Personal Data & Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how The Aftersales Network Limited collects, uses, stores and shares personal and business information when you make an enquiry, use our website, submit a funding assessment or engage with us in relation to commercial finance.
How we handle information in a commercial finance environment
Funding enquiries often require a mixture of personal, business, financial and transaction information. We use this information to understand your requirement, consider suitable funding routes and, where appropriate, introduce or present the matter to lenders or professional partners.
1. Who we are
The Aftersales Network Limited is a commercial finance brokerage. We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 725655.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, The Aftersales Network Limited will normally act as the data controller for personal data collected through this website, enquiry forms, funding assessments, email correspondence, telephone conversations and related business communications.
2. Information we may collect
Depending on the nature of your enquiry, we may collect and process:
- Contact details, including name, email address, telephone number and business address.
- Business details, including company name, company number, ownership structure and trading background.
- Financial information, including turnover, revenue, borrowing, bank statements, accounts, management information, debtor information and funding requirements.
- Property, asset or security information where relevant to secured lending, bridging finance, development finance or refinance.
- Information submitted through our Strategic Funding Assessment, website forms, email, telephone or professional introductions.
- Website usage information, including basic technical data collected through cookies, analytics or security tools where enabled.
3. Why we use your information
We use personal and business information to:
- Respond to enquiries and communicate with you.
- Assess funding requirements and commercial finance suitability.
- Prepare, structure and position funding applications.
- Introduce matters to appropriate lenders, funders or professional parties where relevant.
- Meet regulatory, legal, compliance, fraud prevention and record-keeping obligations.
- Improve our website, services, enquiry handling and client experience.
4. Lawful bases for processing
We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the circumstances, these may include:
| Lawful basis | How it may apply |
|---|---|
| Legitimate interests | Assessing and responding to funding enquiries, managing business relationships, preparing cases and operating as a commercial finance brokerage. |
| Contract or pre-contract steps | Where you ask us to take steps before entering into an agreement or where our services are provided under agreed terms. |
| Legal obligation | Where we are required to keep records, respond to lawful requests, comply with regulatory obligations or meet applicable legal requirements. |
| Consent | Where consent is specifically requested, such as certain marketing preferences or optional communications. Consent can be withdrawn where applicable. |
5. Sharing your information
We may share relevant information with third parties where necessary to progress or assess a funding requirement. This may include:
- Banks, lenders, funders, invoice finance providers, bridging lenders and specialist finance providers.
- Valuers, surveyors, solicitors, accountants, insurers, credit reference agencies and professional advisers.
- Compliance, regulatory, fraud prevention, technology, hosting, email and form-processing providers.
- Public authorities, regulators or law enforcement where required by law.
We only share information that is relevant to the purpose being pursued and expect third parties to handle data appropriately.
6. Special category or sensitive information
We do not routinely request special category personal data. However, funding cases can occasionally involve sensitive context, such as health-related circumstances, legal disputes or financial vulnerability. Where such information is provided, we will handle it carefully and only use it where relevant, necessary and lawful.
7. Credit checks, fraud prevention and lender assessment
Where a funding enquiry progresses, lenders or funders may undertake credit checks, identity verification, anti-money laundering checks, fraud prevention checks, valuation reviews or other underwriting assessments. We may assist in coordinating information needed for those purposes.
Any lender or third party involved may also provide their own privacy notice explaining how they process personal data.
8. How long we keep information
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including enquiry handling, case management, regulatory, legal, accounting, complaint handling and record-keeping requirements.
Retention periods may vary depending on whether an enquiry proceeds, whether funding is arranged, whether regulatory obligations apply and whether there is an ongoing business relationship. Where a specific retention period is not stated, we apply retention criteria based on the nature of the relationship, the type of information, legal obligations and legitimate business need.
9. Security of your information
We use appropriate organisational and technical measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. Access to personal data is limited to those who need it for legitimate business, compliance or service delivery purposes.
10. International transfers
Some technology providers, cloud services, email systems, analytics tools or form-processing services may process data outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we expect appropriate safeguards to be in place in accordance with applicable data protection law.
11. Cookies and website analytics
Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to support website functionality, security, analytics and user experience. Some cookies are necessary for the website to operate, while others may assist us in understanding website performance or improving content.
You can usually manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect website functionality.
12. Marketing communications
We may contact existing clients, introducers or business contacts with relevant service information where lawful and appropriate. Where consent is required, we will seek consent. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
13. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- Be informed about how your personal data is used.
- Request access to your personal data.
- Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected.
- Ask for information to be erased in certain circumstances.
- Ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
- Object to processing in certain circumstances.
- Request data portability where applicable.
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
These rights are not absolute and may depend on the lawful basis, regulatory obligations and the context of the processing.
14. Complaints and the ICO
If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first so we can review and respond to your concern.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters.
15. Contact details
For privacy, data protection or information rights requests, please contact The Aftersales Network Limited through our website contact page.
This page is intended to explain how The Aftersales Network Limited handles personal data in the context of commercial finance enquiries and related services. It should be reviewed periodically to ensure it remains accurate as systems, suppliers, regulatory obligations or business processes change.
