Homemove Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 1, 2025

Welcome to Homemove! We value your privacy and want you to understand how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains, in plain language, our practices regarding your data and your rights under data protection laws (like the UK GDPR).

Please read this policy carefully. If you have any questions or wish to exercise any of your rights, you can contact us at privacy@homemove.com.

1. Who We Are

Homemove (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is a property technology service based in the UK. HM Haus Group Ltd is the data controller responsible for the personal data we collect when you use our services. Our company is registered in England (Company No. 13873779) with a registered address at 51 Colegate, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1DD, United Kingdom.

If you have questions about this policy or any privacy concerns, you can reach our data protection team by email at privacy@homemove.com or by mail at the address above (please mark the letter “Attn: Data Protection Officer”). We take your privacy seriously and will respond as promptly as possible.

2. What Data We Collect

We only collect personal information that we need to provide and improve our services to you. This information falls into a few categories:

• Information You Provide Directly: When you fill out forms on Homemove, create an account, or communicate with us, you may give us information like:
  • Contact details - e.g., your name, email address, phone number.
  • Profile information - e.g., your moving preferences, property search criteria, budget, and any details you choose to share about your move.
  • Communication content - if you contact us or our partner estate agents through our platform, we collect the content of those messages or inquiries.
• Information We Collect Automatically: When you use Homemove's website or app, we gather some data automatically:
  • Usage data - details of your interactions with our site, such as pages visited, services viewed, dates/times of visits, and referral links.
  • Device and technical data - your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, and other technical information that helps us ensure the site works properly for you.
  • Cookies and similar tech - we use cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Cookies & Tracking below) to remember your preferences and gather analytics data.
• Information from Third Parties: In some cases, we may receive information about you from trusted partners. For example, if you were referred to Homemove by a partner or if you interact with an estate agent via our platform, that agent might provide feedback or updates about your interaction. We will only obtain such data where it's lawful and necessary to provide our service to you (and we'll treat it with the same care as information you give us directly).

We do not collect any sensitive personal data (such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, health information, etc.) unless it is absolutely necessary and we have your explicit consent or another legal basis. Our service is generally not intended to collect such data.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal information only for legitimate purposes connected with the Homemove service. These purposes include:

• Providing our services: We process your data to enable the core functionality of Homemove - for example, using the details you provide to match you with relevant property services (like removal companies or estate agents), to send you property listings or offers you request, and to facilitate communications with service providers through our platform.
• Improving and personalizing your experience: Usage and cookie data help us understand how users interact with our site. We analyze this data to fix problems, develop new features, and tailor the content you see (such as suggesting moving tips or local services that might interest you).
• Marketing and updates (with your consent): If you opt in, we will use your contact information to send you newsletters, updates, or promotions about Homemove or related services. You can unsubscribe at any time (see “Your Rights & Choices” below for how to opt out).
• Customer support and communication: If you reach out to us with a question or issue, we will use your name and contact info to respond. We may also use the content of your communications to address your requests and improve our support processes.
• Legal and security purposes: In some cases, we may need to process data to comply with legal obligations (for instance, keeping transaction records for financial regulations) or to protect our rights, your rights, and security. For example, we might use data to detect and prevent fraud or abuse of our services, or to enforce our Terms of Service.

We will not use your personal information for purposes that are not compatible with those above without obtaining your consent or unless required or permitted by law. If we intend to use your data for a new purpose, we will update this Privacy Policy and notify you when appropriate.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a valid legal reason (“lawful basis”) to process your personal data. Depending on the specific activity, Homemove relies on one or more of the following bases:

• Consent: We will ask for your consent to use your data in certain ways - for example, when you subscribe to our newsletter or agree to receive marketing communications. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time (see “Your Rights & Choices”).
• Contract: When we process data in order to provide you with services you've requested, this is based on contract. For instance, if you sign up for Homemove to connect with moving services, we process your data as necessary to fulfill our agreement with you (to deliver that service).
• Legitimate Interests: We process some data as part of our “legitimate interests” as a business, in ways that don't override your privacy rights or freedoms. For example, it's in our legitimate interest to understand how users use Homemove so we can improve our platform, or to prevent fraud and secure our site. When using this basis, we always consider and balance any potential impact on you and your rights.
• Legal Obligation: If we are subject to a legal requirement that necessitates processing your data, we will do so. For example, accounting laws may require us to keep certain transaction records, or we may have to disclose information if compelled by a court order or regulatory authority.

If you have questions about the specific legal basis for any particular processing of your data, feel free to contact us for more information.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website to provide and optimize our services. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that help us remember your preferences and understand how you use our site.

For example, we use essential cookies to enable core site functionality (like keeping you logged in), and analytics cookies (from tools like Google Analytics) to collect aggregated usage data (such as page views and click patterns) so we can improve our platform. We may also use cookies to personalize content for you, such as showing relevant local information.

When you first visit Homemove, we will request your consent for any non-essential cookies via our cookie banner. You can accept or decline different categories of cookies. Even after accepting, you can manage or revoke your cookie preferences at any time by using the settings on our site or your browser's cookie controls.

For more detailed information on how we use cookies and how you can control them, please see our Cookie Policy.

6. How We Share Your Data

We understand that your personal information is important, and we only share it with third parties when necessary and in line with this policy. Here are the instances when data sharing occurs:

• Service Providers: We use reputable third-party companies to help us deliver our services (for example, cloud hosting providers for our databases, email service providers to send out notifications, analytics services to help us understand our data, etc.). These providers process data on our behalf and are contractually obligated to protect it and use it only for the services they provide to us.
• Partner Estate Agents and Service Providers: A core feature of Homemove is connecting you with property-related services. With your consent/request, we will share your relevant details with estate agents, mortgage brokers, moving companies, or other partners that you choose to engage with through our platform. For instance, if you request quotes from removal companies, we will pass on the necessary contact and move details to those companies so they can serve you. They will act as independent data controllers of that information - we advise you to review their privacy notices as well, but we endeavor to work only with partners who respect privacy.
• Business Transfers: In the event that Homemove undergoes a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, personal data may be transferred to the new owner as part of that deal. If such a transfer happens, we will ensure the new owner is bound to respect your personal data in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy, and we will notify you of any significant changes.
• Legal Disclosures: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or legal process. For example, if a law enforcement agency properly requests data or we need to comply with a legal obligation, we might share data to the extent we are required. We may also share information in response to lawful requests to protect our rights, your safety or the safety of others, or to investigate fraud.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We also do not share your data with third-party advertisers for their own marketing purposes without your consent.

7. International Data Transfers

Homemove is based in the United Kingdom. However, some of our service providers or partners might be located outside of the UK (and European Economic Area). Whenever we transfer your personal data across borders, we take steps to ensure it remains protected:

• If data is transferred outside the UK/EEA, we will only send it to countries that have been deemed to have an adequate level of data protection by UK/EU authorities or use appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) as approved by the European Commission/UK ICO.
• We will also ensure that you have enforceable rights and effective legal remedies with respect to your data in whichever country it resides. Our contracts with any international partners or providers will include data protection clauses to safeguard your information.

For example, our cloud hosting provider may store data in a data center outside the UK. In such cases, we have a Data Processing Agreement in place with standard safeguards. If you'd like more information about the specific measures in place for overseas transfers, feel free to contact us.

8. Data Retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. In general:

• Active Account Data: If you have an account with Homemove, we will retain the personal information in your profile as long as your account is active. You may delete your account or request deletion, and upon such request we will remove or anonymize your personal data within a reasonable time (except for data we are required to keep for legal reasons).
• Service Interaction Data: Information related to services you've requested (e.g., quotes from partners) may be kept as long as needed to complete the service and for a reasonable period thereafter in case of questions or disputes.
• Marketing Data: If you have consented to receive marketing emails, we will retain your email on our mailing list until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove it (or if our emails consistently bounce). We keep a record of unsubscribe requests to ensure we respect those going forward.
• Logs and Analytics: Technical logs and analytics data are generally retained for a shorter period (e.g., 12-24 months) for analysis and security monitoring, after which they may be aggregated or deleted.
• Legal Requirements: In some cases, we must retain certain information for a set period by law. For example, financial transaction records (if any payments are processed through Homemove for services) might be kept for 6 years to comply with tax and accounting laws. If we have had any correspondence relating to a legal matter, we would retain relevant data as long as necessary to resolve the issue and for a period after in accordance with limitation periods for legal claims.

Once the retention period expires or the purpose for collection has been fulfilled, we will securely dispose of your data or anonymize it so it can no longer be linked back to you. If complete deletion is not immediately possible (for example, stored in backups), we will ensure that the data is isolated and protected until deletion is feasible.

9. Your Rights & Choices

As a user of Homemove and as a data subject under the UK GDPR, you have several important rights regarding your personal data. We are committed to honoring these rights. In summary, you have the right to:

• Access Your Data: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, as well as information about how we process it (commonly known as a "subject access request").
• Rectification: If any personal data we have is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to have it corrected. You can update some of your information directly by logging into your Homemove account, or you can contact us for assistance.
• Erasure: You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances - for example, if it's no longer needed for the purposes it was collected, or if you withdraw consent and we have no other legal basis to continue processing. This is sometimes called the “right to be forgotten.” Keep in mind we may need to retain some information if required by law or for legitimate business purposes (which we will explain, if applicable).
• Restriction of Processing: You have the right to ask us to suspend processing your data if you contest its accuracy, or you want us to preserve it while you establish, exercise, or defend a legal claim, or if you object to our use of it and we are considering your objection.
• Data Portability: You can request that we provide you (or a third party you designate) with certain of your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format. This typically applies to data you provided to us, which we process by automated means based on your consent or a contract (for example, if you wanted to take your Homemove profile info to a different service).
• Object to Processing: You have the right to object to certain types of processing. For instance, you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We would then re-evaluate our reasons for processing your data. You also have an absolute right to object to your personal data being used for direct marketing purposes - if you object, we will stop using it for that purpose immediately.
• Withdraw Consent: If we are processing any of your personal data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. For example, if you initially consented to receive our newsletter, you can unsubscribe via the link in the email or by contacting us, and we will stop sending it. (Note: withdrawing consent doesn't affect the lawfulness of any processing done before the withdrawal.)

To exercise any of these rights, you can contact us at privacy@homemove.com. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests (to protect your privacy). We will respond to your request as soon as possible, and at most within one month as required by law. There is no fee for making a request, unless it's excessive or repetitive, in which case we'll inform you of any cost before proceeding.

Your Choices (Opt-Outs): In addition to formal rights, you have some straightforward choices about your data:

• Email Marketing: If you do not wish to receive marketing emails or newsletters from us, you can click the “unsubscribe” link in any of those emails. You can also adjust your email preferences in your account settings or by contacting us. We will respect your choice and remove you from promotional lists.
• Cookies: As noted in the Cookies section, you can control or delete cookies through your browser settings or our cookie management tool. You can choose not to accept certain cookies - however, note that blocking cookies might impact your experience (for example, some features might not remember your preferences).
• Profile Visibility: If our service includes any public profile or sharing features, we will provide settings to control what information you share or who can see it. Check your account settings for options related to visibility and sharing, if applicable.

We want you to feel in control of your personal information. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns about your data or how to exercise your rights.

10. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously. Homemove implements a variety of technical and organizational measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. These measures include:

• Encryption: Our website is secured via SSL/TLS (you'll notice the padlock in your browser's address bar), which encrypts data transmitted between your device and our servers. Sensitive data (like passwords) is encrypted both in transit and at rest.
• Access Controls: Personal data is stored on secure servers, and we restrict access to those employees, contractors, and service providers who need it to perform their job duties. All such personnel are subject to confidentiality obligations.
• Security Testing: We regularly update and patch our systems and conduct security assessments. We may also employ third-party security tools or audits to identify and address vulnerabilities.
• Anonymization: Where possible, we anonymize or pseudonymize data, especially for analytics, so it cannot be easily connected back to individual identities.
• Data Breach Procedures: In the unlikely event of a data breach, we have a response plan in place. This includes notifying affected users and regulators (like the ICO) as required by law, and taking steps to mitigate any potential harm.

Keep in mind that no website or Internet transmission is completely secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your Homemove account and to log out after use, especially on shared devices. If you suspect any unauthorized access or have reason to believe your data isn't secure, please contact us immediately.

11. Children's Privacy

Homemove's services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your region, if different). If you are under 13, please do not use Homemove or provide any personal information to us.

If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal data to us without your consent, please contact us so we can investigate and address the issue promptly.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of the policy. If the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice (such as a banner on our website or an email notification).

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Continued use of Homemove after any updates constitutes your acknowledgment of the changes and agreement to the revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please reach out to us. We're here to help.

Email: privacy@homemove.com

Address: Data Protection Officer, HM Haus Group Ltd, 51 Colegate, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1DD, United Kingdom

Supervisory Authority: If you're unsatisfied with our response to any privacy issue, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) or your local data protection authority. We would, however, appreciate the chance to address your concerns first, so please do contact us with any complaint and we'll do our best to resolve it.

Thank you for trusting Homemove with your information. We are committed to keeping that trust by safeguarding your privacy.