This Privacy Policy explains how Blackridge Insurance Services Ltd ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, stores and protects your personal data when you use our website, request a quote, obtain insurance through us, or communicate with us in any way.
We are committed to handling your personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who We Are — Data Controller
The data controller responsible for your personal information is:
Blackridge Insurance Services Ltd
Company Registration No. 17254949
Registered Address: 41 Oldfields Road, Sutton, SM1 2NB
Email: info@blackridgeinsurance.co.uk
Phone: 020 8050 6304
Appointed Representative (FRN 1058451) of Acrisure Eleven Network Limited (FRN 314593)
If you have any questions about how we handle your personal data, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the details above.
2. Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process various categories of personal data depending on the nature of your interaction with us. This includes:
Information you provide to us directly
- Identity data: your name, title, date of birth (where relevant to the risk)
- Contact data: email address, phone number, postal address
- Business data: business name, company registration number, business address, number of employees, annual turnover
- Insurance data: existing policy details, claims history, coverage requirements, risk information provided in quote or claims forms
- Financial data: premium payment details (processed securely via our payment provider — we do not store full card details)
- Communications data: records of correspondence, emails, phone calls and meeting notes
Information collected automatically
- Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, time zone, browser plug-in types, operating system and platform
- Usage data: pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, referring URLs
- Cookie data: see our Cookie Policy for full details
Information from third parties
- Credit reference agency data (where relevant for premium financing or fraud prevention)
- Claims information from previous insurers (with your consent, or where required by law)
- Information from the Insurance Fraud Register and similar databases
3. How We Use Your Personal Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- To respond to your enquiries and provide quotations for insurance
- To arrange, manage and administer insurance policies on your behalf
- To assist with claims handling and liaising with insurers on your behalf
- To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations as an Appointed Representative operating under an FCA-authorised network
- To conduct identity verification and fraud prevention checks
- To send you renewal reminders and policy-related communications
- To send you marketing communications (where you have given consent, or where we have a legitimate interest in doing so)
- To improve our website and services through analytics
- To maintain records required by the FCA and other regulators
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We rely on the following legal bases under UK GDPR to process your personal data:
Contractual necessity (Article 6(1)(b))
Processing is necessary to provide you with insurance broking services, including arranging and managing your policy and handling claims.
Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c))
We are required to process certain data to comply with our obligations under FCA rules, anti-money laundering legislation, the Insurance Distribution Directive, and other applicable law.
Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f))
We process data where we have a legitimate business interest, including: fraud prevention, improving our services, maintaining records of our advice, and sending communications to existing clients about relevant products and services. We balance these interests against your rights and freedoms.
Consent (Article 6(1)(a))
Where we rely on consent — for example, for marketing emails to prospective clients — we will ask for your explicit consent before processing. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us at info@blackridgeinsurance.co.uk.
5. Who We Share Your Data With
We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients, strictly as necessary and subject to appropriate data protection safeguards:
- Acrisure Eleven Network Limited — our principal, in connection with client money handling, premium finance, and our regulatory obligations as its Appointed Representative
- Insurers and underwriters — to obtain quotations, place cover and handle claims on your behalf
- Reinsurers — insurers may share data with their reinsurers as part of the normal insurance process
- The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other regulatory bodies — where required by law
- Credit reference agencies — for fraud prevention and premium finance purposes
- The Insurance Fraud Register and industry databases — for fraud detection
- IT service providers and software platforms — such as our broker management system, email provider, and cloud storage provider, all of whom process data on our behalf under strict contractual terms
- Legal and professional advisers — where required in connection with a legal matter
- Government bodies or law enforcement — where required by law or court order
Where Acrisure Eleven Network Limited processes your data in its own right as our principal (for example, when holding client money or arranging premium finance), that processing is also covered by Acrisure's own Privacy Notice.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not share data with third parties for their own marketing purposes without your explicit consent.
6. International Data Transfers
Where we transfer your data outside the UK (for example, to cloud service providers), we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR requirements, such as the International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or adequacy decisions.
7. How Long We Keep Your Data
We retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. Our standard retention periods are:
- Policy and claims records: 7 years from the end of the policy period, in line with FCA requirements and limitation periods for legal claims
- Pre-contractual enquiry data (where no policy is placed): 2 years from the date of enquiry
- Marketing consent records: retained until you withdraw consent, plus 12 months thereafter
- Accounting and financial records: 6 years, as required by HMRC
- Complaints records: 3 years from resolution, in line with FCA requirements
When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.
8. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
You have the following rights in relation to your personal data. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@blackridgeinsurance.co.uk. We will respond within one calendar month.
Right of access
You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).
Right to rectification
You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
Right to erasure
You can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances — for example, if we no longer need it for the purpose it was collected.
Right to restriction
You can ask us to restrict how we process your data in certain circumstances, for example while a complaint is being resolved.
Right to portability
Where processing is based on consent or contract, you can ask us to provide your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to object
You can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing. We must stop unless we have compelling legitimate grounds.
Please note that some rights are subject to exceptions — for example, we cannot delete data that we are legally required to retain.
9. Cookies
Our website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device — to support site functionality and, where you have consented, to analyse how visitors use our site. A full description of the cookies we use and how to manage them is set out in our Cookie Policy.
10. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These include encrypted data storage and transmission, access controls, and staff training on data protection obligations.
In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) within 72 hours and, where required, notify you directly.
11. How to Contact Us or Make a Data Request
For any data protection queries, requests to exercise your rights, or to report a concern, please contact us:
Data enquiries
Email: info@blackridgeinsurance.co.uk
Phone: 020 8050 6304
Post: Blackridge Insurance Services Ltd, 41 Oldfields Road, Sutton, SM1 2NB
We may ask you to verify your identity before processing a request.
12. Your Right to Complain to the ICO
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection supervisory authority:
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
ICO Reference: Z889688X
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you contact the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.