Property Searches privacy notice

Thames Water is committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”).

This privacy notice sets out the basis on which we process personal data in connection with the provision of any of our drainage and water property search services and products (“Property Search Services”). These may, for example, include Residential Drainage and Water Enquiry reports (CON29DW Residential) and Commercial Drainage and Water Enquiry reports (CON29DW Commercial). In this privacy notice, we refer to any CON29DW Residential report, CON29DW Commercial reports, and/or any other report from Property Search Services as a “Property Search Report”, and together as “Property Search Reports”.

Property Search Services may be requested by persons who are likely to receive or need water, drainage and/or sewerage services from Thames Water to the specified property, and who are owners and/or occupiers of the property (together “Owner/Occupiers”), potential future owners/occupiers (who are likely to be known by the Owners/Occupiers) of the property (“Future Owner/Occupiers”), and/or actual and/or potential funders for financing (to Owner/Occupiers or Future Owner/Occupiers) related to the property (“Funders”) (in each case such individuals being “Customers”), whether such requests are made directly, or indirectly via their agents (“Agents”). In addition, Property Search Services may be requested in whole or part by or for Customers via other suppliers of water, drainage or sewerage services to relevant property Owner/Occupiers.

In offering and providing the Property Search Services we use personal data of Customers, Owner/ Occupiers and/or of related individuals contacts at Agents and/or Funders, and of other individuals who contact us with enquiries (“Enquirers”), and in respect of our Thames Water website for Property Searches Services (the “Website”), personal data of visitors to it (“Visitors”).

In this privacy notice references to “we”, “us” and “Thames Water Property Searches” are to Thames Water Utilities Limited. Thames Water Property Searches is a department of Thames Water Utilities Limited for its Property Search Services business. You can contact us and our Data Protection Officer by post to:

Thames Water Property Searches
Data Protection Officer
Clearwater Court
Vastern Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 8DB

For the purposes of the UK GDPR, Thames Water Utilities Limited is the controller of your personal data in relation to Property Search Services. Further details about us can be found in our main privacy notice (“Privacy Notice”), available here or on written request using the contact information set out at the end of this Property Search Services privacy notice.

It is important that you read this Property Search Services privacy notice together with our main Privacy Notice as it contains more details about how we process your personal data, including about your rights in relation to your personal data. Our main Privacy Notice also covers our processing of personal data of Visitors to our Website.

We may update this privacy notice from time to time and will state in the notice the date when it was last updated.

You can also download a copy of our Privacy notice.

What information do we collect?

Using the information we collect and the lawful basis for processing

We will use your information to:

Purpose	Lawful basis
Provide Customers and/or their Agents with our Property Search Services (indirectly assisting Owner/Occupiers with their planned property related transactions involving the Customers) Carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between Customers and/or their Agent and us (including dealing with related communication, requests and enquiries raised before or after completing an order) To investigate and address Customer / Agent complaints and to comply with investigations of The Property Ombudsman (“TPO”) Scheme for complaints redress)	The lawful basis we rely on for processing of personal data of Customers and/or their Agents for these purposes is Article 6(1)(b) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when this is necessary for the performance of a contract (or in order to enter into a contract). The lawful basis we rely on for processing of personal data of Owners/Occupiers for these purposes is Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR which allows us to process personal data when we have a legitimate interest in doing so, provided we do not unreasonably override the interests or rights of individuals. Here, our legitimate interests are the provision of our Property Search Services to our Customers (directly or through their Agents) who require the drainage and water search information to inform decisions about occupying and/or purchasing the relevant property and/or property related funding.
Process any payments that are made via our website. Please note we use a third party, Worldpay UK Ltd, to collect and process payments made over our website	The lawful basis we rely on for processing of personal data of Customers and/or their Agents for these purposes is Article 6(1)(b) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when this is necessary for the performance of a contract (or in order to enter into a contract).
Notify Customers and/or their Agent about changes to our Property Search Services	The lawful basis we rely on for processing of personal data of Customers and/or their Agents for these purposes is Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR which allows us to process personal data when we have a legitimate interest in doing so, provided we do not unreasonably override the interests or rights of individuals. Here, our legitimate interests are to ensure that our Customer and/or their Agents are aware of changes to our Property Search Services.
To carry out contractual obligations arising from any contracts for a CON29DW Residential or CON29DW Commercial report (or relevant content for it) entered into involving other providers of drainage and/or water property search services and the Customers (for example, when a Customer or Agent places an order for information relating to our area of water supply with another sewerage company and we provide the necessary clean water data to them for the purpose of that report); and/or To facilitate the provision of all required content to Customer/Agent for a CON29DW Residential or CON29DW Commercial report they order indirectly and in each case indirectly assisting Owner/Occupiers with their planned property related transactions involving the Customers	The lawful basis we rely on for processing of personal data of Owners/Occupiers, Customers and/or their Agents for these purposes is Article 6(1) (f) of the UK GDPR which allows us to process personal data when we have a legitimate interest in doing so, provided we do not unreasonably override the interests or rights of individuals. Here, our legitimate interests are to facilitate the fulfilment of orders placed by Customers and/ or their Agents with other providers.
To investigate and address complaints from Customers and Agents	The lawful basis we rely on for processing of personal data of Owners/Occupiers, Customers and/or their Agents for these purposes is Article 6(1) (f) of the UK GDPR which allows us to process personal data when we have a legitimate interest in doing so, provided we do not unreasonably override the interests or rights of individuals. Here, our legitimate interests are frstly, to resolve complaints from Customers and/or their Agents, and secondly, to maintain high standards of services and compliance with DWSN membership requirements (see below).
To comply with our legal and compliance obligations	The lawful basis we rely on for processing of personal data of Customers and/or their Agents and/or Owners/Occupiers for these purposes is Article 6(1)(c) of the UK GDPR which allows to process personal data when it is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject.
To comply with our obligations flowing from our membership of the Drainage+Water Searches Network (“DWSN”), including complying with the DWSN standards. DWSN is an industry body for providers of CON29DW Residential and CON29DW Commercial search reports promoting good practice and standards. This may involve relevant data sharing where needed with The Property Ombudsman (“TPO”) to help them to consider any complaint made to them by a Customer/Agent	The lawful basis we rely on for processing Customer/Agent and/or Owner/Occupier personal data for these purposes is under Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when we have a legitimate interest in doing so, provided we do not unreasonably override the interests or rights of individuals. Here, our legitimate interests are to maintain high standards of services and compliance with DWSN membership requirements.
To contact Customers and/or their Agent (for example mail, e-mail, phone) about related products and services offered by us that have been requested. If you would like to change your preferences, please email property.searches@thameswater.co.uk	The lawful basis we rely on for processing Customer/Agent personal data for these purposes is under Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when we have a legitimate interest in doing so, provided we do not unreasonably override the interests or rights of individuals. Here, our legitimate interests are in managing our business efficiently and profitably.

We may also process personal data as may be necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims (including insurance claims).

Read more about the lawful basis in our Privacy notice.

Storing and managing your data

Your rights

Disclosure of your information

We may disclose your personal data to any member of the Thames Water Group, where necessary to respond to any further contact relating to the products or services that you have requested from us. A list of Thames Water Group companies can be found on our structure webpage.

Where a Customer and/or their Agent places an order for any Property Search Services with us but we do not provide all relevant services and/or hold all relevant details required, we will request those details from the relevant third party. In particular, where we supply sewerage services but the water supply for the property is provided by another water company, we will disclose the address of the property to which the search relates to the relevant water company to obtain the necessary clean water data from them to provide us with the relevant details for us to provide the Property Search Report.

Where a Customer and/or their Agent places an order for a CON29DW Residential or CON29DW Commercial report with another provider of sewerage services to the property, we may on request from them, disclose relevant property-specific data to that provider. In particular, where that provider supplies only sewerage services to the relevant property and clean water is supplied by us, we may disclose the relevant property specific clean water related details needed for the report concerned, when requested by that provider to assist them to fulfil the order.

We also share personal data with third party contractors and suppliers we use when preparing and providing our Property Search Services and including in relation to the operation of our Website and dealing with Property Search Service orders. For example, we use a third party, Worldpay UK Ltd, to process payments made via our Website. For details about our contractors and suppliers we use, please see the third-party list on our privacy page.

In addition to the above, we may disclose your personal data to third parties in the following circumstances:

In the event this is necessary to comply with investigations under the TPO Scheme;
In the event that we sell any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective or actual buyer of such business or assets;
If Thames Water Utilities Limited or its Thames Water Property Searches business, are acquired by a third party, in which case personal data held by it about its Customers will be one of the transferred assets;
If we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce or apply our Terms of Use or Terms and Conditions;
In order to protect our rights, property or safety, or the rights, property or safety of our suppliers, Customers or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction; and
In any other manner mentioned elsewhere in this notice.