1. Introduction
StatusKWO ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal data when you visit our website at www.statuskwo.com (the "Website"), use our services, or otherwise interact with us.
This policy is provided in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). Please read it carefully before providing any personal data to us.
By using our Website or submitting information to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
2. Who We Are
StatusKWO is a specialist asset-based lending company providing bridging loans, development finance, portfolio finance, and auction finance to property investors, developers, and business owners in the United Kingdom.
For the purposes of data protection law, StatusKWO is the data controller — meaning we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.
Contact details:
Email: info@statuskwo.com
Phone: 020 4586 4720
Website: www.statuskwo.com/contact
3. What Personal Data We Collect
We collect personal data in several ways depending on how you interact with us:
3.1 Information you provide directly
When you submit a contact form, loan application, or otherwise communicate with us, we may collect:
- Identity data: First name, last name
- Contact data: Email address, telephone number
- Financial data: Loan amount requested, loan term, property details, and other information relevant to your lending enquiry
- Service preferences: The type of funding solution you are interested in (e.g., bridging loans, development finance)
- Communication data: The content of any messages you send to us via forms, email, or telephone
3.2 Information collected automatically
When you visit our Website, we may automatically collect certain technical data, but only if you consent to analytics cookies via our cookie consent banner:
- Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, click patterns, and navigation paths (collected anonymously via Google Analytics 4)
- Technical data: Browser type and version, device type, operating system, screen resolution
- Location data: Approximate geographic location (country/city level only, derived from anonymised IP address)
- Referral data: How you arrived at our Website (search engine, direct visit, external link)
If you reject analytics cookies, none of this data is collected. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
3.3 Information from third parties
We may receive personal data about you from third parties, including:
- Introducers or brokers who refer you to us
- Credit reference agencies (if you proceed to a formal loan application)
- Solicitors acting on your behalf
- Valuation surveyors instructed in connection with your application
4. How We Use Your Personal Data
We process your personal data for the following purposes, each with a corresponding legal basis under the UK GDPR:
| Purpose | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| To respond to your enquiries and provide information about our services | Legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f)) |
| To process and assess your loan application | Performance of a contract or steps prior to entering a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) |
| To carry out identity verification and anti-money laundering checks | Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) |
| To manage the ongoing lending relationship | Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) |
| To analyse website usage and improve our services | Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) — analytics cookies only load with your consent |
| To comply with legal, regulatory, and tax obligations | Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) |
| To prevent fraud and protect our business | Legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f)) |
5. Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell your personal data to any third party. We may share your data with the following categories of recipients where necessary:
- Professional advisers: Solicitors, valuers, and accountants instructed in connection with your transaction
- Credit reference agencies: For identity verification and creditworthiness assessment where required
- Regulatory bodies: Including the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), HM Revenue & Customs, and other authorities where required by law
- Technology providers: Including our website hosting provider (Hostinger) and analytics provider (Google Analytics), who process data on our behalf under appropriate contractual safeguards
- Funders and institutional partners: Where necessary to arrange or administer your facility, subject to confidentiality obligations
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes — they may only process your data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
6. International Transfers
Some of our third-party service providers (such as Google) are based outside the United Kingdom. Where your personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, including:
- Transfers to countries deemed adequate by the UK Government
- Standard contractual clauses approved by the ICO
- Other legally recognised transfer mechanisms
7. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. Our retention periods are as follows:
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Enquiry form submissions (no loan taken) | 12 months from last contact |
| Loan application data (no facility completed) | 3 years from application date |
| Completed loan facility records | 6 years after facility redemption (as required by financial regulations) |
| AML/KYC records | 5 years after the end of the business relationship (as required by the Money Laundering Regulations 2017) |
| Website analytics data | 26 months (Google Analytics default) |
When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be associated with you.
8. Data Security
We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
- SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted via our Website (HTTPS)
- Secure hosting infrastructure with regular security updates
- Access controls limiting who within our organisation can access personal data
- Regular review of our data processing practices and security measures
While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to maintaining the highest practical standards.
9. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
- Right of access (Article 15): You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification (Article 16): You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Right to erasure (Article 17): You have the right to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances (also known as the "right to be forgotten").
- Right to restrict processing (Article 18): You have the right to request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability (Article 20): You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
- Right to object (Article 21): You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
- Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent (e.g., analytics cookies), you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@statuskwo.com. We will respond to your request within one calendar month as required by law. In complex cases, we may extend this by a further two months, but we will inform you of any extension and the reasons for it.
There is no fee for exercising your rights in most circumstances. However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive, or excessive.
10. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our Website uses cookies and local storage to provide essential functionality and, with your consent, to analyse website traffic via Google Analytics 4.
We operate a cookie consent banner that gives you the choice to accept or reject analytics cookies before they are set. No analytics data is collected without your explicit consent.
For full details of the cookies and technologies we use, how they work, and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.
11. Third-Party Links
Our Website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or resources that are not operated by us. These include links to Google's privacy policy, Unsplash, and other external sites referenced in our content.
We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.
12. Children's Privacy
Our Website and services are not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible.
13. Automated Decision-Making
We do not currently use automated decision-making (including profiling) that produces legal effects or similarly significant effects on you. All lending decisions are made by our experienced team with human oversight.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.
15. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's supervisory authority for data protection:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you contact the ICO. Please reach out to us first at info@statuskwo.com and we will do our best to resolve the matter.
16. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us:
StatusKWO
Email: info@statuskwo.com
Phone: 020 4586 4720
Website: www.statuskwo.com/contact