Privacy Policy

Information About You (the Executor)

• Full name, date of birth, and National Insurance number
• Contact details (email address, phone number, postal address)
• Occupation and relationship to the deceased
• Account credentials (email and password)

Information About the Deceased

• Full name, date of birth, and date of death
• Last known address and marital status
• National Insurance number
• Details of will and testamentary documents

Estate Information

• Details of assets (property, bank accounts, investments, personal possessions)
• Details of liabilities (mortgages, loans, debts)
• Asset valuations as of the date of death
• Information about beneficiaries (names and addresses)

Payment Information

• Payment transaction details (processed securely by Stripe)
• Billing address

Technical Information

• IP address and browser type
• Device information and operating system
• Usage data and analytics (via Google Analytics, only with your consent)
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (managed through our cookie consent banner)

AI-Assisted Processing

We use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist in generating probate documents. AI has been used to leverage probate expertise from solicitors to create systems and processes that allow applications to be generated without one-to-one solicitor support. All information processed by AI systems is kept strictly confidential and is not used for training or improving AI models. This system greatly reduces time and cost whilst maintaining accuracy and compliance.

Service Providers

We use trusted third-party service providers to help us deliver our service. These providers have access to your personal data only to perform specific tasks on our behalf and are obligated to protect your information:

• Stripe: Payment processing (PCI DSS compliant)
• SendGrid: Email delivery service
• Google Analytics: Website analytics and usage tracking
• Manus Cloud Services: Hosting and infrastructure

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., court orders, government agencies, law enforcement).

Business Transfers

If PROBATE DIRECT (NI) LIMITED is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred to the new owner. We will notify you before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Security Measures

• All data is encrypted in transit using TLS/SSL protocols
• Passwords are hashed using industry-standard encryption
• Database access is restricted to authorised personnel only
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Secure backup systems to prevent data loss

Data Location

Your personal data is stored on secure servers located within the European Economic Area (EEA) or in countries that provide an adequate level of data protection as determined by the UK government.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and to comply with legal obligations:

• Active applications: Retained until you complete or abandon your application
• Abandoned applications: Automatically anonymised after 2 years of inactivity (personal identifiers removed, statistical data retained)
• Completed applications: Retained for 7 years after completion (to comply with financial record-keeping requirements under UK tax law)
• Account information: Retained until you request account deletion, or automatically deleted 3 years after last login if no active applications
• Payment records: Retained for 7 years (legal requirement for financial records under UK law)
• Cookie consent preferences: Retained for 12 months, after which you will be asked to confirm your preferences again
• Marketing communications: Retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent

After the retention period expires, we will securely delete or anonymise your personal data. Anonymisation means removing all personal identifiers so that you can no longer be identified from the data. We may retain anonymised data indefinitely for statistical and research purposes.

Automated Data Retention: We have implemented automated systems to enforce these retention policies. Our system regularly reviews data and automatically anonymises or deletes data that has exceeded its retention period.

Right of Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide this information free of charge within one month of your request.

Right to Rectification

You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten")

You have the right to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. Please note that we may be required to retain certain information for legal or regulatory purposes.

Right to Restrict Processing

You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when you contest the accuracy of the data.

Right to Data Portability

You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit that data to another controller.

Right to Object

You have the right to object to processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.

Right to Withdraw Consent

Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

Necessary Cookies (Always Active)

These cookies are essential for the website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as security, authentication, session management, and remembering your cookie preferences. You cannot opt out of necessary cookies as they are required for the service to work.

Examples: Session cookies, authentication tokens, security cookies, cookie consent preferences

Functional Cookies (Optional)

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalisation, such as remembering your language preferences, region settings, and user interface customisations. You can enable or disable these cookies through our cookie consent banner.

Examples: Language preferences, region settings, UI customisation

Analytics Cookies (Optional - Requires Consent)

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. These cookies collect information such as pages visited, time spent on the site, and traffic sources. This information is aggregated and anonymous. We will only use analytics cookies if you have given your explicit consent through our cookie banner.

Examples: Google Analytics, page view tracking, session duration

Marketing Cookies (Optional - Requires Consent)

These cookies are used to track visitors across websites and display relevant advertisements. We will only use marketing cookies if you have given your explicit consent through our cookie banner.

Examples: Advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, social media tracking

Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have full control over which cookies we use (except necessary cookies). You can:

• Accept all cookies for the best experience
• Reject all optional cookies (only necessary cookies will be used)
• Manage your preferences by category through our cookie settings
• Change your preferences at any time by clearing your browser's local storage and refreshing the page

You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. For more information about cookies and how to manage them, visit www.aboutcookies.org.