Privacy notice

A surveyor or surveying organisation normally decides why client, occupant, property and survey information is collected and how it is used. That organisation is normally the controller for that survey content and must provide its own privacy information and handle individual rights.

When an account holder chooses to copy survey content to the Survey Smarter cloud service, we process that content to provide the requested storage, synchronisation, recovery and report features on the organisation’s instructions. In that context we generally act as its processor. The legal role depends on the facts, not merely the wording used here.

Depending on how you use Survey Smarter, the current service may handle:

• Account information: email address, confirmation and session information, display name, company name and telephone number;
• Workspace and device information: workspace membership and role, a random browser-created device identifier, device label, created and last-seen times, and revocation status;
• Survey content: client and property details, inspection observations, ratings, measurements, notes, report wording and related survey records;
• Optional media and reports: Survey Smarter’s stored, optimised photographs, thumbnails, captions and archived Final PDF reports when Complete cloud copy is selected;
• Support information: contact details and the content of messages you send us; and
• Security and operational information: account, device, synchronisation and media events, record identifiers, timestamps, checksums, errors and ordinary hosting or request logs.

Survey content could contain personal information or, depending on what a user records, more sensitive information. Users should enter only information that is relevant and lawful for the survey.

Survey Smarter uses browser storage, including IndexedDB, so surveys, photographs, archived Final PDFs, backup status and pending synchronisation information can remain on the device and support offline work. Application files may also be cached by the service worker for offline access.

Device-only survey content is not uploaded merely because the application is opened or an account is created. Signing out does not automatically remove surveys, photographs, reports or backups from the device. A local copy can therefore remain after an account or cloud copy is deleted and must be removed on each device by the person controlling that device or browser.

Exported .ssbackup files are encrypted with a passphrase chosen by the user. This statement applies to those exported backup files; it is not a claim that every item in browser storage, every transmission or every provider log is encrypted in every circumstance.

If you sign in and choose to copy a written survey to your account, its written survey document can be stored in the cloud and copied between your devices. Photographs, thumbnails and archived Final PDF reports remain on the device by default.

If you separately select Complete cloud copy for a survey, the service can upload Survey Smarter’s stored, optimised photograph, thumbnail and archived Final PDF files. Original files in the device’s photo library are not taken or changed. Consent and transfer status are stored for the survey. Pausing the option does not itself delete copies already held locally or remotely.

Where we act as controller, we use personal information for these purposes and lawful bases:

• Provide accounts and requested service features — contract: authenticate users, create and administer workspaces, maintain account details, register devices, synchronise selected records and respond to service requests.
• Respond before an account or contract — steps at your request: answer enquiries about the current service.
• Protect users and the service — legitimate interests: prevent unauthorised access, investigate errors or abuse, preserve record integrity, operate audit and security records, and maintain service reliability. Our interests are protecting professional records, users and our service; we limit this to information reasonably needed for those purposes and consider users’ rights.
• Improve and support operation — legitimate interests: diagnose faults and understand service operation using technical records, where this is reasonably expected and not overridden by individual rights.
• Meet legal duties — legal obligation: retain or disclose information where applicable law requires it and handle valid rights requests.

Complete cloud copy is initiated by the account user as a product choice. Where we act as processor for survey content, the customer organisation determines its lawful basis. We do not rely on a user’s product setting as consent on behalf of clients or property occupants.

Information is made available to the signed-in account and authorised members of its workspace, and to service providers used for managed application hosting, authentication, database, file storage, email delivery, security and operational logging. Those providers process information to provide their services to us or the relevant customer organisation.

The current Survey Smarter application data service is configured in Ireland. A provider’s wider support, security, delivery or operational systems may involve processing outside the UK. The final provider list, contractual processor terms and any applicable international-transfer mechanism are still under launch review, so this preview does not claim that a particular transfer safeguard applies in every case.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to protect legal rights or security, or in connection with a properly managed business reorganisation. Survey Smarter does not automatically transfer survey data to DampSurvey-Pro, RemedialPlan or AsbestosSurveyPro.

Account sign-in uses browser-held session information needed to keep you signed in and protect account requests. The working application uses browser databases and caches for local and offline operation. Hosting and application infrastructure may create technical request and error logs containing items such as timestamps, requested addresses, network or browser information and error details.

The interface may store a short-lived preference cookie for whether an application sidebar is open. It is used for interface state, not advertising. Session technology used by the account service is necessary to authenticate and protect signed-in use.

The current project code does not add advertising trackers, behavioural advertising or a marketing analytics service. We have not added a cookie banner merely for these policies. If optional analytics or non-essential cookies are introduced later, we will update this notice and request any consent required before using them.

Current safeguards include authenticated account sessions, workspace-based access rules, separate device identifiers, restricted cloud file paths, checksums and verification for transferred files, and persistent queues that reduce the risk of losing pending changes. Exported backup files use passphrase-based AES-256-GCM encryption.

No internet or device system is completely secure. Users should protect devices and accounts, use strong unique passwords, review transfer status, maintain appropriate backups, and contact us promptly about suspected unauthorised access. We do not describe every stored item or log as encrypted because the implementation does not support that blanket claim.

Fixed retention periods have not yet been established for every category. We keep controller-side account, support and security information only for as long as reasonably needed for the account or request, service security and integrity, dispute handling, legal duties and establishment or defence of legal claims. The exact operational schedule remains under launch review.

Cloud survey records and optional media are retained according to the customer relationship and instructions, technical recovery needs, integrity requirements and applicable law. Planned trial or subscription expiry does not currently trigger automatic deletion. Some audit and archived-report records are designed to preserve history and integrity; deletion requests may therefore require assessment rather than immediate erasure.

Account or cloud deletion does not erase browser records, downloaded reports or exported backups held on a user-controlled device. Those copies must be removed locally. The public interface does not yet provide a complete self-service account-deletion facility; contact jason@dampsurvey-pro.co.uk to request review and action.

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have rights to be informed, access personal information, correct it, have it erased, restrict its use, object to processing, receive portable information, and complain about how it is used. Some rights are qualified and may not apply to every record or purpose.

The current service does not make decisions about people based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If that changes, we will provide the information and safeguards required by law before the change applies.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, you may object and we will consider your circumstances and whether compelling grounds require continued processing. Where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it for future processing; withdrawal does not make earlier lawful processing unlawful. The Complete cloud copy setting can be paused, but pausing is not itself a deletion request.

Send rights requests to jason@dampsurvey-pro.co.uk. We may need enough information to confirm identity and locate relevant records. If the request concerns survey content controlled by your surveyor or surveying organisation, contact that organisation first; we will assist it as required where we act as processor.

You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using its official make a complaint service. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first, but you do not have to contact us before approaching the ICO.

Survey Smarter is professional surveying software and is not directed at children. Do not deliberately enter children’s personal information unless it is necessary and lawful for the professional survey and appropriately protected.

Required account fields are needed to create and secure an account. Optional profile fields can be left blank. If necessary account information is not provided, account features may not be available; device-only use remains separate where supported.

We will update this notice when our information practices or the service change. The date at the top shows the current version. We will take reasonable steps to highlight a material new use before it begins where required.

Privacy enquiries and rights requests: jason@dampsurvey-pro.co.uk. General contact details and an alternative email and telephone number are available on our contact page.