JOHN BROWN LIMITED
Privacy Policy
This policy explains how John Brown Limited collects, uses and protects personal information when you visit johnbrownlimited.co.uk, contact us, or receive a letter from us about land you own.
1. Who we are
John Brown Limited (“we”, “us”, “our”) is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. We are registered in Scotland under company number SC204601, with our registered office at Clyde Offices, 2nd Floor, 48 West George Street, Glasgow G2 1BP. Our ICO registration number is «ICO NUMBER».
For any question about this policy or your information, contact us at:
- Email: enquiries@johnbrownlimited.co.uk
- Telephone: 01389 311045
- Post: John Brown Limited, Clyde Offices, 2nd Floor, 48 West George Street, Glasgow G2 1BP
2. What we collect and where it comes from
| Who you are | What we hold | Where it comes from |
| Landowners we write to | Name, postal address, details of the land (address, title number, boundaries, ownership) | Public registers, such as the Land Register of Scotland, HM Land Registry and Companies House |
| People who contact us | Name, email, phone number, address, and anything you tell us about your land or project, including price expectations | You, by phone, email, post or our website |
| Sellers we buy from | Identity and verification documents, bank details for completion, and solicitors’ contact details | You and your solicitor |
| Customers and suppliers | Business contact details and correspondence | You or your organisation |
| Website visitors | IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, cookie choices | Your device, through cookies and server logs (see section 6) |
We do not knowingly collect special category data, such as health information, and we ask you not to send it to us.
3. How we use it and our lawful basis
UK data protection law requires a lawful basis for each use of your information. Ours are set out below.
| Purpose | Lawful basis |
| Writing to landowners about buying their land | Legitimate interests: finding and buying land for our business. We use only publicly registered information, write by post, and stop as soon as you ask. |
| Answering your enquiries and making offers | Legitimate interests, or steps taken at your request before a contract |
| Buying land, including due diligence and completion | Performance of a contract, and legal obligation |
| Anti-money laundering and identity checks | Legal obligation |
| Keeping business, tax and accounting records | Legal obligation |
| Running, securing and improving the website | Legitimate interests |
| Non-essential cookies (statistics and marketing) | Your consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
We do not sell your information, and we do not make decisions about you by automated means alone.
4. Sharing, retention and security
Who we share it with. We share your information only where needed, with:
- our solicitors, surveyors, valuers and other professional advisers
- your solicitor or agent, during a purchase
- service providers who host our website and email, print and post our letters, or provide IT support, under contracts that protect your data
- our funders and auditors
- HMRC, regulators, law enforcement or courts, where the law requires it
International transfers. Some service providers may store data outside the UK. Where they do, we rely on UK adequacy regulations or the ICO’s approved contract terms to protect it.
How long we keep it.
| Information | How long |
| Landowner details where no sale goes ahead | Up to «3» years from our last contact, unless you ask us to delete it sooner |
| Suppression list (people who asked not to be contacted) | Kept indefinitely, so we do not write to you again |
| Purchase, contract and anti-money laundering records | 6 years after completion, or longer where the law requires |
| Website enquiries that go no further | Up to «2» years |
Security. We use access controls, secure storage and encrypted connections to protect your information. Only staff and advisers who need it can see it.
5. Your rights
You have the right to:
- Object to our use of your information, including for letters about your land. If you ask us to stop, we will add you to our suppression list and not write to you again.
- Access a copy of the information we hold about you.
- Correct information that is wrong or incomplete.
- Delete your information where we no longer need it or have no lawful reason to keep it.
- Restrict how we use your information while a concern is looked into.
- Data portability: receive information you gave us in a usable format, where the law allows.
- Withdraw consent for cookies at any time, through the cookie settings on our website.
To use any of these rights, email enquiries@johnbrownlimited.co.uk or write to us. There is no charge, and we will reply within one month.
6. Cookies
Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit a website. When you first visit our site, a banner lets you accept or refuse non-essential cookies. You can change your choice at any time through “Manage consent”.
| Type | What it does | Needs your consent? |
| Functional | Makes the site work and remembers your cookie choice | No |
| Preferences | Remembers settings you choose | Yes |
| Statistics | Counts visits and pages viewed, without identifying you | Yes |
| Marketing | Builds profiles to show relevant advertising, on our site or others | Yes |
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Some parts of the site may not work properly without functional cookies.
7. Complaints and changes to this policy
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first so we can put it right.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection:
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated.
Last updated: 27/10/2026