1. Who is responsible for your information
Contact Hannah Beniston, trading as Beniston VA Services, at hannah@benistonvaservices.co.uk or write to our UK mailing address: 87-88 Circular Road, Storforth Lane Trading Estate, Hasland, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, S41 0SN.
For enquiries and the administration of my own client relationships, Hannah Beniston trading as Beniston VA Services is the data controller. This notice explains that processing. Information handled only on behalf of a client is also governed by that client’s instructions and our separate data-processing agreement.
2. What information is involved
Information you choose to send may include your name, email address, business or postal address, enquiry, correspondence and details needed to agree and deliver a service. Client administration can also involve proposals, contracts, invoices, payment records and instructions.
When you submit the contact form, your name, email, business name and message are transmitted to FormSubmit (Devro LABS), which processes the enquiry for email delivery to Hannah. The page address is included with the submission. The delivery service may also process technical request information. This website does not maintain its own enquiry database.
FormSubmit’s documentation states that submissions are retained in its archive for 30 days. Copies delivered to Hannah’s email account follow the retention arrangements below. See FormSubmit’s privacy terms and documentation. Please do not submit confidential client files, passwords or sensitive personal information through this form.
The website hosting service may process technical information such as your IP address, browser information, requested pages and security logs. Fibrehawk provides the website hosting. Its technical log and backup retention arrangements still need confirmation.
3. Purposes and lawful bases
| Purpose | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Discussing or supplying services to you as a sole trader | Steps you request before a contract, and performance of that contract |
| Corresponding with staff or representatives of business clients | Legitimate interests in communicating with clients and managing the business relationship |
| Keeping required accounting and tax records | Compliance with legal obligations |
| Handling disputes and protecting records and systems | Legitimate interests in resolving claims and operating securely, balanced against your rights |
You do not have to provide optional information. Without enough contact or task information, I may be unable to respond or perform the requested work. No mailing-list signup, targeted advertising or automated decision-making is included in the current website.
4. Where information comes from and who receives it
Most information comes directly from you. A business client may also provide contact details, instructions or documents through an authorised representative.
I use the following services to run Beniston VA Services:
- Fibrehawk: website and business email hosting, including the delivery and storage of email correspondence.
- Google Drive: storage of business documents and client files.
- FormSubmit: delivery of website enquiries to my email inbox.
I prepare my own invoices as PDF documents. I do not currently use a separate accounting platform to create them. Experience with software listed on the Services page does not mean your information is automatically shared with those suppliers.
Information may also be shared with professional advisers where needed, or with authorities where disclosure is required by law. Only information relevant to that purpose is shared. Work carried out in a client's own systems is subject to the arrangements agreed with that client.
5. Processing outside the UK
Google operates servers around the world, so information stored in Google Drive may be processed outside the UK. Google's published information describes its use of adequacy decisions, the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses, depending on the transfer. See Google's data transfer information.
The terms applicable to the Google account used for client files still need to be confirmed. Fibrehawk's and FormSubmit's processing locations and any applicable UK international-transfer safeguards have not yet been verified. This notice does not claim that all information stays in the UK or that those arrangements have been confirmed.
6. How long information is kept
- Enquiries that do not lead to work: deleted within 12 months of the last meaningful contact, unless they need to be retained for a legal requirement or an unresolved dispute.
- Invoices and tax records: kept for at least five years after the 31 January Self Assessment submission deadline for the relevant tax year. Longer periods may apply where a return is filed very late or HMRC requires records to be retained.
- Contracts and other client administration: kept while needed to manage the work, meet legal requirements and deal with any outstanding dispute or claim. The need to retain these records will be reviewed when the work ends.
- Client working files: returned or deleted in accordance with the client's instructions and our agreed data-processing arrangements when the work ends, unless the law requires retention.
- FormSubmit's submission archive: its documentation states that submissions are retained for 30 days. Copies received in my email account follow the relevant period above.
Hosting logs and provider backups have separate retention arrangements, which still need to be confirmed. Deleting a working file may not immediately remove every provider backup copy.
7. Security and client information
The website uses HTTPS to encrypt information in transit between your browser and the website. Online services cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Please do not send passwords or sensitive documents in an initial enquiry. Before work involving personal information begins, we will agree how it will be shared, who needs access and the relevant data-processing arrangements.
8. Your rights and complaints
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to access, correct or erase your data, restrict its use, object to processing, or receive a portable copy. Where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it without affecting earlier lawful processing. Some rights depend on the lawful basis and other legal requirements.
Contact Hannah using the details above to make a request or complaint. Requests will be considered within the applicable legal time limit. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, by telephone on 0303 123 1113, or at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
9. Updates
The date above shows when this notice was last updated. It will be updated when the outstanding provider arrangements are confirmed or the way personal information is used changes. See the Cookie policy for the current website setup.