Privacy Policy
How we collect, use and protect your personal information. Version 2.0, October 2026.
In short
We only collect the information we need to sell, let and manage property for you, and to meet our legal duties.
We never sell your personal information.
We share it only with the people involved in your move, the providers who support our service and where the law requires it.
You can ask to see, correct or delete your information, or stop marketing, at any time by emailing info@anthonyjonesproperties.co.uk.
1. About us
Anthony Jones Properties is the trading name of Ad Meliora Associates Limited, an Estate and Lettings Agency serving Darlington, Wynyard, Barnard Castle and the surrounding areas. In this notice, "we", "us", "our" and "AJP" mean Ad Meliora Associates Limited.
We are the controller of the personal information described in this notice. This means we decide how and why it is used, and we are responsible for looking after it in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
Registered in England and Wales, company number 13336149
Registered office: 59-61 Charlotte Street, Birmingham B3 1PX
Trading address: Business Central, 2 Union Square, Central Park, Darlington DL1 1GL
Registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, registration number ZA802628
We are not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer. Tony Dobbins MRICS, Managing Director, has overall responsibility for data protection at AJP and you can contact him using the details in section 12.
2. Who this notice applies to
This notice applies to anyone whose personal information we handle in the course of our business, including:
sellers and landlords who instruct us, or who ask us for a valuation or appraisal
buyers, applicants and people who register with us or book viewings
tenants, prospective tenants, guarantors and permitted occupiers
other people connected to a sale or letting, such as joint owners, executors, attorneys, solicitors and other agents
anyone who contacts us, visits our offices or uses our website and social media pages
Our staff and job applicants are covered by a separate privacy notice.
3. The information we collect
Depending on how you deal with us, we may collect:
Identity and contact details: your name, address, telephone numbers, email address and date of birth.
Anti-money laundering information: copies of identity documents, proof of address, proof of ownership, evidence of the source of funds or wealth for a purchase, and the results of electronic identity, sanctions and politically exposed person checks.
Property information: details of the property you own, want to buy or rent, including photographs, floorplans and information about who lives there.
Financial information: your buying position, mortgage agreement in principle, proof of funds, rent and deposit payments and bank details for paying you or collecting money from you.
Tenancy information: referencing results, employment and income details, previous landlord references, credit history, guarantor details and Right to Rent checks.
Communications: emails, letters, messages, notes of telephone calls and meetings, viewing feedback and any complaints.
Website and technical information: your IP address, device and browser type and how you use our website, collected through cookies and similar technologies.
Marketing preferences: whether you have asked to hear from us and how you prefer to be contacted.
We do not set out to collect special category information, such as health details. Sometimes you may choose to share it with us, for example if you need adjustments to a property or extra support during your move. We will only use it for that purpose, with your agreement or where the law allows. Anti-money laundering checks can occasionally reveal information about criminal offences, which we handle only as permitted under the Data Protection Act 2018.
4. Where we get your information
Most of the information we hold comes directly from you. We may also receive it from:
property portals and listing websites where you have enquired about one of our properties. These are currently Rightmove, OnTheMarket, Zoopla, JamesEdition, Lonres, MyPorta, Jitty, Trovit, The House Shop, Property Drive, House.co.uk, Net House, Kyero, Mouseprice, Homesearch and Openbrix
other parties to a transaction, such as solicitors, conveyancers, mortgage brokers and other estate agents
identity verification, credit reference and tenant referencing agencies
public sources, such as HM Land Registry, Companies House, the electoral register and government sanctions lists
enquiries made through our website, social media pages and advertising
5. How we use your information and our lawful basis
We can only use your personal information where the law gives us a lawful basis to do so. Below is what we use it for and the basis we rely on.
Valuing, marketing and selling or letting your property, arranging viewings and negotiating offers: contract, or steps you have asked us to take before entering a contract.
Registering you as a buyer or applicant and telling you about suitable properties: legitimate interests (helping you find a property and our clients find a buyer or tenant).
Verifying your identity, checking the source of funds and carrying out sanctions checks: legal obligation under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017.
Carrying out Right to Rent checks: legal obligation under the Immigration Act 2014.
Tenant referencing and credit checks: steps you have asked us to take before entering a tenancy, and our landlord's legitimate interests.
Setting up and managing tenancies, protecting deposits, arranging repairs and inspections, and collecting and paying rent: contract and legal obligation.
Handling client money and keeping transaction records: legal obligation and contract.
Sending you market updates and news about our services: your consent, or for existing clients our legitimate interests, and you can opt out at any time.
Introducing you to other services, such as mortgage advice or conveyancing: your consent, which we will ask for each time.
Handling complaints and working with our redress scheme: legal obligation and legitimate interests.
Analysing how our website is used and improving our service: your consent for non-essential cookies, and our legitimate interests.
Preventing fraud, protecting our business and dealing with legal claims: legitimate interests and legal obligation.
Where we introduce you to another business, we may receive a referral fee. We will always tell you if this is the case and how much it is before you decide whether to go ahead.
You do not have to give us your personal information. However, if you do not provide what we need to meet our legal duties, such as identity documents, we will not be able to act for you.
6. Who we share your information with
We only share your information where it is needed for the purposes in section 5. We never sell it. Depending on your circumstances, we may share it with:
solicitors and conveyancers acting in your sale, purchase or letting, and other agents in a chain
our clients, where you are buying or renting a property from them, so they can make decisions about your offer or application
our identity verification and anti-money laundering provider, Creditsafe
our tenant referencing provider
a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme
our redress scheme, the Property Redress Scheme, and our client money protection scheme, Money Shield (membership number 77592685), if you raise a complaint or claim
contractors and tradespeople who carry out work at properties we manage, so they can arrange access
utility companies and local authorities when a tenancy starts or ends
the software and IT providers who host our systems, including our property management system, 10ninety, and Microsoft 365
mortgage brokers and other service providers, only where you have asked us to introduce you
our professional advisers, insurers and accountants
HM Revenue and Customs, the police, the National Crime Agency, local authorities and other regulators where the law requires it
Where the law requires us to report a suspicion of money laundering, we may be prevented from telling you that we have done so.
Any provider who handles personal information on our behalf must do so under a written contract, follow our instructions and keep it secure.
7. Transfers outside the UK
Some of our IT and software providers may store or access information outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens we make sure it is protected, either because the country has been approved by the UK Government as providing adequate protection or because we use the International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum approved by the Information Commissioner.
8. How long we keep your information
We keep your information only for as long as we need it. The periods below are our standard approach.
Anti-money laundering records and identity checks: five years from the end of the transaction or business relationship, as the law requires.
Sales files, including instructions, offers and correspondence: six years from completion or the end of our instruction.
Lettings and property management records: six years from the end of the tenancy or our management.
Right to Rent check records: for the length of the tenancy and at least one year after it ends.
Buyer and applicant registrations: three years from our last contact with you, unless you ask us to remove them sooner.
Marketing preferences: until you ask us to stop, with a review every two years.
Complaint records: six years from the date the complaint is closed.
At the end of these periods we securely delete or destroy your information, or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you.
9. Your rights
You have the following rights over your personal information:
Access: you can ask for a copy of the information we hold about you.
Correction: you can ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete.
Deletion: you can ask us to delete your information where we no longer have a reason to keep it.
Restriction: you can ask us to limit how we use your information while a concern is looked into.
Objection: you can object to us using your information on the basis of legitimate interests, and you can stop direct marketing at any time.
Transfer: you can ask us to provide information you gave us in a format that can be passed to another organisation.
Withdrawing consent: where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
We do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing.
To use any of these rights, contact us using the details in section 12. There is normally no charge. We may need to confirm your identity first, and we will respond within one month. If your request is complex we may extend this by up to two further months, and we will let you know if we need to.
10. Keeping your information secure
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including restricted access to our systems, password protected accounts, secure storage of paper records and regular staff training. Only people who need your information to do their job can see it.
If a data breach occurs that is likely to put your rights at risk, we will report it to the Information Commissioner's Office within 72 hours and tell you without delay where the law requires.
11. Cookies
Our website uses cookies. Essential cookies make the website work. We only use analytics and marketing cookies if you agree to them through our cookie banner, and you can change your choices at any time using the cookie settings link at the foot of any page on our website.
12. Contact us and complaints
If you have any questions about this notice or how we handle your information, or you would like to make a complaint, please contact us first so we can put things right:
Post: Data Protection, Anthony Jones Properties, Business Central, 2 Union Square, Central Park, Darlington DL1 1GL
Telephone: Darlington 01325 776424 or Wynyard 01740 807107
We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and aim to resolve it as quickly as possible.
If your concern relates to our estate agency or lettings service rather than your personal information, you can also refer it to the Property Redress Scheme at propertyredress.co.uk or on 0333 321 9418 once our own complaints process is complete.
If you are not happy with how we have handled your personal information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office:
Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
13. Changes to this notice
We review this notice at least once a year and whenever we change the way we use personal information. The latest version is always available on our website and from any of our offices.