1. Who we are
This website is operated by Quartz Chartered Surveyors & Property Consultancy ("we", "us"), an independent surveying practice regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. [LEGAL ENTITY TBC: trading status, company number and registered office will appear here once confirmed.]
For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, we are the data controller for personal information collected through this website. You can contact us about this policy by email at gavin@qtzsurveyors.com or by phone on +44 7403 652640.
2. Overview
This policy explains what information we collect when you visit quartzsurveyors.com, how we use it, and the choices available to you. Personal information means any information that identifies you or could reasonably be linked with you, such as your name, email address, phone number, property postcode or the content of an enquiry.
We treat personal information confidentially and handle it in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
3. Hosting and technical data
This website is served through Cloudflare's global network. When you visit the site, Cloudflare may process technical information transmitted by your browser or device, including your IP address, the date and time of each request, your browser and operating system, and the page or asset accessed. We rely on this processing, on the basis of our legitimate interest, to deliver the site securely, prevent abuse and maintain reliable performance. Some of this processing may take place on servers outside the UK; Cloudflare provides appropriate safeguards for such transfers. For more information, see the Cloudflare Privacy Policy.
4. Encryption
We use SSL/TLS encryption to protect data in transit. You can confirm an encrypted connection by checking that the browser address bar shows https and a lock indicator. When encryption is active, information you send to us through this site is protected during transmission.
5. Cookies
We do not set advertising or cross-site tracking cookies on this website. Our infrastructure providers may set strictly necessary cookies or use comparable technologies required for security and basic site delivery, as permitted by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
You can configure your browser to notify you about cookies, block them or delete existing cookies. Blocking strictly necessary technologies may affect how the site functions.
6. Fonts
The typefaces used on this website are self-hosted and served from our own domain. No requests are made to third-party font services, and no font-related data is shared with third parties.
7. Enquiries
When you contact us through the enquiry form, by email, by phone or by WhatsApp, we receive the information you choose to provide so we can review your enquiry and respond. The enquiry form asks for:
- Your name and email address (required)
- Your phone number (optional)
- The service you are interested in and the property postcode (required)
- Your message (required)
We process this information on the basis of our legitimate interest in responding to business enquiries and, where you go on to instruct us, in order to take steps to enter into a contract with you. We retain enquiry data only as long as needed to respond, prepare a quotation or meet legal and professional obligations.
8. How we use information
We use personal information to:
- Respond to enquiries and provide quotations
- Deliver surveying and valuation services you instruct
- Operate, secure and improve the website
- Comply with the law and our professional obligations as an RICS-regulated practice
We do not sell personal information, and we do not use enquiry data to build advertising profiles.
9. Sharing
We share information only with service providers that help us run the website or handle enquiries, such as our hosting and email providers, and only to the extent needed for those services. We may also disclose information where required by law, by a court order, by our regulator, or to protect rights, safety and security.
10. Retention
Server logs are kept for a limited period consistent with hosting and security practices. Enquiry records are kept while an enquiry is active and for a reasonable period afterwards. Where you instruct us, records relating to professional work are retained in line with our professional and insurance obligations, which may require longer retention periods.
11. Your rights
Under the UK GDPR you have the right to:
- Be informed about how we use your personal information
- Access a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Have inaccurate personal information corrected
- Have your personal information erased, subject to exceptions
- Restrict or object to our processing of your personal information
- Receive your personal information in a portable format
To exercise any of these rights, email gavin@qtzsurveyors.com with enough detail for us to verify your identity and locate the relevant records. We will respond within one month, as required by law.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by phone on 0303 123 1113. We would welcome the chance to resolve any concern directly first.
12. Children
This website is intended for adults seeking professional surveying and valuation services. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, contact us and we will delete it promptly.
13. Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encrypted transport and reputable hosting infrastructure. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
14. Changes
We may update this policy when our practices, services or legal requirements change. The current version is always available on this page, and material changes will be reflected in the date at the top.