Privacy Policy
About this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how McCooke Group Ltd collects, uses, stores and shares personal information when you visit our website, make an enquiry, register your property requirements, engage with us in connection with a property transaction, use our services or otherwise communicate with us.
McCooke Group operates across residential property investment, property sales, development and sales representation, and property marketing and consultancy.
We are committed to protecting your personal information and handling it fairly, transparently and in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and, where relevant, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
Who we are
McCooke Group Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales.
Registered office:
20–22 Wenlock Road
London
N1 7GU
United Kingdom
Email: info@mccookegroup.com
McCooke Group Ltd is the data controller responsible for the personal information covered by this Privacy Policy and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office.
Who this policy applies to
This Privacy Policy may apply to:
visitors to our website;
prospective and existing property buyers and investors;
property owners and vendors;
individuals registering their property or investment requirements with us;
representatives, directors, shareholders and beneficial owners of companies or other organisations;
developers, estate agents, introducers and other property industry partners;
clients of our marketing and consultancy services;
professional advisers and service providers;
individuals who communicate or interact with us by email, telephone, WhatsApp, social media or other channels; and
other individuals whose personal information we process in connection with our business.
Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly offer our services to, or intentionally collect personal information from, anyone under the age of 18.
Personal information we collect
The information we collect depends on your relationship with us and the services involved.
Contact and identification information
This may include:
name;
postal address;
email address;
telephone or mobile number;
date of birth;
nationality;
job title;
company or organisation;
contact preferences; and
copies or details of identification documents where required.
Property and investment information
Where you enquire about, buy, sell or invest in property, we may collect information including:
property requirements;
preferred locations;
property type;
investment objectives;
budget or price range;
offer details;
property ownership information;
expected timescales;
purchasing position;
whether you are a cash or mortgage purchaser;
mortgage or agreement-in-principle information;
solicitor or conveyancer details;
information relating to reservations, exchanges and completions;
previous enquiries or property interests; and
communications relating to a property or transaction.
Financial and funding information
Where necessary in connection with a property transaction or our legal and regulatory obligations, we may process information including:
proof of funds;
source of funds;
source of wealth;
financing arrangements;
mortgage information;
bank statements or other financial evidence;
employment, business or income information; and
other information reasonably required to understand the funding of a transaction.
We do not normally require or retain payment card information unless specifically necessary for a service we provide.
Identity verification and anti-money laundering information
Where applicable to our activities, we are required to carry out customer due diligence and other checks designed to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, fraud and other financial crime.
This may involve processing:
passports, driving licences or other identity documents;
proof of address;
date of birth and nationality;
beneficial ownership and company ownership information;
source of funds and source of wealth information;
sanctions screening results;
politically exposed person screening results;
information concerning persons acting on behalf of another person or organisation;
risk assessments and due diligence records; and
other information required to meet our legal and regulatory obligations.
We may use specialist third-party identity verification, anti-money laundering and screening providers to assist with these checks.
In limited circumstances, information obtained through compliance checks may include information relating to criminal offences or other protected categories of personal information. Where this occurs, we will only process such information where permitted by law and with appropriate safeguards.
Business and professional information
Where you engage with us in a professional or business capacity, we may process:
business contact details;
company name;
job title or role;
correspondence;
instructions;
contracts;
project information;
billing information; and
records relating to the services we provide.
Communications
We may retain records of communications with you, including:
emails;
telephone call notes;
WhatsApp or other messaging communications;
website enquiries;
social media messages;
meeting notes;
feedback; and
other correspondence.
Website and technical information
When you use our website, we may automatically collect certain technical and usage information, such as:
IP address;
browser type and version;
device type;
operating system;
pages viewed;
referring website;
date and time of visits;
approximate location derived from technical information; and
website interaction and analytics information.
Some of this information may be collected using cookies and similar technologies.
How we obtain your information
We may collect personal information:
directly from you;
through our website;
when you contact us by telephone, email, WhatsApp or social media;
when you register an interest in a property or development;
when you provide information in connection with a property transaction;
from developers, vendors, estate agents or other property professionals;
from introducers or professional advisers;
from companies or organisations you represent;
from identity verification and anti-money laundering providers;
from publicly available sources such as Companies House, HM Land Registry and other public registers;
from sanctions, politically exposed person and compliance databases;
from marketing, analytics and technology providers; and
from other sources where you have authorised the disclosure or where obtaining the information is otherwise lawful.
Where we receive your information from another organisation, that organisation may also be responsible for explaining how it uses and shares your information.
How we use your personal information
We may use personal information to:
Property investment and sales
understand your property or investment requirements;
identify and introduce potentially suitable properties or developments;
arrange property viewings, meetings and introductions;
communicate with you about properties and opportunities;
assess your purchasing position;
submit or communicate offers;
facilitate reservations and property transactions;
communicate with developers, vendors, other estate agents and professional advisers;
support transactions through reservation, exchange and completion;
maintain records of your property interests and previous enquiries; and
provide property investment and related advisory services.
Developer, vendor and agency services
We may use information to:
act in connection with the marketing or sale of property;
introduce prospective purchasers or investors;
qualify enquiries;
manage sales enquiries and communications;
provide sales and marketing reporting;
administer relationships with developers, vendors, estate agents and introducers; and
deliver agreed property marketing, consultancy or representation services.
Marketing and consultancy services
Where we provide marketing or consultancy services to businesses, we may use personal information to:
manage the client relationship;
deliver agreed services;
manage projects and campaigns;
communicate with client representatives;
prepare reports;
administer contracts and invoices; and
provide ongoing support.
Legal and regulatory compliance
We may use information to:
verify identity;
conduct customer due diligence;
carry out anti-money laundering, sanctions and politically exposed person screening;
assess the source of funds or wealth connected with a transaction;
prevent and detect fraud and financial crime;
maintain regulatory and compliance records;
respond to requests from regulators, law enforcement agencies or other competent authorities; and
comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
Business administration
We may also use information to:
operate and improve our business;
maintain our CRM and business records;
respond to enquiries;
manage relationships with clients and partners;
manage complaints;
establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
maintain the security of our website, systems and communications;
analyse the performance of our website and marketing activities; and
maintain appropriate records for legal, accounting, insurance and administrative purposes.
Our lawful bases for processing
UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following.
Contract
We may process your information where this is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
Legal obligation
We may process your information where necessary to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including obligations relating to anti-money laundering, financial crime prevention, taxation, accounting and regulatory compliance.
Legitimate interests
We may process your information where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
These interests may include:
operating and developing our business;
responding to enquiries;
understanding the requirements of prospective buyers and investors;
introducing relevant property opportunities;
facilitating property transactions;
managing relationships with clients, developers, vendors and professional partners;
preventing fraud;
protecting our business;
maintaining appropriate records; and
undertaking appropriate business-to-business marketing.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate and whether your interests, rights or freedoms override our interests.
Consent
We may rely on your consent where required, including for certain types of electronic direct marketing or the use of non-essential cookies.
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
Property alerts and marketing communications
We may contact you about:
properties matching your requirements;
new developments;
investment opportunities;
property launches;
market insights;
company news;
events;
services offered by McCooke Group; and
other information we believe may be relevant to your relationship with us.
We will only send electronic marketing communications where permitted by applicable data protection and electronic marketing laws.
Depending on your relationship with us and the type of recipient, we may rely on your consent, applicable rules relating to existing customer relationships, or our legitimate interests where permitted by law.
You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe option provided in an email or by contacting us at info@mccookegroup.com.
If you unsubscribe, we may retain limited information about you on a suppression list so that we can respect your request and avoid sending marketing communications to you in the future.
Unsubscribing from marketing does not prevent us from contacting you where necessary in connection with an active enquiry, transaction, contract, legal obligation or other non-marketing matter.
Sharing your personal information
We do not sell personal information.
We may share personal information where reasonably necessary in connection with our services, a property transaction or the operation of our business.
Depending on the circumstances, recipients may include:
property developers;
vendors or property owners;
purchasers;
other estate agents or sales agents;
joint agents and introducers;
solicitors and conveyancers;
mortgage brokers and finance providers;
surveyors;
lettings and property management providers;
tax advisers or other professional advisers;
identity verification and anti-money laundering providers;
CRM, email, cloud storage and other technology providers;
website hosting and analytics providers;
accountants, lawyers, insurers and other professional advisers;
regulatory bodies;
government departments;
law enforcement agencies; and
other organisations where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
Where we introduce you to a third-party service provider such as a solicitor, mortgage broker, tax adviser or property management company, we may share your contact information where you have asked us to make the introduction, agreed to the sharing, or where there is another appropriate lawful basis for doing so.
Some recipients act as service providers processing personal information on our behalf. Others, including developers, estate agents, solicitors, brokers and other professional organisations, may act as independent data controllers and will be responsible for their own use of the information they receive.
Where appropriate, you should review the recipient's own privacy information.
Fraud prevention and regulatory disclosures
We may disclose personal information to law enforcement agencies, regulators, government bodies or other appropriate organisations where we reasonably believe this is necessary to:
comply with the law;
meet an applicable regulatory obligation;
prevent or detect crime;
prevent fraud or money laundering;
protect our business or others; or
establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
There may be circumstances where the law prevents us from informing you about a disclosure or the reasons for it.
International clients and international transfers
McCooke Group may work with clients, investors, developers, partners and service providers located outside the United Kingdom.
Some of our technology and service providers may also process or store personal information in countries outside the UK.
Where personal information is transferred internationally and UK data protection law requires safeguards to be put in place, we will use an appropriate mechanism. This may include:
transfers to countries covered by UK adequacy regulations;
the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses; or
another lawful transfer mechanism available under UK data protection law.
Where appropriate, we also assess the level of protection applicable to an international transfer.
Cookies and similar technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to function and may be used without consent where permitted by law.
Other cookies, including certain analytics, advertising or tracking technologies, will only be used where required consent has been obtained.
Where applicable, further information about the cookies used on our website and the choices available to you will be provided through our cookie consent tools or cookie information.
You can also manage cookies through your browser settings, although disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.
Data retention
We only retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, tax and reporting requirements and to establish or defend legal claims.
Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the information and our relationship with you.
As a general guide:
general enquiries that do not result in an ongoing relationship may normally be retained for up to two years after the last meaningful contact;
client, contractual and transaction records may normally be retained for up to six years following the end of the relevant relationship or transaction where appropriate for contractual, tax, accounting or legal purposes;
marketing information may be retained while you remain an active contact or until you object or unsubscribe;
limited suppression records may be retained after an unsubscribe request so that we can continue to respect your marketing preferences;
anti-money laundering and customer due diligence records will generally be retained for five years from the end of the relevant business relationship or completion of the relevant transaction, as required by applicable anti-money laundering legislation.
Different periods may apply where we are required or permitted by law to retain information for longer or where information is required in connection with actual or anticipated legal proceedings.
When personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete it, anonymise it or otherwise dispose of it appropriately.
Data security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information from:
unauthorised access;
accidental loss;
alteration;
misuse;
destruction; and
unauthorised disclosure.
Access to personal information is limited to people and service providers who reasonably require access for legitimate business purposes.
Although we take reasonable steps to protect personal information, no internet transmission, electronic system or storage method can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
Access
Request confirmation of whether we process your personal information and obtain a copy of information we hold about you.
Correction
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
Erasure
Ask us to delete personal information where there is no lawful reason for us to continue processing it.
This right does not apply in all circumstances, including where we are legally required to retain information.
Restriction
Ask us to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
Objection
Object to processing based on legitimate interests in certain circumstances.
You have an absolute right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.
Data portability
Request the transfer of certain personal information to you or another organisation where the relevant legal requirements are met.
Withdraw consent
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
Automated decision-making
You have rights in relation to certain decisions made solely by automated means that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
We do not currently use solely automated decision-making to make significant decisions about property buyers, investors or clients without meaningful human involvement.
Exercising your rights
To exercise a data protection right or ask a question about how we use your information, contact:
McCooke Group Ltd
20–22 Wenlock Road
London
N1 7GU
United Kingdom
Email: info@mccookegroup.com
We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.
Data protection rights are subject to certain legal conditions and exemptions. In most cases, there is no charge for exercising your rights.
Data protection complaints
If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information, you can raise a data protection complaint with us at:
We will acknowledge data protection complaints in accordance with applicable legal requirements and will take appropriate steps to investigate and respond without undue delay.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's independent data protection regulator.
Information about how to contact the ICO is available at ico.org.uk.
We would welcome the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you approach the ICO.
Third-party websites and services
Our website, emails or other communications may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party organisations and recommend reviewing their privacy policies before providing personal information.
Business transfers
If McCooke Group undergoes a reorganisation, merger, acquisition, sale of assets or other change in ownership or control, personal information may be disclosed or transferred as part of that transaction where permitted by law.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, services, technology or legal and regulatory requirements.
The latest version will be published on our website and the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy will be revised accordingly.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how McCooke Group uses personal information, please contact:
McCooke Group Ltd
20–22 Wenlock Road
London
N1 7GU
United Kingdom
Email: info@mccookegroup.com