Privacy Policy

At the Housing Festival we are committed to handling the personal data you share with us with the utmost respect. We are committed to being open and transparent about the data we collect and why we are using it.

If you have any questions about the way we use your data and would like to discuss this, please contact the team at admin@housingfestival.org.uk.

We do not share personal data with third parties beyond where this is necessary to carry out our expressed purpose, unless prior consent has been granted or unless we have a legal obligation to do so.

Any personal information we hold about you is stored and processed in accordance with the UK’s Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION

All the information we collect is directly from you, when you sign up to join one of our mailing lists or get in touch via email or phone.

We do not buy fundraising lists or mailing lists.

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

We will collect only the personal information we need to carry out the processes to which you have given consent.

MAILING LISTS

This website may collect the following information via its contact and enquiry form features (use of these features is optional):

  • Your name

  • Your contact information including email address and telephone numbers

  • The name and website address of your company

  • Other written information related to your enquiry that you provide

OTHER

We gather and use limited information about individuals who use this website. We use this information to provide products and services; to enable certain website functions; to better understand how visitors use this website; and to present timely and relevant information to visitors. We may collect the following information:

  • Website usage data

  • User data such as your IP address and details of your browser and device

WHAT WE USE YOUR INFORMATION FOR

We use your information in the ways that you have given us consent. For example, if you have signed up to the newsletter, we will only send you this.

We may also use the information you have provided to:

  • Monitor our impact and effectiveness as an organisation

  • To improve our products and services

  • To contact you in response to a specific enquiry

  • To customise the website for you

We may also use the data you provide to keep records of our relationship with you. We will not share your personal information with or sell it to third-party marketers.

HOW WE KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE

All personal data is treated with confidence. We do not sell data. Personal data is password protected where possible or stored in restricted access folders and files.

HOW WE KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE

We may use the following third-party service providers named below to process and store your data:

  • Mailchimp (The Rocket Science Group, LLC), which we use to manage email marketing subscriber lists and send emails to our subscribers. Read their privacy policy.

  • Google LLC, where we use Google Analytics service to measure the performance of this website

  • Squarespace which hosts this website

  • One.com which provides some of our email and calendar services

  • Microsoft who provide our file storage and sharing software and some of our email and calendar services

COOKIES AND HOW WE USE THEM

A cookie is a small file stored on your computer or device, which enables our website to identify your computer or device as you view our website pages. Cookies allow websites to store your preferences and track how websites are used.

  • Record website usage data

  • Identify whether you are signed into our website

  • Test content on our website

  • Recognise when you return to our website

  • Cookies do not provide us with access to your computer. You can use your web browser’s settings to refuse cookies if you wish.

HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION

In general, we store this information only as long as it is necessary to carry out the task for which we have collected the data (for example, if you have signed up to our newsletter we will keep your data for as long as you wish to keep receiving the newsletter).

There are some exceptions to this where we need to retain information for longer, such as within our financial records.

KEEPING YOUR INFORMATION UP TO DATE

Please keep us up to date where there are changes to your information so that we can ensure our records are accurate and up to date. You can do this by contacting admin@housingfestival.org.uk or by using the link on the bottom of the newsletters you may receive.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have a right to know what information we hold about you and how it is used. You can update your preferences with us at any time. Please contact admin@housingfestival.org.uk to discuss your request.

You have a right to complain at any time. In the first instance we ask that you would contact us to let us know where you believe we are not treating your data appropriately. You also have a right to discuss this with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) directly. You can find more information here: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email.

LINKS TO EXTERNAL WEBSITES

Our website may contain links to other websites. We have no control of websites outside of housingfestival.org.uk and bristolhousingfestival.org.uk. We are not responsible for the content of other websites, or for the protection or privacy of data you submit to them.

UPDATES

We reserve the right to update our privacy notice at any time. If this changes the public notice will be updated. We will review our privacy practices regularly to ensure we are treating all personal data with sensitivity and respect, and in line with all data protection regulations.