Privacy Policy

This policy explains how Acuity Finance Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses and protects your personal data when you use this website or get in touch with us. We are the data controller for the information you provide.

Who we are

Acuity Finance Ltd, a company registered in England & Wales (No. 16401586), registered office Urban House, Unit 2, 41 Landor Street, Birmingham, B8 1AE. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for data protection under reference ZC223114. You can contact us about your data at info@acuity-finance.co.uk.

What we collect

• Enquiry details you send via our contact form or by email — your name, email address, phone number (if given) and the content of your message.
• Usage data — basic, mostly anonymous information about how visitors use the site, collected through analytics and cookies (see below).
• Client portal and app data — if you become a client and use our portal or iPhone app: your name, email, phone number and sign-in records (time, IP address, device); the documents you upload or we share with you (bank statements, invoices, accounts, tax returns and similar); approvals you give (who approved, when, from which device and IP address, and a fingerprint of the exact file); and, to meet our legal duties under the Money Laundering Regulations, copies of your identity document, a photo of you holding it, and proof of address.
• Device details for notifications — if you allow notifications in the app, a push token that identifies your device to Apple.

How we use it, and our lawful basis

• To respond to your enquiry and provide the information or services you ask for — on the basis of taking steps at your request before entering a contract, and our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries.
• To understand and improve how the website performs — on the basis of your consent to non-essential cookies, and our legitimate interest in maintaining the site.
• To provide accountancy, bookkeeping and tax services to you through the portal and app, including storing your documents, asking you for information, sending reminders and recording your approvals — on the basis of performing our contract with you.
• To verify your identity and keep records of that check — on the basis of our legal obligations under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. We are supervised by HMRC for anti-money-laundering purposes.
• To keep the portal secure, including sign-in and audit records — on the basis of our legitimate interest in protecting your data and our legal obligations.

Cookies & analytics

We use a small number of cookies to make the site work and, with your consent, to measure how it is used (for example via Google Analytics). Our contact form is protected by Google reCAPTCHA, which is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You can accept or decline non-essential cookies, and you can change your browser settings to block cookies at any time.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your data. We may share it with trusted service providers who help us run the website, portal and our business, who act on our instructions: our hosting and email provider (IONOS, servers in the EU); Cloudflare, which stores portal documents encrypted at rest in the European Union; Apple, to deliver app notifications; GoCardless, if you pay by Direct Debit; FreeAgent, for your bookkeeping; Companies House, whose public register we look up; analytics and spam protection (Google); and our call-booking provider (Calendly) when you choose to book a call. We do not transfer your data outside the UK or EU except to providers covered by the UK's adequacy regulations or appropriate safeguards. Where the law requires, we may disclose information to regulators or authorities, including HMRC.

How long we keep it

We keep enquiry information only as long as needed to deal with your enquiry and for our legitimate business and legal records, after which it is securely deleted. Client records, including documents, approvals and identity checks, are kept for six years after our engagement ends, as required by the Money Laundering Regulations and HMRC record-keeping rules, and then securely deleted. If you delete your account in the app or portal, your login is removed immediately and the records above are retained for that period only.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to access, correct, delete or restrict the use of your personal data, to object to processing, and to data portability. To exercise any of these, email us at info@acuity-finance.co.uk.

Complaints

If you have a concern about how we handle your data, please contact us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated shown at the top.