Philip James Maintenance App
Privacy Policy
Effective date: 22 July 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, stored and shared when you use the Philip James Maintenance mobile application (the “App”) to report a maintenance issue.
The App is designed to help tenants and authorised occupiers send maintenance reports directly to the Philip James property management team by email. It does not require you to create an account.
1. Who we are
The App is operated for Philip James Partnerships. The Philip James company responsible for managing your tenancy or property is the data controller for the personal information submitted through the App.
Philip James Partnerships comprises:
- Philip James Partnership Ltd — company number 03567803;
- Philip James Kennedy Ltd — company number 04697652;
- Philip James Heaton Moor Ltd — company number 05470853; and
- Philip James Manchester Ltd — company number 08483750.
In this policy, “Philip James”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to the relevant Philip James company handling your tenancy or property.
2. Information we collect
When you submit a maintenance report, we may collect the following information:
- Identity and contact information: your name, email address and telephone number.
- Property information: the property address, postcode, flat or unit number and other information needed to identify the property.
- Maintenance information: the type of issue, your description, its location within the property, urgency, when it started and any steps already taken.
- Photos and other attachments: images or files you choose to provide to demonstrate the issue.
- Access and availability information: suitable appointment times, contact preferences and instructions concerning access to the property, including whether authorised keys may be used.
- Communications: follow-up emails, telephone calls and other correspondence relating to the report.
The App is not designed to collect special category information, such as detailed health information. Please only include this type of information where it is genuinely necessary to explain the urgency of an issue or an access requirement. Where such information is provided, we will use it only as necessary and where permitted by data protection law.
3. Camera and photo-library permissions
The App may ask for permission to use your device’s camera or photo library so that you can take or attach photographs to a maintenance report. These permissions are used only when you choose to add an image. The App does not use them to access unrelated photographs or media.
4. How information is submitted and stored
Maintenance reports are sent directly by email to the Philip James property management team. The App does not maintain a separate user account or dedicated customer database for submitted reports.
Once sent, the report and its attachments will be stored within the relevant email systems and may also be copied into existing tenancy, property management, repair or contractor records. Your device or email provider may retain a sent copy, transmission metadata or a temporary draft in accordance with its own settings and privacy terms.
5. How and why we use your information
| Purpose | Information used | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Receive, assess and respond to your maintenance report. | Contact, property, maintenance, photo and communication information. | Performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in managing properties and repairs. |
| Contact you for clarification, updates or appointment arrangements. | Contact, availability and communication information. | Performance of a contract and legitimate interests. |
| Arrange inspection, access, repair or other work with an approved contractor. | Only the information reasonably needed by the contractor, which may include your contact details, property address, access instructions, issue description and relevant photos. | Performance of a contract, legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligations. |
| Manage urgent health, safety, security or property-protection concerns. | Maintenance details, images, address, contact and access information. | Legal obligations, legitimate interests and, in exceptional emergencies, protection of vital interests. |
| Maintain appropriate records, investigate complaints and establish, exercise or defend legal claims. | The submitted report and subsequent communications. | Legal obligations and legitimate interests. |
We do not use information submitted through the App for direct marketing, advertising or behavioural profiling.
6. Who can access or receive your information
Submitted reports may be accessed or shared only where reasonably necessary with:
- authorised Philip James property managers and other staff involved in managing the report;
- approved contractors, engineers, tradespeople or service providers appointed to inspect or resolve the issue;
- email, IT, hosting, security and backup providers that process information on our behalf;
- professional advisers, insurers, emergency services, regulators, courts or public authorities where required by law or necessary to protect people, property or legal rights.
Contractors are provided only with the information reasonably required to carry out the relevant inspection or work. This may include your name, contact details, property address, access arrangements, the issue description and relevant photographs.
We do not sell personal information.
7. International transfers
Some email, IT or cloud service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we will use an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism and reasonable safeguards as required by UK data protection law.
8. How long we keep information
Maintenance reports form part of the relevant tenancy and property management record. We generally retain this information for the duration of the tenancy or property management relationship and for up to seven years afterwards where this is necessary for legal, regulatory, tax, insurance, complaint-handling or dispute purposes.
Information may be deleted earlier where it is no longer required. It may be kept for longer where required by law, where a complaint or legal claim is ongoing, or where necessary to protect the rights or safety of any person.
9. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, misuse or disclosure. These measures include limiting access to authorised personnel and using appropriate controls for email and property management systems.
No electronic transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should avoid including unnecessary personal or sensitive information in a maintenance report.
10. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- request access to the personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask us to erase information where there is no lawful reason to keep it;
- ask us to restrict how information is used;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests;
- receive certain information in a portable format where the legal requirements apply; and
- complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
These rights are not absolute. For example, we may need to retain information to comply with legal obligations, manage a tenancy or property, handle a complaint or defend a legal claim.
11. Automated decision-making
We do not use personal information submitted through the App to make decisions about you solely by automated means that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
12. Children
The App is intended for tenants and authorised occupiers reporting issues at a managed property. It is not aimed at children. A child should use the App only with the involvement of a parent, guardian or other responsible adult.
13. App stores and device providers
If you download or use the App through an app store, the app-store provider and your device or operating-system provider may process information independently under their own privacy policies. Their processing is separate from the maintenance information you submit to Philip James.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to the App, our services, legal requirements or how we handle information. The latest version will be published on this page with an updated effective date.
15. Contact us
Maintenance and property-management enquiries
Philip James Property Management & Maintenance
147–151 Burton Road
West Didsbury
Manchester
M20 1LD
Telephone: 0161 448 1111
Email: [email protected]
Data protection enquiries
Data Protection Officer, Philip James Partnerships
679–681 Wilmslow Road
Didsbury
Manchester
M20 6RA
Telephone: 0161 448 1234
Email: [email protected]
16. Complaints to the ICO
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office through ico.org.uk.
This App Privacy Policy should be read alongside the wider Philip James Privacy Policy, which provides further information about how personal data is handled across the Philip James group.