Edwards & Co | Probate Property Services

Last updated: 25 October 2026

Edwards & Co respects your privacy. This notice explains how we collect, use, share and retain personal information when you visit our website, contact us or use our property valuation, sales and management services.

It also covers information we receive from solicitors, representatives and others in connection with an instruction.

Who we are.

Edwards & Co is the trading name of Michael Edwards, a sole trader operating in the United Kingdom. Michael Edwards is the controller responsible for the personal information described in this notice.

Email: enquiries@edwardsco.uk
Telephone: 0330 043 1816
Address: Suite 28, Blackwell House, Coggeshall Road, Earls Colne, CO6 2JX

Information we collect.

Depending on the enquiry or instruction, we may collect:

Names, contact details, company names and professional roles.
Enquiries, correspondence and records of discussions.
Client names, property addresses and relevant property information.
Ownership, occupancy and access information needed for an instruction.
Property photographs, documents, valuations, reports and related evidence.
Details of solicitors, executors, deputies and other representatives involved.
Quotations, instructions, invoices and payment records.
Technical information generated through use of our website, such as IP addresses and browser information.

Please provide only information relevant to your enquiry or instruction.

Where information comes from.

We receive information directly from you and, where relevant, from instructing solicitors, clients, executors, deputies and other representatives.

We may also receive relevant information from estate agents, surveyors, auctioneers, contractors and other professionals involved in an instruction, and from publicly available property registers and professional sources.

How we use information.

We use personal information where necessary to:

Respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
Assess, accept and administer instructions.
Provide or arrange property valuations, reports, sales and management services.
Coordinate access, inspections, maintenance and other instructed work.
Communicate with clients, representatives and professionals.
Issue invoices, manage payments and maintain business records.
Handle complaints, resolve disputes and establish or defend legal claims.
Meet applicable legal obligations.
Operate and secure our website and business systems.
Maintain professional relationships and communicate about our services where permitted by law.

Our legal grounds for using information.

We identify an appropriate legal basis for each use of personal information.

Contract: where processing is necessary to perform a contract with you or take steps you request before entering into one.

Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary to respond to business enquiries, deliver instructions involving representatives or third parties, manage professional relationships, maintain business security or establish or defend legal claims. We consider these interests alongside the rights and reasonable expectations of the people concerned.

Legal obligation: where processing is necessary to comply with an applicable legal requirement, including tax and accounting obligations.

Consent: where we ask for permission for a specific purpose. You can withdraw consent by contacting us. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before you withdrew it.

If information necessary to assess or carry out an instruction is not provided, we may be unable to provide the relevant service.

Sharing information.

Where necessary for the purposes described above, we may share relevant information with:

Instructing solicitors, clients and authorised representatives.
Surveyors, estate agents, auctioneers and other property professionals.
Contractors, insurers and specialist service providers involved in an instruction.
Accountants, legal advisers and other professional advisers.
Authorities or other organisations where disclosure is legally required or necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
We limit the information shared to what is relevant to the recipient’s role. We do not sell personal information.

Our service providers.

We use external providers for website hosting, email, document storage, accounting and other business support services. They may process personal information where necessary to provide those services, under appropriate contractual arrangements.

Processing outside the UK.

Some technology providers may store or process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where this involves a restricted international transfer, an appropriate legal transfer mechanism is required. This may include UK adequacy

regulations or approved contractual safeguards, depending on the destination and arrangements involved.

You can contact us for information about the arrangements relevant to your personal information and how to obtain details of applicable safeguards.

How long we retain information.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this notice.

Our usual retention periods are:

Enquiries that do not become instructions: up to 12 months after our last substantive contact.
Instruction files, reports and relevant correspondence: normally six years after completion of the instruction.
Tax and accounting records: at least five years after the relevant 31 January Self Assessment submission deadline, or longer where required.
Professional marketing contacts: reviewed annually and retained while relevant to our professional relationship or lawful marketing activity.
Marketing objections and opt-outs: limited information retained for as long as necessary to respect your preferences.

We may retain relevant records for longer where required by law or a specific contractual requirement, or in connection with an actual or reasonably anticipated complaint, dispute or legal claim.

We delete or anonymise information when it is no longer needed.

Professional communications.

We may use professional contact information to tell solicitors and other relevant business contacts about Edwards & Co, our services and business developments.

Contact information may come from our dealings with you, professional introductions, events, your organisation’s website or other publicly available professional sources.

Where appropriate, we rely on our legitimate interests in developing relevant professional relationships and promoting our services. We assess these interests against your rights and reasonable expectations, and obtain consent where required by electronic marketing law.

You can object to direct marketing at any time by emailing enquiries@edwardsco.uk or using the unsubscribe option provided. We will stop using your information for that purpose and retain only the details necessary to respect your request.

Protecting information.

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure. Access is limited to those who need the information for their work.

Your rights.

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to:

Access your personal information.
Have inaccurate information corrected.
Request deletion of information.
Restrict certain processing.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Receive certain information in a portable format.
Withdraw consent where we rely on it.

You have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.

These rights are subject to conditions and exemptions. To make a request, contact enquiries@edwardsco.uk. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Questions and complaints.

Please contact us if you have a concern about how we handle your information. We will investigate and respond in accordance with applicable requirements.

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Cookies and similar technologies.

Information about any cookies and similar technologies used on this website, their purposes and the choices available to you is provided

in our Cookie Policy.

Changes to this notice.

We review this notice when our services or information-handling practices change. The latest version will appear on this page with an updated date.