Privacy policy

1. Who we are

TIC Finance Limited is a company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (firm reference number 681217) and registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (registration number Z3480681). Our address is 148 Cranbrook Road, Ilford, Essex IG1 4LZ.

We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. That means we decide how and why your information is used. We handle your information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. If you have any questions, or want to use any of your rights, you can email us at info@ticfinance.com, call 020 3411 4451 or write to us at the address above.

2. What this policy covers

This policy applies when you visit our website, use our contact form or chat, call or email us, or ask us about finance, help with a property or an offer on your property. It does not cover the websites of other organisations that we may link to, or the privacy notices of any lender, buyer or other firm we introduce you to. They will have their own, and we will point you to them where we can.

3. The information we collect

Depending on what you ask us for, we may collect:

• your name, address, phone number and email address
• details of your property, such as the address, its value, any mortgage or loans secured on it and who owns it
• details of your circumstances and what you are trying to achieve, such as your timescale and any arrears or court action
• identity and financial information that we, or a lender or other organisation, need to assess your request, for example proof of ID, income, assets and credit history
• a record of our calls, emails, messages and chat conversations with you
• technical information about how you use our website, such as your IP address, browser and the pages you visit

Sometimes we will ask about your health or other personal circumstances, for example if they affect how we should deal with you. You do not have to tell us, but it helps us give you the right support. We will only use it for that purpose.

4. Where your information comes from

Mostly it comes from you, when you fill in a form, use the chat or speak to us. We may also receive information from the lender, buyer, solicitor or other professional we are working with on your case, from credit reference and fraud prevention agencies, and from public sources such as the Land Registry and Companies House. If someone else, such as a broker, solicitor or family member, contacts us on your behalf, we will receive your details from them.

5. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• reply to your enquiry and keep in touch with you about it
• understand your situation and decide whether we can help directly or whether another organisation would be better placed
• arrange finance or an offer on your property, which may include asking a lender, buyer or other partner whether they can help
• carry out identity, fraud and money laundering checks
• keep the records the FCA and the law require us to keep
• deal with any complaint
• improve our website and the way we work

We do not make decisions about you using automated processing alone. Our website chat is an automated assistant that collects your details so that a member of our team can contact you. It does not assess you or decide anything.

6. Our legal grounds for using it

Under the UK GDPR we must have a lawful reason for using your information. We rely on:

• steps you ask us to take, when you ask us to look at your situation or arrange something for you
• your consent, when we ask to share your details with another organisation, and for non-essential cookies. You can withdraw your consent at any time
• legal obligations, for example FCA record keeping and financial crime checks
• our legitimate interests, for example running and improving our business and keeping our systems secure, where this does not override your rights

7. Who we share your information with

How we work is simple. Where we can provide a service ourselves, we will. Where we cannot, we may arrange it through our network of lenders, buyers, solicitors, valuers and other professionals. We will not pass your details to any of them without your permission.

We may also share information with:

• credit reference and fraud prevention agencies, for checks
• the FCA, the ICO or other regulators, courts and law enforcement, where we are required to
• the companies that provide services to us, such as website hosting, email, address look-up, phone and customer record systems. They may only use your information to provide that service to us
• our professional advisers, auditors and insurers

Each organisation we introduce you to becomes responsible for the information you give them, under their own privacy notice. We do not sell your personal information.

8. Credit searches

If a lender or we need to check your credit file, we will tell you first. Some searches leave a record on your credit file, and lenders can see it. Credit reference agencies keep a record of the searches made and may share them with other lenders. If you apply jointly, the agencies may link your records together.

9. Marketing

We will only send you marketing about our products and services if you have said you are happy to receive it. You can change your mind at any time by emailing info@ticfinance.com or using the unsubscribe link in any email. We will still contact you about an enquiry or service you have asked for.

10. Sending information abroad

We keep your information in the United Kingdom wherever we can. Some of our suppliers may process information outside the UK. When they do, we make sure it is protected by an approved safeguard, such as a UK adequacy decision or an approved data transfer agreement.

11. How long we keep it

We keep your information for as long as we need it to deal with your enquiry and any service we provide, and after that for as long as the law and FCA rules require us to keep records, which can be up to six years or longer. If we do not go ahead with your enquiry, we keep your details for a shorter period, in case you come back to us or there is a query, and then delete or anonymise them.

12. Keeping it safe

We use secure systems, access controls and trained staff to protect your information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access. No online system is completely secure, so please do not send us payment card details or passwords by email or chat.

13. Cookies

Our website uses cookies, which are small files stored on your device. Some are essential to make the site work. Others help us understand how the site is used. We will only set non-essential cookies if you agree. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, but parts of the site may then not work as expected.

14. Under 18s

Our services are for adults only. We do not knowingly collect information about anyone under 18.

15. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to:

• ask for a copy of the information we hold about you
• ask us to correct anything that is wrong
• ask us to delete your information, in some cases
• ask us to restrict, or object to, how we use it, in some cases
• withdraw your consent at any time
• ask for the information you gave us in a portable format

To use any of these rights, email info@ticfinance.com or write to us at the address above. We will reply within one month. We may need to confirm who you are first, and some rights apply only in certain circumstances. There is normally no charge.

16. If you are unhappy

Please tell us first so we can try to put things right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

17. Changes to this policy

We will update this policy if the way we use your information changes. The latest version is always on this page.