Privacy policy
Updated 27 September 2026
This notice explains how Lock & Key Estate Agents Ltd uses personal information in connection with our estate agency, lettings, property management and website services.
Who is responsible for your information?
Lock & Key Estate Agents Ltd is responsible for personal information we use for our services. Contact us at 7 Hope Street, Blackburn, BB2 1DY; email info@lockandkeyestateagents.co.uk; or telephone 01254 449034. Our ICO registration reference is ZB330435.
Information we use
Depending on your enquiry or service, this can include your name and contact details; property address and requirements; viewing, valuation and offer information; correspondence; tenancy or sale records; identity and address documents; employment, income, affordability and reference information; rent and payment records; and repair reports and photographs.
We receive information from you and, where relevant, landlords, sellers, applicants, employers, referees, previous landlords, solicitors, contractors and identity or credit-check providers. We request information appropriate to the service or checks involved.
Why we use it
- Enquiries, valuations and viewings: to respond to you and take steps towards providing a service you request, or for our legitimate interests in handling property enquiries.
- Sales, lettings and management: to perform our agreement with you, arrange and progress transactions, communicate about a tenancy, collect rent and coordinate repairs. Where you are not our contracting client, we use relevant information for our legitimate interests in providing those services and managing the property.
- Checks and records: to meet applicable legal obligations, such as identity, anti-money-laundering and Right to Rent requirements where they apply, and for legitimate interests in checking suitability, preventing fraud and maintaining appropriate records.
- Website security and complaints: for our legitimate interests in keeping our services secure, responding to concerns and establishing or defending claims.
- Optional communications and cookies: where consent is required, you can refuse or withdraw it without affecting the lawfulness of earlier use.
If information is needed for a legal check or to provide a requested service and you do not supply it, we may be unable to proceed. We will explain the relevant requirement.
Who may receive your information
We share information relevant to the task with landlords or sellers, prospective parties to a transaction, solicitors and other professional advisers, referencing and identity-check providers, deposit protection providers, contractors arranging repairs, and authorities or redress bodies where appropriate.
Our services use website and communications providers, Microsoft online application tools, and Alto / PropertyFile for relevant property and customer records. Property marketing may appear on portals such as Zoopla. Information shared depends on the service: for example, a contractor may need a contact number to arrange a repair, while a landlord may need an application assessment.
Some providers may process information outside the UK. Applicable data-protection safeguards are required for restricted international transfers. Contact us for information about the providers and safeguards relevant to your records.
How long information is kept
Retention depends on the record and why it is needed. We consider whether an enquiry remains active, whether a sale, tenancy or management service is continuing, applicable accounting and legal record-keeping duties, and the time needed to resolve complaints or legal claims. Information should not be retained simply because it might be useful indefinitely. Contact us for the retention period or criteria applying to your particular records.
Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you can ask to access or correct your information, request erasure or restriction, object to processing based on legitimate interests, or request portability. You can withdraw consent where processing relies on it and object to direct marketing. Some information may need to be retained to meet a legal duty or deal with a claim.
Use the contact details above to make a request. We may need to confirm your identity before releasing information. You can also raise a data-protection concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Cookies, embedded content and external services
The website uses necessary functions and may include optional cookies, reviews, virtual tours or other third-party content. Use the Cookie Settings control to review your choices. External websites and services have their own privacy notices and may collect information when you use them. Signing into WordPress or a customer portal also involves that service’s login and security functions.
Sending documents safely
Please do not send identity documents, bank statements or other sensitive records through a general website enquiry. For rental applications, follow the secure document-upload instructions provided in the application process. Contact us if you are unsure whether a request is from our team.
Complaints and updates
For concerns about our agency service, see our Complaints Policy. For personal information concerns, contact us using the details above; your right to complain to the ICO is separate. We update this notice when our services or information practices change.