1. Who we are
This privacy notice explains how Ashcombe Private Office (“we”, “us” or “our”) collects and uses personal information when you visit our website or contact us about our services. Our contact details are 18 King Street, London, SW1Y 6QW, United Kingdom and office@ashcombeprivate.co.uk. We are the controller of personal information processed for the purposes described in this notice, unless we tell you otherwise in a specific context.
This notice applies to the information we obtain through our website and ordinary communications with prospective and existing clients, professional contacts and other people who get in touch with us. It does not describe the privacy practices of third-party websites or services that may be reached from our website.
Effective date: 2026-05-22.
2. Information we collect
The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. If you use a contact form or email us, we may collect your name, email address, telephone number if supplied, the organisation you represent, and the contents of your enquiry or correspondence. If you contact us by telephone or other means, we may record information you choose to provide in the course of that communication.
When you visit our website, basic technical information may be collected by our hosting and security systems, such as your IP address, browser and device information, pages requested, timestamps and diagnostic or error information. This information is generally used to deliver, secure and maintain the website. Whether additional analytics or cookies are used depends on the website configuration and your choices; see the cookie information presented on the site where applicable.
Please do not send sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for your enquiry and you have a secure way to provide it. We do not ask you to submit special category data through a general contact form.
3. How we use information and our lawful bases
We use information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We rely on one or more lawful bases, depending on the purpose and circumstances:
- Responding to enquiries and taking steps at your request: we use contact details and enquiry information to respond, discuss a potential engagement and take pre-contractual steps requested by you. The lawful basis is taking steps at your request before entering into a contract and, where appropriate, our legitimate interests in managing professional communications.
- Providing and administering services: if you become a client, we process relevant contact, engagement and correspondence information to perform our agreement, manage the relationship and provide the services requested. The lawful basis is performance of a contract and, where applicable, our legitimate interests in administering our business.
- Operating and protecting the website: we use technical and security information to keep the website available, prevent misuse, investigate faults and protect our systems. The lawful basis is our legitimate interests in operating a secure website and business, subject to your rights.
- Legal and regulatory obligations: we may process or retain information where necessary to comply with applicable law, respond to lawful requests, establish or defend legal claims, or maintain required business records. The lawful basis is compliance with a legal obligation or, where relevant, our legitimate interests.
- Optional communications: if we send direct marketing, we will do so only where permitted by applicable law. We may rely on consent or another lawful basis available under the rules that apply, and you can object or unsubscribe at any time.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, those interests include responding to professional communications, managing client and business relationships, maintaining website security, and protecting or enforcing legal rights. We consider the impact on your rights and do not use this basis where your interests override ours.
4. Sharing and international transfers
We may share relevant information with service providers who support our operations, such as website hosting, email, information technology, security, professional or administrative providers. They may process personal information only under our instructions and subject to appropriate confidentiality and security requirements.
We may also disclose information to legal, regulatory, tax or law-enforcement authorities where required or permitted by law, and to professional advisers or other parties where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. If our business or its assets are reorganised or transferred, information may be shared as part of that process subject to appropriate protections.
We do not sell personal information. If a service provider or recipient processes information outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that a lawful transfer mechanism and appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, or the UK Addendum to the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, as applicable. You may contact us for further information about relevant safeguards.
5. Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to respond to an enquiry, provide services, maintain appropriate business records, comply with legal obligations and resolve disputes. Retention periods vary with the nature of the information, our relationship with you and any legal or regulatory requirements.
Enquiry correspondence that does not lead to an engagement is generally retained only for a period appropriate to follow up and document the enquiry, after which it is deleted or anonymised unless a longer period is needed for a legal claim or other legitimate purpose. Client and engagement records may be retained for the duration of the engagement and for an appropriate period afterwards to meet legal, accounting, regulatory or claims-management needs.
Technical logs are retained for the period needed to operate, secure and troubleshoot the website, taking account of the type of log and security requirements. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete it securely or anonymise it.
6. Cookies and website technologies
Cookies and similar technologies may be used to make the website function and to support security or understand website performance. The categories that may be relevant are:
- Strictly necessary cookies: required for core website functions, security or the delivery of a service you request. These do not require consent where the legal exemption applies.
- Preference cookies: remember choices such as language or other settings, where offered.
- Analytics or performance cookies: help measure visits and understand how the website is used so that it can be maintained or improved.
- Marketing cookies: may be used to measure advertising or deliver relevant marketing, if these technologies are deployed.
Non-essential cookies and similar technologies will be used only where the required consent has been obtained. You can manage your choices through the cookie controls provided on the website, where available, and through your browser settings. Blocking certain cookies may affect website functionality. Please consult the cookie notice or settings presented on the site for current details of technologies actually in use.
7. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to request access to your personal information, correction of inaccurate or incomplete information, erasure, restriction of processing, or a copy of information you provided in a commonly used, machine-readable format where the portability right applies. You may also object to processing based on legitimate interests and object at any time to direct marketing.
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal. These rights are subject to conditions and exceptions under applicable law; for example, we may need to retain certain information to comply with legal obligations or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
To exercise a right or ask a question about our processing, contact office@ashcombeprivate.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law. You will not normally have to pay a fee, although a reasonable fee may be charged or a request may be refused where the law permits this for manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.
8. Security and complaints
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please take care when sending information over the internet and contact us promptly if you believe information sent to us has been exposed or misused.
You have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are concerned about how we handle your information. Information about making a complaint is available from the ICO at ico.org.uk. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first, so you may also contact us at office@ashcombeprivate.co.uk.
9. Children and changes to this notice
Our website and services are intended for business and professional audiences and are not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through the website. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us so we can assess and address the matter.
We may update this notice to reflect changes in our practices, the website or applicable law. The current version will be published on the website with its effective date. If a change materially affects how we use information already collected, we will take any additional steps required by law.