Data Protection

Data Protection

Portugal Consultants understands and is fully aware of its obligations in regards to your fundamental right to a private life and has implemented systems and controls to ensure your rights and freedoms are protected. It is a continuous priority of our team to keep your data safe at all times under all circumstances. 

Portugal Consultants undertakes to meet its obligations under the Data Protection Act (registered with the Information Commissioners Office – Registration Number ZA764026), the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Who will process your Personal Information?

Your personal information will be initially processed by one of the advisers of Portugal Consultants. Where applicable, your personal data will be further processed by one of our partners when necessary. For example, if you wish to submit a mortgage application your personal data will be processed by the respective bank and their staff members who act on our behalf for regulatory purposes. All parties will process your personal data in accordance with this privacy notice and always with your consent. 

Why do we need your Personal Information?

Your personal information is required to enable us to take necessary steps at your request prior to entering into a contract and to perform such a contract. This may include reviewing assets and liabilities, bank account validation, identity and age verification checks, credit checks, preventing and detecting fraud, money laundering or other crimes and any other requirements in accordance with rules set by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or other applicable legislation. All the information we collect from you is used exclusively to provide you the services you have instructed us to do.  

Can we process your Personal Information for other reasons?

We expect that at all times your information will be used and processed only for the services which you have instructed us to do and in case there are some legal exceptions, which require your information to be processed for a different purpose we will notify you.  

What are the consequences if you do not provide your Personal Information?

Your personal data is essential to enable us to take steps at your request prior to provide you the services you have requested. Without this information we will not be able to proceed to provide any service. We need to gather all the relevant information about you so we can help you in the best way possible.  

You should keep your Information up to date

We will keep and record your information exactly as you provide it. You may ask us to update it at any time and we will action your request promptly and where possible notify relevant third parties of any changes. Keeping your information up to date during the time we are providing you any services is extremely relevant because it might impact on the quality of the services we provide you. Any time you consider there are any relevant changes to the information initial provided, Portugal Consultants should be notified.  

How will we further use your Personal Information? 

We can use your personal information for various reasons in order to assure the normal function of the business, such as: to contact you to ensure that our records have the correct information about you; to respond to any complaints or questions you have about the services we provided; to update you to any changes in our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy; to pursue debts or unpaid fees; to evidence the standards and processes carried out conform to the company’s ethical standards and expectations; to protect the business from risks which might be introduced by an individual; to contact you to make any promotional advertisements of our services; to send you our monthly newsletter with relevant issues about the Portuguese Real Estate market. 

How secure will your Personal Information be?

We will ensure that your data is processed always in a confidential manner with all files you sent us being encrypted and only accessible to authorised people in our firm and will remain confidential at all times. In case we share your files with some of our partners you will be notified and your information it will only be shared in case you give us your consent. We will never share your information with third parties if we perceive that the security of your data is compromised or if the intend third party does not have strict measures in place to process your data in a secure and confidential manner. 

Who will we share your information with? 

Your Personal information may be shared with all the relevant parties we think that are necessary to provide you the services you have required, or it might be share for other public institutions for legal and regulatory reasons such as, appropriate staff such as those who carry out financial compliance functions; Organisations that need your information because we are required to provide it by legal and regulatory reasons (e.g. the FCA, HMRC, Portuguese tax authorities, etc); Organisations that carry out credit references or identity checks. These organisations may keep a record of the information and may disclose the fact that a search of its records was made to its other customers for the purposes of assessing the risk of giving credit, to prevent fraud and to trace debtors; Law enforcement agencies, courts or other public authorities if we have to, or are authorised to by law; Sometimes other authorised firms with specialist advisers, such as pension specialists, who assist us in providing suitable financial advice and services. You will be provided with their details if this applies. 

Transferring your Personal Information outside the European Economic Area (EEA)

In the course of our normal activities we do not expect to transfer any of your personal information outside of the EEA, except when we need to perform pre-contractual measures (credit and identity checks) or because the checks we request are necessary for important reasons of public interest or the appropriate lender that can assist with the eventual borrowing is based outside of the EEA. Some third party companies may transfer data outside of the EEA to countries which do not, in the view of the EU Commission, offer an adequate level of protection. Under such circumstances we will always require that your data is encrypted and protected so the necessary checks can be processed.    

How long will we keep your Personal Information in our data base?

We will keep your information in our records for at least 5 years unless there is a legal requirement to keep your files for an extended period of time. We will not keep your information for longer than necessary and always respecting the regulators guidelines.  

Can you request a copy of the Personal Information we hold?

It’s your legal right at any time to request a copy of all the personal information we hold about you. Upon request and after we verify your identity we will provide you with such information. Please note that if we are unable to verify your identity we cannot provide you any information. We take the information of our clients very serious as well as their privacy.

Important Legal Rights you have

You have the legal right at any time to object to processing which is carried out as part of our legitimate interests or in the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will no longer process your data unless we can demonstrate there is compelling legitimate grounds which override your rights and freedoms or unless processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims. Where you have given consent, you have the legal right to withdraw previous consent to processing your personal data at any time. You have the legal right to receive personal information you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and readable format. You also have the legal right to request from us access, like we have identified above, to and rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing concerning your data. You have the legal right whenever you find necessary to do a compliant with the regulator if you think we are not processing your information correctly or if you think we have breached any of the guidelines highlighted in our Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions and Data Protection. 

How can you contact our Data Protection Officer?

You can contact our Data Protection Officer about any query related with data protection via the following contact details:

Phone number: +44 7795825499

Email: judith@portugalconsultants.com / artur@portugalconsultants.com

How can you make a complaint to the Regulator?       

You can get in touch with the Regulator using one of the below contact details.

Writing to: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Phone number: 0303 123 1113

Email: casework@ico.org.uk

Website: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/report-a-breach/