Privacy notice

Privacy contact

Data controller
Lisa Vaughan, trading as Mrs Downsizer

Based in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Postal correspondence details are available on request; a home address is not published online for security reasons.

Privacy at a glance

• Mrs Downsizer collects only what is reasonably needed to answer enquiries, provide services safely and keep proper business records.
• Personal information is never sold, rented or shared for another organisation’s marketing.
• You can ask what information is held about you and request action where data-protection law gives you that right.

1. Who this notice covers

Lisa Vaughan, trading as Mrs Downsizer, is the data controller. That means Lisa decides why and how personal information is used.

This notice covers prospective clients, clients, relatives or representatives enquiring for somebody else, website visitors and people who work with Mrs Downsizer.

If another person contacts Mrs Downsizer on your behalf, they may provide your name, contact details and relevant information about the help requested. Where required, you will be directed to this notice when Mrs Downsizer first communicates with you.

2. Information collected

Depending on how you contact or work with Mrs Downsizer, this may include:

• Contact details: name, email address, telephone number, town or postcode and preferred contact method.
• Enquiry and service details: who the help is for, the likely timeframe, messages, notes, appointments, instructions, access arrangements and quotations.
• Business records: service agreements, invoices, payment status, correspondence, complaints and insurance-related records. Mrs Downsizer does not need your full payment-card details.
• Website information: IP address, browser or device information, security and spam logs, and cookie or consent choices.

A note about sensitive information

Downsizing, bereavement and home-support conversations can sometimes reveal health, disability or other private family circumstances. Please do not send detailed medical, financial or other highly sensitive information through the website form.

If limited health or mobility information is genuinely needed later to provide the service safely, Lisa will explain why it is needed, ask for explicit consent where required and record only the minimum. You may withdraw consent, although this can affect whether the service can be provided safely. Sensitive information is not used for marketing.

3. How and why information is used

Mrs Downsizer uses personal information only for clear purposes and with an appropriate lawful basis:

• Enquiries and quotations — steps at your request before a contract. To reply, understand what support may be suitable, arrange a call or visit and prepare a quotation.
• Booked services — contract. To schedule and provide the service, follow instructions, communicate about progress, arrange agreed third-party help and manage payment.
• Tax, accounting and regulatory records — legal obligation. To keep invoices and records required by law and respond to lawful requests.
• Website security and proportionate business administration — legitimate interests. To prevent spam or misuse, protect the website, maintain useful records, recover debts and establish or defend legal claims. These interests are balanced against your rights and expectations.
• Optional cookies or direct marketing — consent where required. Mrs Downsizer does not currently operate an email newsletter. If this changes, marketing choices will be separate and easy to withdraw.
• Limited health or mobility information — explicit consent where required. This is used only when genuinely necessary to deliver the service safely, or where data-protection law otherwise permits its use.

Mrs Downsizer does not use automated decision-making or profiling to decide whether to provide a service.

4. Who information may be shared with

Information is shared only when reasonably necessary. Recipients may include:

• GoDaddy for website hosting and infrastructure, and Microsoft 365 for business email;
• authorised website, IT or administrative support. Website enquiries are stored in WordPress and delivered by email; an authorised administrator supporting the website may also receive or access a copy;
• accountants, insurers, legal advisers, banks or payment providers;
• cleaners, removal firms, storage providers or licensed waste carriers where you ask Lisa to help arrange that service. Relevant details are discussed and limited to what the provider needs;
• public authorities, regulators, courts or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Mrs Downsizer does not sell or rent personal information.

5. International transfers

Some technology providers may store or process information outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, Mrs Downsizer will use a provider that relies on a lawful UK transfer mechanism, such as UK adequacy regulations or approved contractual safeguards.

You may ask for more information about the safeguard relevant to your information by emailing hello@mrsdownsizer.co.uk.

6. How long information is kept

Mrs Downsizer keeps information only for as long as it is reasonably needed:

• Enquiries that do not become bookings: normally up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact.
• Client files and service correspondence: normally up to six years after the service ends, to deal with contractual, insurance or legal matters.
• Invoices, payment and tax records: for at least five years after the 31 January submission deadline for the relevant tax year, and longer if HMRC requires it or an enquiry remains open. Lisa may use a six-year working retention period to apply this consistently.
• Limited health or mobility information: reviewed when the service ends and normally deleted within three months unless it remains necessary for an active complaint, insurance matter or legal claim.
• Website security, spam and consent records: according to the relevant provider or website setting, generally no longer than 12 months unless needed to investigate a security incident or demonstrate a consent choice.

Information in routine backups may remain until that backup is securely overwritten. Retention periods are reviewed at least annually.

7. Keeping information secure

Reasonable measures are used for a small business, including password-protected and access-limited accounts, trusted hosting and email providers, software updates, limited sharing and secure disposal when information is no longer needed.

No website or email system can be guaranteed completely secure. If you believe information has been sent to the wrong person or an account may be compromised, please contact Lisa promptly.

8. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used, you may have the right to:

• ask for a copy of your personal information;
• correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• ask for deletion or restriction of use;
• object to certain uses, including direct marketing;
• receive certain information in a portable format; and
• withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis used.

These rights are not absolute and legal exemptions may apply. Withdrawing consent does not affect use that was lawful before withdrawal.

Email hello@mrsdownsizer.co.uk to make a request. Lisa may need to confirm your identity. Mrs Downsizer will respond without undue delay and normally within one month. There is normally no charge.

9. Questions and complaints

Please contact Lisa first so there is an opportunity to put things right: hello@mrsdownsizer.co.uk.

You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK data-protection regulator:

Make a data-protection complaint to the ICO
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

10. Cookies, children and changes

Cookies: the website uses technologies needed to operate securely. Optional cookies are used only after an appropriate consent choice where the law requires one. Read the Cookie Notice for details and available controls.

Children: the website and services are not directed at children. Mrs Downsizer does not knowingly ask children to submit information through the website. Information about family members should be limited to what is relevant to the requested service.

Changes: this notice will be reviewed at least once a year and sooner if the business changes how it uses information. Material changes will be explained clearly on this page and, where appropriate, brought to affected people’s attention.