Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

This Privacy Policy explains how Bailey Oster Chartered Accountants (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses and protects your personal data. We are the data controller for the personal data we process.

• Address: Maxron House, Green Lane, Romiley, Stockport SK6 3JQ
• Phone: 0161 358 1212
• Email: info@baileyoster.co.uk
• Data protection contact: dataprotection@baileyoster.co.uk
• ICO registration number: [to be confirmed]

2. Personal data we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Identity and contact details (name, email, phone, address, company)
• Enquiry content you submit via our contact form or by email/phone
• Client onboarding data required by anti-money-laundering regulations (proof of identity, proof of address, beneficial ownership)
• Financial and accounting records you provide to us so that we can deliver our services
• Correspondence and notes from our communications with you
• Technical data when you visit our website (IP address, browser type, device, pages viewed) collected via essential cookies and server logs

3. How and why we use your data

We use personal data to:

• Respond to enquiries and provide quotes
• Deliver accountancy, tax and advisory services under our engagement letter
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations (HMRC, Companies House, anti-money-laundering)
• Manage our client relationship, billing and record-keeping
• Maintain, secure and improve our website
• Send service updates or, where permitted, occasional information about our services

4. Lawful bases for processing

Under the UK GDPR we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Contract — to provide the services set out in our engagement letter.
• Legal obligation — to comply with tax, company law and the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017.
• Legitimate interests — to respond to enquiries, manage and develop our business, and keep our website secure. We balance these interests against your rights.
• Consent — for any optional marketing communications, which you can withdraw at any time.

5. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with:

• HM Revenue & Customs, Companies House and other regulators where required
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) as our professional body
• Trusted software providers acting as our processors (cloud accounting, payroll, document storage, email)
• Our professional indemnity insurers and legal advisers where necessary
• Anyone you ask us to share information with (for example a bank or lender)

All processors are bound by written contracts requiring appropriate security and confidentiality.

6. International transfers

We aim to keep your data within the UK or European Economic Area. Where a processor is located outside these regions, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or the International Data Transfer Agreement / Standard Contractual Clauses.

7. How long we keep your data

We retain client accounting and tax records for at least seven years after the end of our engagement, to meet our legal and regulatory obligations. Enquiry data from prospective clients is kept only as long as needed to respond and is then deleted or anonymised.

8. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Have inaccurate data corrected
• Request erasure of your data, subject to our legal retention obligations
• Restrict or object to certain processing
• Request portability of data you provided to us
• Withdraw consent where we rely on it
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk)

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at dataprotection@baileyoster.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

9. Cookies

Our website uses only essential cookies needed for the site to function and to keep it secure. If we introduce analytics or marketing cookies in future, we will ask for your consent first via a cookie banner.

10. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit, access controls, secure cloud hosting and the confidentiality standards required of ICAEW Chartered Accountants.

11. Children

Our services are intended for businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top of the page shows when changes were made.

13. Contact us

For any questions about this policy or your personal data, please contact us at dataprotection@baileyoster.co.uk or call 0161 358 1212. You can also use our contact page.