1. Introduction
Zero Down Lease is a group of companies comprising Leasehold Services Ltd, Leasehold Solicitors Ltd, and Leasehold Finance Ltd. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with care and respect. We try our best to avoid legalese and where possible write in a way that's easily read and understood.
Each Group Company maintains different regulatory oversight:
Leasehold Services Ltd (CRN: 13972245) is regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS number 884901) and is a member of The Property Ombudsman (TPO Membership Number: 26260). Leasehold Services Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) with Registration Number ZB327870.
Leasehold Solicitors Ltd (CRN: 16153744) is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 8011038). Leasehold Solicitors Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) with Registration Number ZB841421
Leasehold Finance Ltd (CRN: 16153257) is registered with the FCA as an Annex 1 Financial Institution for anti-money laundering supervision (Firm Reference: 1024784). Leasehold Finance Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) with Registration Number ZB841423
This Privacy Policy applies to all three Group Companies and explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal data. Each Group Company acts as a separate data controller for the personal data it processes. We update this policy periodically and if you've got any questions, please feel free to drop us a line at privacy@zerodown.lease
Our registered address for all Group Companies is: 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE.
2. Information We Collect
We collect various types of information about you when you use our services, visit our website, or interact with us in any way. This helps us provide you with the best possible service and comply with our regulatory obligations.
Information You Provide Directly
When you contact us, use our services, or fill in forms on our website, you may provide us with:
- Contact Information: Your full name, email address, phone numbers (mobile and landline), postal address including postcode
- Property Information: Details about your lease including unexpired term, ground rent, service charges, property address, breaches of lease, lease date, property valuation, freeholder details, management company information
- Financial Information: Income details, asset information, mortgage details, bank account information for payments, credit history (if using our finance services), payment card details
- Identity Documents: Passport, driving license, utility bills, bank statements, or other documents required for identity verification and anti-money laundering checks
- Transaction Documents: Leases, title documents, correspondence with freeholders, notices served, tribunal and/or court documents
- Communications: The content of emails, letters, phone call records, messages sent through our website, live chat conversations, feedback and survey responses
Information We Collect Automatically
When you visit our website or use our online services, we automatically collect certain technical and usage information:
- Device Information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type (mobile, tablet, desktop), screen resolution, unique device identifiers
- Usage Data: Pages visited, time and date of visits, time spent on pages, links clicked, referring website, search terms used to find us, download errors, interaction with emails we send
- Location Data: Approximate geographic location based on IP address
- Cookie Data: Information collected through cookies and similar technologies (see Section 10 for full details)
Information From Other Sources
In providing our services, we may receive information about you from various third parties:
- Public Sources: HM Land Registry for property ownership and title information, Companies House for company verification, Electoral roll for identity verification
- Credit Reference Agencies: If you apply for our finance services, we may obtain credit reports and scores from agencies such as Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion
- Other Parties in Your Transaction: Freeholders/landlords and their representatives, Other leaseholders in collective enfranchisement, Solicitors, barristers, and legal representatives, Surveyors and valuers, Managing agents and management companies, Mortgage lenders and financial advisers
- Professional Services: Accountants, insurance providers, other professional advisers involved in your matter
- Technology Partners: Payment processors, identity verification services, cloud storage providers, email delivery services
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data for various purposes related to providing our services and running our business effectively. Here's a comprehensive breakdown:
Service Delivery
We process your initial enquiry to assess whether we can help with your leasehold matter. This includes providing quotes and fee estimates for our services and setting up your case. Once instructed, we deliver the leasehold enfranchisement services you've requested, coordinating between Group Companies to ensure seamless service delivery.
Throughout your matter, we communicate with you about progress, updates, and any information we need. We prepare and serve statutory notices, negotiate with freeholders and their representatives, and instruct third party professionals on your behalf. Where necessary, we manage tribunal or court proceedings. We complete your transaction by registering all required documents with HM Land Registry.
Financial and Payment Processing
We process payments for our services and manage our client account to handle funds on your behalf in accordance with RICS regulations. This includes issuing invoices and statements, processing any refunds where applicable, and pursuing debt recovery where necessary. We also use your financial information for our internal financial reporting and accounting requirements.
Legal and Regulatory Compliance
We conduct identity verification and anti-money laundering checks as required by law. We comply with our obligations under RICS, SRA, and FCA regulations, maintaining all records as required by law and professional standards. When necessary, we respond to legitimate requests from regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, or courts.
We actively work to detect and prevent fraud, manage potential conflicts of interest, and ensure ongoing compliance with data protection laws and all other applicable legislation.
Business Operations and Improvement
We analyze how our services are used to identify areas for improvement. This includes training our staff and monitoring service quality to maintain high standards. We manage complaints and feedback constructively, conduct client satisfaction surveys, and use insights for business planning and strategy development.
Our internal auditing and risk management processes help ensure consistent service delivery. We continuously develop new services and products based on client needs and maintain and improve our IT systems and security infrastructure.
Marketing and Communications
Where you have consented, we send service updates and newsletters to keep you informed. We notify you about new services or changes to existing services that may benefit you. We may send birthday greetings or seasonal messages as part of our client relationship management.
4. Our Legal Basis for Processing
We only process your personal data when we have a valid legal reason to do so under data protection law. We rely on the following legal bases:
Contract Performance
We process your personal data where it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract. This covers all processing necessary to provide the leasehold enfranchisement services you've requested, from initial enquiry through to completion.
This includes managing your account and our client relationship, processing payments and issuing invoices, and all communications about your matter. We also rely on this basis when instructing third parties on your behalf and completing your transaction with all necessary registrations and documentation.
Legal Obligations
We process personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject. These obligations include anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing requirements, which require us to verify your identity and monitor transactions. We must also meet tax reporting and accounting obligations, maintaining accurate financial records for HMRC.
Our professional regulatory requirements under RICS, SRA, and FCA rules mandate certain processing activities and record-keeping. We must respond to court orders and manage legal proceedings when required. Statutory record-keeping requirements mean we must retain certain documents for specified periods. We also have health and safety obligations and must ensure ongoing compliance with data protection laws.
Legitimate Interests
We process personal data where necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, except where such interests are overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms. We have conducted appropriate balancing tests for each of these purposes.
Our legitimate interests include providing efficient group-wide services by coordinating between Group Companies to deliver comprehensive leasehold solutions. We need to manage our business effectively, including financial management, business planning, and corporate governance.
Ensuring security is paramount, so we process data to protect against fraud, maintain IT security, and safeguard client funds. We continuously work on improving our services by analyzing usage patterns, obtaining feedback, and developing new offerings. We may need to process data for legal protection when establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims.
We conduct direct marketing to existing clients about similar services, always providing opt-out rights. We also ensure we meet professional standards beyond strict legal requirements as part of our commitment to regulatory compliance.
Consent
For certain types of processing, we rely on your explicit consent. This includes marketing communications about third-party services, where we will only send these if you have specifically agreed. We require consent for the use of cookies and similar technologies on our website, as detailed in Section 10.
If we wish to share success stories or testimonials featuring your matter, we will always seek your express permission first. Similarly, any photography or video recording at events requires your consent before we capture or use your image.
Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time by contacting us.
5. Sharing Your Information
We may share your personal data with various parties in connection with our services and business operations:
Within Our Group
We operate as an integrated group to provide comprehensive leasehold enfranchisement services. You hereby authorize the transfer of your personal data between Group Companies for the purposes of providing our services.
This means that Leasehold Services Ltd may share your data with Leasehold Solicitors Ltd when reserved legal work is required as part of your transaction. Similarly, if you require financing, Leasehold Services Ltd may share your data with Leasehold Finance Ltd to assess and provide credit facilities. All Group Companies have access to our shared systems containing your data, enabling us to coordinate effectively and ensure consistent service delivery across all aspects of your matter.
Each Group Company remains a separate data controller and is responsible for its own compliance with data protection law.
Third Parties Involved in Your Transaction
We share relevant information with other parties involved in your leasehold matter as necessary to progress and complete your transaction. This includes sharing your name, property details, and correspondence related to your claim with freeholders and landlords. Legal representatives including solicitors, barristers, and legal advisers on all sides receive relevant case information to properly represent their clients' interests.
Valuers and surveyors receive property details and relevant financial information needed to prepare accurate valuations. If proceedings become necessary, we share all relevant case information with the tribunal or court. In collective enfranchisement cases, we share limited information with other leaseholders for coordination purposes. Managing agents receive information as necessary for the transaction, and mortgage lenders are contacted to obtain consent or discharge existing charges. Finally, HM Land Registry receives all necessary information for registration of completed transactions.
Service Providers
We use carefully selected third parties to help deliver our services efficiently and securely. Our technology providers include cloud storage services, along with specialized case management systems, document management platforms, and backup services. These systems enable us to work effectively while maintaining security.
For financial transactions, we work with established banks, payment processors, and credit card providers to handle payments securely. Identity verification is conducted through electronic verification services and credit reference agencies to meet our regulatory obligations.
We engage external professional services including lawyers for specialized matters, accountants for financial compliance, auditors for regulatory requirements, and insurance providers for professional indemnity coverage. Our communications infrastructure includes phone systems, live chat providers, and other platforms to maintain effective client communication. For marketing activities, we use digital platforms, social media tools, and analytics providers to understand and improve our services.
All service providers are contractually required to maintain appropriate security measures and only process data on our instructions and for the specific purposes we've outlined.
Other Disclosures
We may also share your information in certain other circumstances. When required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, we must disclose relevant information. In rare cases involving vital interests, we may share information to protect someone's life or safety.
If we sell, merge, or reorganize our business, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, but it would remain protected under this privacy policy. We share information with our professional advisers including lawyers, accountants, and insurers, who are all bound by professional confidentiality obligations.
If we suspect criminal activity, we share relevant information with appropriate authorities for fraud prevention purposes.
We will not sell your personal data to third parties for their marketing purposes.
6. International Transfers
Some of our service providers may process your data outside the UK. When this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data to the same standard as required in the UK.
We may transfer data to countries that have adequacy decisions, meaning the UK government has determined these countries provide an adequate level of data protection. For transfers to other countries, we use UK-approved standard contractual clauses, which are contract terms specifically designed to protect personal data when it leaves the UK.
We will inform you if we need to transfer your data internationally for any specific purpose beyond our standard service delivery.
7. Data Retention
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with our legal obligations.
Our main retention period is 7 years from when we complete work for you or last have contact with you. This is required by our professional regulators and tax authorities.
If you make an inquiry but don't proceed with our services, we will remove any personal data if 5 years have passed since the last point of contact.
We keep marketing preferences and suppression lists for longer to ensure we respect your wishes about future contact.
Once retention periods expire, we securely delete or anonymize your data.
8. Your Rights
Under data protection law, you have important rights regarding your personal data:
Right of Access
You can request a copy of all personal data we hold about you. This includes information about what data we have, why we're processing it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and your other rights. We'll provide this within one month, free of charge unless requests are excessive.
Right to Rectification
If any of your personal data is inaccurate or incomplete, you can ask us to correct it. We'll update our records and inform any third parties who need to know.
Right to Erasure ('Right to be Forgotten')
You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances. These include when we no longer need it, when you withdraw consent (where that's our legal basis), when you object and we have no overriding legitimate grounds, when we've processed it unlawfully, or when legal obligations require deletion. We may refuse if we need to keep it for legal claims, compliance, or other lawful reasons.
Right to Restrict Processing
You can ask us to limit how we use your data in several situations. This includes while we verify accuracy if you've challenged it, instead of erasure if processing is unlawful, if we no longer need it but you need it for legal claims, or while we consider your objection to processing.
Right to Data Portability
For data you've provided based on consent or contract that is processed automatically, you can receive it in a common, machine-readable format. You can also ask us to transfer it directly to another organization where feasible.
Right to Object
You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing. For marketing, we'll stop immediately. For processing based on legitimate interests, we'll stop unless we have compelling grounds that override your interests.
Exercising Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, you can contact us by email at privacy@zerodown.lease, or post to Zero Down Lease, 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE, or by phone on +44 (0)20 3856 8300. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
9. Data Security
We implement comprehensive technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data:
Technical Measures
We use encryption for data in transit using TLS/SSL and encrypt data at rest. Access is controlled through role-based permissions, strong passwords, and two-factor authentication. Our network security includes firewalls, intrusion detection, and regular security updates. We maintain regular encrypted backups with tested recovery procedures and continuously monitor for unauthorized access or anomalies.
Organizational Measures
All staff receive regular data protection and security awareness training and sign confidentiality agreements. We restrict data access to those who need it and enforce a clean desk policy to ensure physical documents are secured when not in use. We have documented incident response procedures for data breaches and conduct due diligence on all service providers. Regular internal and external security assessments help us maintain high standards.
Physical Security
Our offices have controlled entry systems and sensitive documents are stored securely. We ensure secure disposal through shredding and secure electronic deletion.
While we implement robust security measures, no system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but commit to maintaining high standards and promptly addressing any incidents.
10. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website to improve your experience and understand how our services are used.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our website. They help us remember your preferences, keep you signed in, improve site performance, analyze usage patterns, and provide relevant content.
Types of Cookies We Use
Essential Cookies are required for website operation, enable security features, provide access to secure areas, and remember privacy preferences. These cannot be disabled.
Performance Cookies include Google Analytics for usage statistics, page load time monitoring, error tracking, and anonymous usage patterns.
Functionality Cookies remember your choices such as language and region, provide personalized features, maintain live chat history, and assist with form filling.
Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies are set by third-party services including Google Analytics, social media platforms if you use share buttons, live chat providers, and payment processors.
Managing Cookies
You can control cookies through your browser settings, where most browsers let you block or delete cookies. You can also select your preferences using our cookie banner when you first visit. For more guidance, visit www.allaboutcookies.org. Please note that disabling cookies may affect website functionality.
Other Tracking Technologies
We may also use web beacons, which are tiny images that track email opens and website visits, local storage similar to cookies but with larger capacity, and session storage that is cleared when you close your browser.
11. Children's Privacy
Our services are not directed at individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
If you're under 18, please don't provide us with any personal information. If you're a parent and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can delete it.
12. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party sites, including professional regulators such as RICS, SRA, and TPO, government services like HM Land Registry and HMRC, partner organizations, and social media platforms.
We're not responsible for these external sites' privacy practices. Please review their privacy policies before providing any personal data.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, new legal requirements, improved privacy practices, or feedback from clients.
When we make material changes, we'll update the "Last Updated" date, notify you by email or website notice, and may ask you to re-confirm certain consents.
Please review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.
14. Contact Us
For any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data:
Zero Down Lease
3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street
London, EC2A 4NE
Email: privacy@zerodown.lease
Phone: +44 (0)20 3856 8300
Supervisory Authority
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
15. Acceptance of This Policy
By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you don't agree with any part of this policy, please don't use our services.
For existing clients, continued use of our services after notification of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Last updated: 16th July 2025
