Privacy notice

Who is responsible for your information

Penmores Ltd is the data controller for the personal information we use to run our service. “We”, “us” and “our” mean Penmores Ltd. If you have a question about your information, please contact us using the details below.

Information we need for your case

Depending on your enquiry, we may need your name, contact details, date of birth and National Insurance number, your address history, details of your children and when you received Child Benefit, your caring history, and your official pension or National Insurance records. Please give us only information that is relevant to the work we have agreed.

Case records may include our online check, signed authorities, letters, award decisions, payment breakdowns and invoices. If you sign online, we keep the signature and the date and time it was given.

Where information comes from

You give us information through our website forms, phone calls, emails, letters and documents. With your signed authority, we may get relevant records from HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or another organisation involved in your case. A family member or attorney may give us information where they are entitled to act for you.

If essential information is missing, we may not be able to assess or progress your case.

How we use it, and our legal reasons

Contract. To answer your request, check whether we can help, carry out the work you ask us to do, keep in touch about your case and manage our fee agreement with you.

Legal obligation. To keep and share information where a specific law requires it, such as accounting and tax records.

Legitimate interests. For proportionate security, running our service, handling complaints and dealing with legal claims. Ask us if you would like details of the interest we rely on.

Consent. Where consent is the right basis, for example optional marketing. Marketing consent is always separate from your case, and signing an authority for HMRC or DWP does not give consent for anything else.

Health information and information about other people

Health or disability information needs extra protection. Please don’t send medical records unless we explain why they are needed.

Additional condition and safeguards for health information to be confirmed

Some evidence is about your children, your husband, wife or partner, or a person you cared for. We keep this to what is necessary. Please don’t send unrelated information about other people.

Who we share it with

We share relevant case information with HMRC and DWP when necessary and within the authority you give us. We also use suppliers who help us run our business, under contracts that protect your information:

• DigitalOcean, which hosts our website on servers in London
• Email provider to be confirmed
• Case management, e-signature and billing providers to be confirmed
• Professional advisers, such as our accountants or solicitors, where necessary

We may also share information where the law requires it. We will never hand your case to another representative without explaining why and getting your permission first.

Where it is stored

Our website and the information you send through it are stored on servers in London, UK. Our hosting provider is a US company, so its staff may be able to access the systems from outside the UK.

Transfer safeguard to be confirmed, for example the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework

How long we keep it

After that, records are securely deleted or anonymised. Only people who need your information can see it, and we have procedures for dealing with security incidents.

Your rights

You can ask for a copy of your information, ask us to correct it, delete it, restrict how we use it, or give you a copy to take elsewhere. You can object to us using it for our legitimate interests, and you can stop marketing at any time. These rights have some conditions, and we will explain any that apply.

Contact us to use any of these rights. We may ask for proof of identity. We will reply within the legal time limit, and it is normally free.

Cookies and automated decisions

Our cookie policy explains the cookies on this website. We do not make decisions about you by automated means alone.

Questions and complaints

Please tell us first if you are unhappy with how we have used your information. Our complaints page explains how. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

Changes to this notice

We keep this notice up to date. The date at the top of this page shows when it last changed. If we change how we use your information in an important way, we will tell you.