us for details of that assessment. We do not use automated decision-making and we do not sell personal information.

If you are a tenant

Most of the people whose details we hold are tenants of properties we are asked to inspect or repair. If that is you:

• We received your name and contact details from your letting agent or landlord so that we can arrange a convenient time and gain access. We use them for that purpose only.
• Our reports and certificates go to the agent or landlord who instructed us, and the law requires them to give you a copy of safety certificates such as an EICR or gas safety record. We will send you a copy directly if we are asked to.
• We do not use your details for marketing.
• Questions about why the work was ordered, or about your tenancy, are for your agent or landlord. Questions about how we handle your information can come to us at the address below.

Who we share it with

We share personal information only where necessary, and only as much as is needed:

• The instructing letting agent, property manager or landlord — job updates, reports, certificates and invoices.
• Tenants and occupiers — appointment arrangements, and copies of certificates where requested.
• Engineers and subcontractors working for us on a job, including specialist installer partners for solar and insulation work. They act on our instructions and under confidentiality obligations.
• Registration and certification bodies and authorities — NAPIT, the Gas Safe Register, electricity network operators and local authorities, where a notification or record is required.
• Service providers who process data on our behalf under contract — our job-management, email, telephony, document storage and accounting software providers, and our IT support.
• Professional advisers and insurers — accountants, solicitors and insurers, where needed to run the business or deal with a claim.
• Regulators, courts and law enforcement where we are required to by law.

Where it is stored

We are based in the UK and keep our records on systems operated by established providers. Some of those providers store data outside the UK. Where that happens, the transfer is covered by UK adequacy regulations, or by the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, so that your information remains protected to UK standards.

How long we keep it

How we protect it

Access to our systems is limited to staff and engineers who need it for their work, protected by individual accounts and multi-factor authentication where available. Records are stored in reputable cloud systems with encryption in transit and at rest and are backed up. Paper records are kept to a minimum. If we ever discover a breach that puts your rights at risk we will tell you and the Information Commissioner’s Office as the law requires.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask us to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you, and receive a copy;
• Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• Delete information where we no longer have a reason to keep it;
• Restrict how we use it in certain circumstances;
• Transfer information you gave us to another organisation, in a usable format;
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including marketing, which we will always stop on request;
• Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis we rely on.

To exercise any of these, email office@ark-group.co.uk or write to us at the address below. We will respond within one month and will not charge a fee unless a request is clearly unfounded or excessive. We may need to check your identity first.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. We would appreciate the chance to resolve the matter first.

Children

Our services and this website are aimed at businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect information about anyone under 18, other than incidentally where a tenant’s household is mentioned in access notes.

Changes to this notice

We review this notice at least once a year and whenever our processing changes. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. If a change materially affects you, we will tell you directly where we can.