Privacy Policy

Last updated: 10 November 2025

1. Who We Are

HELPLINE 4U LIMITED is the data controller responsible for your personal information.

This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal data when you use our housing disrepair helpline service. We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

When you contact us through our website forms, we collect:

• Your name
• Contact details (email address, phone number, postal address)
• Information about your housing situation and landlord
• Details of disrepair issues, damp, mould, or other housing problems
• Health information relating to how housing conditions affect you or your family
• Photos or documents you choose to upload showing housing conditions
• Any other information you provide in your enquiry

2.2 Information Collected Through Secure Email Communication

After your initial enquiry, we may collect additional sensitive information via secure Outlook email, including:

• More detailed health information about you or family members
• Financial circumstances relevant to your claim
• Supporting documentation and evidence
• Communications with your landlord or housing association

2.3 Technical Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect:

• Your IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on our site
• Referring website addresses

Important: We do not use cookies for tracking, analytics, advertising, or marketing purposes. We only use strictly necessary technical processes required to operate our website securely.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

3.1 Primary Uses

We use your personal data to:

• Assess whether you have a valid housing disrepair claim
• Provide advice and support regarding your housing situation
• Connect you with specialist housing disrepair solicitors (only with your explicit consent)
• Communicate with you about your enquiry
• Keep records of our advice and your case
• Comply with legal obligations
• Protect against fraud and abuse of our service

3.2 Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

• Consent: When you submit a form or agree to share information with partner solicitors
• Legitimate interests: To operate our helpline service, prevent fraud, and improve our service (balanced against your rights)
• Legal obligation: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• Legal claims: To establish, exercise, or defend legal claims

3.3 Special Category Data

We collect special category (sensitive) data, including health information. We process this data under the following conditions:

• Explicit consent: You provide clear consent when submitting forms or communicating with us
• Legal claims: Processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims (housing disrepair compensation claims)

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting info@helpline4u.co.uk. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before withdrawal.

4. Who We Share Your Data With

4.1 Service Providers

We share your data with trusted service providers who help us operate our service:

• Netlify: Website hosting and form processing (USA-based, adequate safeguards in place)
• Microsoft Outlook: Email services for secure communication (EU-based with UK servers)
• IT and security providers: For website maintenance, security, and backup services

4.2 Panel Solicitors and Legal Partners

We only share or sell your enquiry to panel law firms and solicitors if you tick the consent checkbox on our form.

What "sell" means: Under data protection law, "sell" means disclosing personal data for money or other valuable consideration. We may receive an introduction fee or referral commission from solicitors when we pass your enquiry to them. This does not affect the price you pay or the quality of legal advice you receive.

Important points:

• The consent checkbox is unticked by default - you must actively choose to share your information
• Partner solicitors become independent data controllers of your information
• They will contact you directly to discuss your case
• You can withdraw consent at any time by emailing info@helpline4u.co.uk
• If you withdraw consent, we will not make further introductions, but solicitors already contacted will manage your data under their own privacy policies

4.3 Professional Advisers

We may share your data with:

• Legal advisers (for legal advice and compliance)
• Accountants and auditors (for financial compliance)
• Professional indemnity insurers (in case of claims)

4.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your data if required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or to protect our legal rights.

5. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers are located outside the United Kingdom:

• Netlify (USA): We rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK Information Commissioner's Office and appropriate technical safeguards
• Microsoft (EU/UK): Data is stored on EU and UK servers with adequate protection

We ensure all international transfers comply with UK GDPR requirements through approved transfer mechanisms and security measures.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data for the following periods:

• Enquiries and case records: 24 months from your last contact with us
• Technical logs: 12 months
• Legal claims: 6 years from case closure (legal limitation period)
• Accounting records: 6 years (tax and regulatory requirements)

After these periods, we securely delete or anonymise your data unless we have a legal obligation to keep it longer.

7. Security

We take your data security seriously and implement appropriate measures:

• Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption for data transmitted over the internet
• Secure email systems (Microsoft Outlook) for sensitive communications
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) for system access
• Role-based access controls and least-privilege principles
• Regular security updates and patching
• Staff training on data protection and security
• Secure backup and disaster recovery procedures

While we use robust security measures, no internet transmission is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but continuously work to protect your data.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

8.1 Right of Access

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Subject Access Request).

8.2 Right to Rectification

You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

8.3 Right to Erasure

You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when it is no longer necessary for the purpose collected.

8.4 Right to Restrict Processing

You can ask us to temporarily stop processing your data in certain situations.

8.5 Right to Data Portability

You can request your data in a structured, commonly used format to transfer to another service.

8.6 Right to Object

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests.

8.7 Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling.

8.8 Right to Withdraw Consent

Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing.

8.9 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at:

We will respond to requests within one month. In complex cases, we may extend this by two months and will inform you.

9. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to complain to the supervisory authority:

We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern.

10. Children's Privacy

Our service is intended for adults (18 years and over). We do not knowingly collect data from children under 18 without parental consent. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us immediately at info@helpline4u.co.uk and we will delete it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our practices, or our service. When we make significant changes, we will post a notice on our website and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us: