1. Who is responsible for your information
Business Loan Options is responsible for the initial collection of information through this website and acts as data controller for that activity. You can contact us at privacy@businessloanoptions.co.uk or through the contact page.
2. Information we collect
When you submit an enquiry, we may collect your name, business name, email address, phone number, funding requirement, approximate turnover, trading history, consent record and the source of the enquiry.
We may also collect limited technical information needed to operate and secure the website, such as request logs, device or browser information, and information supplied by essential security services.
If you submit the Growth Guarantee Scheme eligibility checker, we also collect your answers about business type, UK and Northern Ireland activities, trading income, sector, funding purpose, viability, insolvency, existing scheme borrowing and subsidies. We save the indicative result, the criteria version and the contact permission you gave.
Checker answers are sent only when you submit the final enquiry. We use a hashed network identifier to limit repeated submissions. Requesting details through the checker does not subscribe you to ongoing marketing.
3. How we use the information
- To review and respond to your business finance enquiry.
- To identify finance structures or providers that may be relevant.
- To introduce your enquiry to a selected finance provider where this is relevant and permitted by your consent.
- To maintain records, prevent misuse, improve the enquiry journey and meet legal obligations.
4. Our lawful bases
Depending on the activity, we rely on taking steps at your request before entering a possible contract, our legitimate interests in operating and improving the service, compliance with legal obligations, and consent where you have specifically agreed to contact or data sharing.
You may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal, and some records may still need to be retained where another lawful basis applies.
5. Who receives your information
We may share relevant enquiry information with a selected lender, finance provider, broker or service provider that can assess or support the stated requirement. We do not need to send an enquiry to every provider. A recipient may become a separate data controller and should provide its own privacy information.
We may also use providers that host, secure or support the website and our communications. They may process information only under appropriate contractual and security controls.
6. International transfers
If information is processed outside the UK, we use an available lawful transfer mechanism and appropriate safeguards where required, such as an adequacy regulation or approved contractual clauses.
7. Retention
We keep enquiry records only for as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described above, including responding to the enquiry, maintaining audit and consent records, dealing with complaints and meeting legal obligations. Retention periods are reviewed and information is deleted or anonymised when it is no longer required.
8. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to access, correct, erase or restrict personal information, object to processing, withdraw consent, and receive certain information in a portable format. You also have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing where the legal conditions apply. This website does not make lending decisions.
9. Complaints about data use
Please contact us first so we can investigate. You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the service, providers or legal requirements change. The current version will remain available on this page.
