Privacy notice
Last updated: 28 September 2026
This policy explains what personal information banksideloftsresidents.org collects, why, who sees it, how long we keep it and what you can do about it. We collect as little as we can. We never sell it, and we never use it for advertising.
Who is responsible for your information
Bankside Communications Limited is the data controller. That means it decides how your information is used and is responsible for protecting it.
- Email: info@banksideloftsresidents.org
- Post: Pearce & Co Ground Floor, 11 Pierrepont Street, Bath, England, BA1 1LA
- Company number: 14193570, registered in England and Wales
Bankside Communications Limited is owned and run by Messrs J H Gaunt and J A van der Luijt , residents of Bankside Lofts. It built this site and runs it for Bankside Lofts Residents, the resident community the site serves. The company doesn’t charge for the site, doesn’t advertise on it and doesn’t use your information for anything else, including its own business.
This site is run by residents, for residents. It is not run by, or on behalf of, the Board of Bankside Lofts or Parkgate Aspen. They do not control the information on this site and cannot see your account.
What we collect and why
| What | Why we need it | Our lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Your name, email address and password (stored encrypted) | To create and run your account | Legitimate interests: running a private site for residents |
| Your flat number and building | To check you live at Bankside Lofts before we approve your account | Legitimate interests: keeping the site residents-only |
| Proof of residence, if we ask for it | To confirm your flat number when we can’t check it another way | Legitimate interests. We delete it within 1 day of checking |
| Whether you’re a leaseholder, tenant or other resident | To show you the right parts of the site | Legitimate interests |
| Directory details you choose to add (for example, a photo or a short bio) | To let other residents find you | Your consent. The directory is off unless you switch it on |
| Forum posts, noticeboard posts and comments | To publish them to other logged-in residents | Legitimate interests: running the community features you signed up for |
| Messages you send through the contact form | To reply to you | Legitimate interests |
| Reports and complaints you make | To deal with them and keep a record of how we did | Legal obligation (data protection complaints) and legitimate interests (everything else) |
| IP address, browser type and login times | To keep the site secure and block attacks | Legitimate interests: security |
| Your cookie choices | To remember what you agreed to | Legal obligation |
We’ve balanced our interests against yours for every use based on legitimate interests. You can ask to see that assessment.
Please don’t share sensitive information on the site, such as details about your health, religion or finances. If you post it on the forums, other residents will see it. We may remove it to protect you.
Who can see your information
- Other logged-in residents see your display name and anything you post. They only see your directory entry if you switch it on.
- Moderators (volunteer residents approved by Adrie) can see your name, flat number and posts to verify accounts and handle reports. They agree in writing to keep this confidential.
- The public sees nothing about you. Everything with personal information on it sits behind a login.
- Parkgate Aspen sees nothing unless you send it to them yourself, or the law requires us to share it.
We use these service providers to run the site. Each handles your information only on our instructions and under a written contract:
| Provider | What they do | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Hosts the site and its email | United Kingdom |
| Defiant Inc. (Wordfence) | Security firewall and login protection | US, under the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or standard contractual safeguards |
We will share information with the police or other authorities only when the law requires it or when someone is at serious risk of harm.
How long we keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Your account | Until you close it or tell us you’ve moved out. We delete it within 30 days |
| Your forum and noticeboard posts | We keep them after you leave, shown as posted by “Former resident”, unless you ask us to delete them |
| Proof of residence | Deleted within 1 day of checking |
| Contact form messages | 12 months |
| Complaints and reports | 2 years from when we close them |
| Security logs | 90 days |
| Backups | Overwritten within 30 days |
Your rights
You can ask us to:
- give you a copy of your information
- correct anything that’s wrong
- delete your information
- stop or limit how we use it
- give you your information in a format you can move elsewhere
You can object to anything we do based on legitimate interests. You can withdraw consent (for example, for the directory) at any time in your account settings.
Email info@banksideloftsresidents.org. We’ll reply within one month. It’s free. We may ask you to confirm who you are first.
If you’re unhappy
Please complain to us first at info@banksideloftsresidents.org. We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and tell you what we’re doing about it. Our complaints procedure explains the steps.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Children
This site is for residents aged 18 and over. We don’t knowingly approve accounts for anyone younger.
Changes to this policy
If we change anything important, we’ll tell logged-in residents on the site and by email before the change takes effect.
