1. Who controls your information
Building Forensics Limited is the controller for personal information it uses for its own business purposes. We are registered in England and Wales under company number 08837566. Our registered office is 71–75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ.
Privacy enquiries and requests may be sent to info@buildingforensics.co.uk. Our correspondence address is 7 Wagtail Walk, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3XH.
2. Information we collect
- Contact information such as your name, email address and telephone number.
- Enquiry, quotation, booking, order, payment and service records.
- The free resource or application you requested, form-source information, communication history and marketing preference.
- Account, authentication and application-usage information where an account is provided.
- Information you choose to submit through an AI tool, survey or professional service.
- Technical information such as IP address, device, browser, security logs, cookies and website-usage data.
Please do not submit medical records, symptoms or other sensitive personal information through a general contact or FREE Help form. If special-category information is genuinely required for a specific professional service, we will explain the purpose and lawful basis separately.
3. How and why we use it
- To respond and provide what you requested: to handle an enquiry, provide a resource, administer an account, fulfil an order or deliver professional services.
- To operate safely: to authenticate users, prevent abuse, maintain records, investigate incidents and protect our rights and systems.
- To improve services: to understand service use and improve content, applications and support, using aggregated or anonymised information where appropriate.
- To meet legal duties: including accounting, tax, regulatory, insurance, dispute and data-protection obligations.
- For marketing only where permitted: requesting a free resource is not marketing consent. Where consent is requested, it is separate and optional, and you may withdraw it at any time.
Depending on the activity, we rely on taking steps at your request or performing a contract, compliance with legal obligations, our legitimate interests in operating and protecting the business, or consent where consent is required.
4. FREE Help registration and CRM
When you register for FREE Help, the form sends the details you provide to the existing MIB contact-management system. This may include first name, optional last name, email address, optional telephone number, the resource source or request type, registration/request status tags and your separate marketing choice.
The contact should be created or updated using the email address so that repeated requests do not create competing contacts. Resource tags are used to record what was requested and whether an email or access action succeeded. Registration is intended to provide access to available FREE Help resources without another contact form in the same recognised browser. It does not replace a secure application sign-in, including any sign-in required by TRACE.
5. Who receives information
We do not sell or rent personal information. We may use appropriately contracted providers for website hosting, CRM and communications, email delivery, payments, analytics, security, file storage, professional laboratories, contractors and AI processing where needed to provide the relevant service. We may also disclose information where required by law, a court or regulator, or to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
If a provider processes information outside the United Kingdom, we will use an applicable adequacy decision, approved contractual safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism where required.
6. AI tools and submitted content
Some tools may send prompts or other submitted content to approved AI or hosting providers to generate a response. We do not use identifiable user content to train third-party global AI models unless this is clearly disclosed and lawfully authorised. Do not submit information about another person unless you have authority and a lawful basis to do so.
7. Retention and security
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose collected, to provide the service, maintain appropriate business and security records, and meet legal, tax, insurance or dispute requirements. Account content and AI submissions may be subject to a service-specific retention schedule stated at registration or in the applicable terms. Financial and contractual records may be retained for the period required by law.
We use proportionate technical and organisational measures intended to protect information against unauthorised access, alteration, loss or disclosure. No internet-based service can be guaranteed completely secure.
8. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to access, correct, erase or restrict personal information; object to processing; receive portable information; and withdraw consent. Withdrawal does not affect processing already carried out lawfully. To exercise a right, email info@buildingforensics.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity.
You may complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first, but this does not affect your right to contact the ICO.
9. Cookies, links and changes
Necessary technologies may be used to operate, secure and remember access to the website. Non-essential analytics or advertising cookies should be used only in accordance with the choices presented to you. You can also manage cookies through your browser. External websites have their own privacy practices.
We may update this notice when services or legal requirements change. The date shown above identifies the current published version.