Privacy Policy

Last updated: 30 September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information when you visit iandavidson.ae, contact Ian Davidson or enquire about our property advisory services.

1. Who we are

This website is operated by [INSERT EXACT LEGAL COMPANY NAME FROM THE UAE LICENCE], under the Ian Davidson brand (“we”, “us” or “our”). We are the controller responsible for deciding how personal information collected through this UAE website is used.

We are registered in Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, under licence number 4428694.01.

Registered business address:

Business Centre
Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone
Sharjah
United Arab Emirates

For questions about this policy or your personal information, contact:

This policy principally covers our UAE operation and applicable UAE data protection law. Where our processing also falls within the UK GDPR or EU GDPR, we meet the requirements of those laws for that processing.

Ian Davidson also operates a separate UK RICS-regulated practice, Ian Davidson Chartered Surveyor, at 167–169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF, with its website at https://www.iandavidson.co/. That practice is distinct from the UAE company. Where an enquiry or instruction is handled by the UK practice, its privacy information and Terms of Engagement apply to its handling of that matter. Your engagement documents will identify the business providing your services.

2. Information we collect

When you submit an enquiry or contact us by email, telephone or WhatsApp, we collect the information you provide. This may include your name, email address, telephone number, property details, the advice you require and records of our correspondence.

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address, any name you choose to provide, subscription preferences and a record of when and how you subscribed and the wording you agreed to.

Our website and its service providers may also collect technical information, such as your IP address, browser and device details, pages visited, referral source and access times. The information collected depends on the website features and cookie choices in use.

Please provide only information relevant to your enquiry. Avoid sending identification documents, payment details or sensitive personal information through the general enquiry form. If we need additional information for an instruction, we will explain what is required and how to provide it.

3. How and why we use your information

We use personal information to:

  • Respond to enquiries and arrange discussions or appointments.
  • Understand your requirements, prepare proposals and provide agreed services.
  • Keep relevant business records and manage our relationship with you.
  • Send newsletters or property updates where we have permission or another basis permitted by applicable marketing law.
  • Maintain website security, investigate technical problems and prevent misuse.
  • Understand website use where analytics are enabled and permitted.
  • Meet applicable legal obligations and handle complaints or legal claims.

We obtain consent where required. We may also process information where necessary to take steps you request before entering into a contract, perform our agreement with you, meet legal obligations or establish or defend legal claims, as permitted by applicable law.

Where the UK GDPR or EU GDPR applies, our lawful bases are:

  • Contract: responding to requests for a proposal and providing services under a contract with you.
  • Consent: new newsletter subscriptions and optional tracking where consent is required.
  • Legal obligation: meeting duties imposed by applicable law that qualify under the relevant data protection rules.
  • Legitimate interests: responding to general or business enquiries, managing professional relationships, protecting our systems and handling complaints or claims, where these interests are not overridden by your rights. We assess this balance before relying on this basis.

These UK/EU bases do not remove any separate consent or other requirements under UAE law or electronic marketing rules.

Submitting an enquiry does not subscribe you to marketing emails. If you choose not to provide information needed to respond or deliver a service, we may be unable to assist fully.

4. Enquiry forms and communications

Our enquiry forms use Gravity Forms. Information submitted through a form may be stored within our website and sent to info@iandavidson.co for handling by those responsible for responding to your enquiry.

When you contact us through WhatsApp or another external platform, that provider also handles information under its own privacy terms. Please consider those terms when choosing how to contact us.

5. Newsletters and marketing

Our newsletter primarily covers UAE property insights and services associated with IanDavidson.ae. New website subscribers are asked to give a separate marketing opt-in. Signing up is optional and is not a condition of making an enquiry or receiving our services.

For existing contacts, we send marketing only where their permission or another lawful marketing basis covers the sender and the communications concerned. Being a contact or client of the separate UK practice does not automatically subscribe you to the UAE company’s newsletter.

You can unsubscribe using the link in our emails or by contacting info@iandavidson.co. We keep records of subscription choices and withdrawals so that we can respect your preferences.

Withdrawing marketing consent does not affect necessary correspondence about an enquiry, an instruction or services you have requested. We may retain a limited record of your opt-out to respect your preferences.

6. Cookies and website analytics

Cookies are small files stored on your device. Similar technologies can also help websites operate, remember preferences and understand how visitors use them.

[COMPLETE BEFORE PUBLICATION: identify the cookies and analytics tools actually used, their providers, purposes and lifetimes, and how visitors can change their choices. Confirm whether Google Analytics is active on the public website.]

Where consent is required for optional cookies or similar technologies, we request it before using them. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect website functionality.

7. Who we share information with

We share information only where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Recipients may include:

  • Providers of website hosting, maintenance, email, communications and IT support.
  • A newsletter provider, where you have subscribed.
  • The separate UK practice, where a referral or joint handling is needed for your enquiry or an agreed service. We will explain the arrangement and obtain consent where required.
  • Professional advisers, insurers or specialists involved in an agreed instruction, where disclosure is appropriate and lawful.
  • Authorities or other parties where disclosure is legally required or necessary to handle a legal claim.

Service providers acting on our behalf are required to protect the information entrusted to them and use it for the agreed purposes. We do not sell or rent your personal information.

8. International processing

Some service providers, or the separate UK practice when involved in your matter, may process or store information outside the UAE. Where this happens, we take the steps required by applicable law to protect the information transferred.

Where UK or EU international-transfer rules apply, we use a permitted transfer mechanism, such as a relevant adequacy decision or approved contractual safeguards with any additional protection required. You can contact us for details or a copy of the safeguards relevant to your information.

[CONFIRM BEFORE PUBLICATION: the countries used by hosting, email, website support and newsletter providers, and the applicable transfer safeguards. Add the confirmed details here.]

9. How long we keep information

We keep information for as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected. We consider the nature of the enquiry, whether it develops into a client relationship, applicable record-keeping requirements and any unresolved complaint or claim.

Newsletter information is retained while your subscription remains active, subject to periodic review. We may keep a limited suppression record after an unsubscribe request. Information that is no longer required is deleted or anonymised, subject to appropriate backup retention arrangements.

10. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or loss. Access is limited to those who need it for their work. No website or communication system can guarantee complete security.

11. Your rights

Depending on the law applicable to your information and the circumstances, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction of processing or a portable copy of your information. You may also be entitled to object to certain processing, including direct marketing, and withdraw consent where we rely on it.

To make a request, email info@iandavidson.co. We may need to verify your identity. Some requests are subject to legal exceptions, which we will explain where relevant. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that was lawful before you withdrew it.

You can also raise concerns with the data protection authority competent to consider your complaint. For UAE matters, this may be the UAE Data Office or other competent authority. Where UK data protection law applies, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/. Where EU GDPR applies, you can complain to the relevant supervisory authority, including in the EU country where you live or work or where you believe an infringement occurred. You do not have to complain to us first.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our services, website or legal obligations change. The latest version will appear on this page with its update date. Where required, we will notify you of significant changes or seek fresh consent.