Privacy Policy
How we collect, use and protect your personal data.
Contents
1. Who We Are
AB Books Ltd trading as Autobooks ("Autobooks","we","us","our") is a company registered in England and Wales. Company number 16137171. Registered office: 71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ.
We are the data controller for personal data collected through this website and in connection with our accountancy services. This means we are responsible for deciding how and why your personal data is used.
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at: hello@autobooks.co.uk
2. What Data We Collect
Data you provide to us directly
- Name, email address, phone number — when you contact us or book a call
- Company name and company registration number
- Financial and accounting information — necessary to provide our accountancy services
- Bank account details — where required for payroll or reconciliation purposes
- National Insurance number and date of birth — for Self Assessment and payroll purposes
- Correspondence — emails, messages and call notes
Data we collect automatically
- IP address and browser type — via website analytics
- Pages visited and time spent on the site
- Cookies — see section 8 for full details
Data from third parties
- Information from HMRC, Companies House or other public registers where necessary to perform our services
- Information from cloud accounting software (e.g. bank transaction data provided via open banking connections)
3. How We Use Your Data
We use your personal data to:
- Provide accountancy, bookkeeping, payroll and tax services as agreed in your engagement letter
- Correspond with HMRC, Companies House and other regulatory bodies on your behalf
- Send you service-related communications (e.g. filing deadlines, document requests)
- Process payments for our services
- Improve our website and services
- Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including anti-money laundering (AML) requirements
- Send you occasional marketing communications — only where you have consented or we have a legitimate interest (see section 4)
4. Our Legal Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:
- Contract performance — processing necessary to provide the accountancy services you have engaged us for
- Legal obligation — processing required to comply with HMRC, Companies House, AML regulations and other applicable law
- Legitimate interests — processing for the purposes of running our business, improving our services, and communicating with prospective clients
- Consent — for marketing communications and non-essential cookies, where we have obtained your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time.
5. Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with:
- HMRC and Companies House — as required to perform our services and comply with the law
- Cloud accounting software providers — to provide our bookkeeping and accounting services
- Payroll software providers — to process your payroll
- Our professional indemnity insurer — where required in connection with a claim
- Mortgage brokers — where you have requested mortgage advice through our Gold+ or Platinum service, and only with your explicit consent
- Professional advisers — solicitors, auditors or other advisers where necessary
- Law enforcement or regulators — where required by law
All third parties with whom we share data are required to process it in accordance with UK GDPR and our instructions.
6. How Long We Keep Your Data
We retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes set out in this policy, and to comply with our legal obligations.
- Client accounting records — retained for a minimum of 6 years following the end of the relevant tax year, in accordance with HMRC requirements
- AML identity verification records — retained for 5 years following the end of the client relationship
- Enquiry and contact data (non-clients) — retained for 12 months from the date of contact
- Marketing consent records — retained until consent is withdrawn plus 12 months
After the applicable retention period, personal data is securely deleted or anonymised.
7. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Right to erasure — to request deletion of your data, subject to our legal retention obligations
- Right to restrict processing — to request that we limit how we use your data
- Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
- Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing
- Rights relating to automated decision-making — we do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@autobooks.co.uk. We will respond within one calendar month.
8. Cookies
Our website uses cookies. Full details are set out in our Cookie Policy.
In summary, we use:
- Strictly necessary cookies — required for the website to function. These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies — to understand how visitors use our website. Only placed with your consent.
- Marketing cookies — to track the effectiveness of our marketing. Only placed with your consent.
You can manage your cookie preferences at any time via the cookie settings banner or by contacting us.
9. Security
We take the security of your personal data seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss or destruction, including:
- Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS)
- Access controls and authentication on all systems holding client data
- Regular review of our security practices
In the event of a data breach that is likely to affect your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in accordance with our legal obligations.
10. Contact & Complaints
If you have any questions, concerns or requests regarding this policy or our data practices, please contact us:
AB Books Ltd t/a Autobooks
71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ
Email: hello@autobooks.co.uk
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at any time:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
ico.org.uk
We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you contact the ICO and ask that you contact us in the first instance.