Data Protection Complaints Handling Policy 

Our policy

At Holmes & Hills, we are committed to ensuring the protection of personal information for all clients, relevant third parties as well as individuals involved with our service providers and suppliers. However, we recognise that occasionally things may go wrong, and it is important that you tell us about it.  

We will always take your concerns seriously and handle them in a constructive, transparent, and proportionate way. We do not charge for time spent investigating your complaint.  

Your complaint may relate to your rights under data protection law, including your right to access your personal data, request corrections, request erasure, or object to how your information is used. We will consider your complaint in line with these rights and applicable data protection legislation. 

If you have a complaint regarding Data Protection or the handling of your data, please send your complaint to Trevor Sleeman, our Data Privacy Manager, to investigate further. Please contact:  

Email: complaints@holmes-hills.co.uk 

Phone: 01206 593933 

Holmes & Hills Solicitors
A12 Commercial Hub
London Road
Marks Tey | Colchester
Essex | CO6 1ED

If you wish to wish to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (known as a Data Subject Access Request), please send your request separately to DataProtectionTeam@holmes-hills.co.uk or alternatively write to our Marks Tey office above.  

What will happen next?

Acknowledgment  

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 days of receipt and provide you with a copy of this procedure. We will also record and monitor all data protection complaints to help us improve our processes, systems and staff training, and to reduce the risk of similar issues arising in the future. 

We may need to send you a form to complete, and request ID to ensure that we are responding to the correct person before we commence a review. If you are making a complaint on behalf of another, we will need their authority for you to do so, or sight of the relevant documentation to confirm your authority.  

Investigation 

Your complaint will be investigated thoroughly and impartially. This will usually involve:  

• Reviewing our files and databases to assess what data we hold for you  

• Speaking to the individuals involved in your matter  

• Reviewing the issue/s that have led to your complaint regarding data protection  

• Assess whether the issue raised constitutes a personal data breach, and where applicable, whether any further action is required including notification to the Information Commissioner’s Office.  

We may need to contact you if we require further clarification on your complaint, to aid us in our review. If we do require further information, we will contact you as soon as possible.  

Response  

We aim to respond to your complaint within 30 days of receipt. This is subject to receiving the completed forms and relevant ID required from you. In some circumstances, where the complaint is particularly complex or we require additional information, it may take longer to respond. If this is the case, we will keep you informed and explain the reasons behind any delays. Our response will: 

• Address each of your concerns 

• Explain our findings 

• Set out any proposed resolution (if appropriate) 

If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may contact the Information Commissions Office.