PRIVACY POLICY
Protecting your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how The Equity Release Guide collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Who We Are
The Equity Release Guide is a trading name of Smarter Clicks Marketing Ltd (company number 11794658), which acts as the data controller for all personal data collected through this website and related services.
Registered office: Smarter Clicks Marketing Ltd
85 Great Portland Street
First Floor
London
W1W 7LT
United Kingdom
Smarter Clicks Marketing Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under the Data Protection Act 2018.
Smarter Clicks Marketing Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Creative Finance Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number 702435). Smarter Clicks Marketing Ltd’s Appointed Representative reference number is 1046043.
All financial promotions and regulated content published on this website are approved by Creative Finance Ltd. Smarter Clicks Marketing Ltd remains responsible for the operation of this website, lead handling, marketing activity, and data processing.
This Policy Applies Alongside
This Privacy Policy should be read alongside our:
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Any other documents referenced on this website
1. Information We May Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
Information you provide via website forms (e.g. name, email, telephone number, postcode, age, property details)
Records of correspondence when you contact us
Information you provide when reporting a problem with the website
Technical data such as IP address, browser type, device type, time zone, and usage data
Details of your visits to our website (traffic data, weblogs, referral sources)
Information used to help verify your identity
Information received from trusted third parties where relevant (e.g. introducers or partners)
Survey or feedback responses (where voluntarily provided)
We do not knowingly collect data from children under the age of 18.
2. Lawful Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases to process your data:
Consent – where you have given clear permission (e.g. marketing communications)
Legitimate interests – to operate and improve our services, process enquiries, and run our business
Contractual necessity – where processing is required to deliver the service you requested
Legal obligation – where we are required to comply with legal or regulatory requirements
You can withdraw consent at any time (see Section 6: Your Rights).
3. How We Use Your Information
We may use your personal information to:
Process and submit your enquiry to our approved FCA-authorised brokers or advisers
Contact you by telephone, SMS, WhatsApp, or email regarding your enquiry
Provide customer support and respond to questions or complaints
Improve our services, systems, and website performance
Maintain internal records and carry out analysis or quality monitoring
Send you relevant marketing communications where you have consented
Share your information with trusted third parties where necessary to deliver the service you requested
You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by emailing:
info@theequityreleaseguide.co.uk
If you have consented to receive marketing from third parties, you will need to contact those organisations directly to withdraw consent.
4. How We Store and Protect Your Data
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:
Secure servers and encryption where appropriate
Restricted access to authorised staff and trusted partners only
Regular security reviews and internal controls
While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, no online transmission is completely secure.
We retain your data only for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected, including legal, regulatory, and legitimate business requirements.
5. Sharing Your Information
We may share your personal data with:
FCA-authorised equity release advisers or brokers to progress your enquiry
Technology and service providers who support our systems (e.g. CRM platforms, hosting providers)
Professional advisers (legal, compliance, accounting)
Regulators or law enforcement where required by law
Fraud prevention or identity verification agencies where relevant
A third party if our business or assets are sold or transferred
All third parties are required to handle your data securely and in accordance with data protection law.
We do not sell your personal data.
6. International Data Transfers
We do not routinely transfer your data outside the UK or European Economic Area (EEA).
If data is transferred internationally (for example, where a technology supplier is based overseas), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent protections.
7. Your Rights
You have the right to:
Request access to the personal data we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Request deletion of your data (in certain circumstances)
Object to processing based on legitimate interests
Restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances
Request data portability
Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
https://www.ico.org.uk
Where you were introduced to us by a third party, we may share limited status information (such as whether contact was made) for legitimate administrative purposes.
8. Credit Reference and Fraud Prevention Checks
Where your enquiry progresses to an adviser or broker, they may carry out checks with credit reference agencies (CRAs) or fraud prevention agencies (FPAs) to:
Verify your identity
Assess eligibility
Prevent fraud and financial crime
This processing is carried out by the adviser or lender under their own privacy policies and regulatory obligations.
9. Cookies and Website Tracking
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:
Improve website functionality
Analyse usage and performance
Understand user behaviour and improve services
Cookies may collect technical and usage data but do not store sensitive personal information.
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please see our Cookie Policy for full details.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page and will take effect immediately upon publication.
We recommend checking this page periodically to stay informed.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact:
Data Protection Team
The Equity Release Guide
Smarter Clicks Marketing Ltd
85 Great Portland Street
First Floor
London
W1W 7LT
Email: info@theequityreleaseguide.co.uk
11. Automated and AI-Assisted Communications
We use artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems to help us operate efficiently and respond to enquiries quickly. This section explains how.
AI-Assisted Voice Calls
Some outbound and inbound telephone calls may be made or answered by an AI voice assistant rather than a human agent. Where this is the case:
You can ask to speak to a human at any time
Calls may be transferred to a human team member where appropriate (for example, to confirm an appointment or progress your enquiry)
Call Recording and Transcription
Calls (whether handled by a human or AI assistant) may be recorded and transcribed for the following purposes:
Quality monitoring and staff training
Accurate record-keeping of your enquiry and any appointments booked
Compliance with our regulatory obligations as an Appointed Representative
Resolving disputes or complaints
Our lawful basis for recording is legitimate interests (operating our business, maintaining accurate records, and meeting regulatory expectations). Recordings and transcripts are retained only for as long as necessary and are subject to the same security measures described in Section 4.
AI-Assisted Messaging and Email
We may use AI tools to help draft, send, summarise, or route SMS, WhatsApp, and email communications, and to help schedule appointments with our advisers and brokers. A human team member oversees these systems and reviews outputs where appropriate.
AI Service Providers
The AI tools we use are provided by third-party technology suppliers who act as our processors. They are contractually required to handle your data securely and only on our instructions, in line with UK GDPR.
Your Rights
You can object to AI-assisted communications at any time by emailing info@theequityreleaseguide.co.uk and asking to be contacted only by a human, or to opt out of marketing communications altogether.