Last Updated On: 11-June-2026
Effective Date: 11-June-2026

At G D O’Hehir & Co Ltd (trading as GDO Accountants), we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, use our professional services, or contact us. It is designed to meet our obligations and protect your rights under the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (collectively, “the Data Protection Legislation”).

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of the Data Protection Legislation, the data controller is:

• Company Name: G D O’Hehir & Co Ltd
• Company Number: 04512519
• Address: Suite 2 SM Business Centre, Barnfield Rd, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6EL
• Email: info@gdoaccountants.co.uk
• Telephone: 01388 819911

2. What Information We Collect

We only collect information that is strictly necessary to provide you with our professional services or respond to your enquiries. This includes:

• Identity Data: First name, last name, date of birth, and National Insurance number.
• Contact Data: Billing address, email address, and telephone numbers.
• Prospect & Business Query Data: Business name, business type (such as Sole Trader, Partnership, or Limited Company), and custom message queries submitted via our digital entry points.
• Financial & Business Records: Bank account details, tax reference numbers (such as your UTR), payroll information, and business financial records necessary for accounting, bookkeeping, and tax filings.
• Technical Security Data: Internet protocol (IP) address, browser type, operating system, and hardware/behavioral verification profiles captured automatically to secure our website against malicious spam.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect data through the following methods:

• Direct Interactions: When you complete our website contact and consultation forms, sign up for our secure client portal, or communicate with our team by post, phone, or email.
• Third Parties & Public Sources: We may receive relevant data from third parties such as HMRC, Companies House, or your previous accountant (subject to your explicit consent during the professional handover process).
• Automated Technologies: As you interact with our website, we automatically collect technical browsing data using tracking cookies. Please see our Cookie Policy for more details.

4. How We Use Your Data

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we process your information under the following lawful bases:

• Performance of a Contract: To safely register you as a new client and deliver our contracted accounting, tax, corporate secretarial, and payroll services.
• Legal Obligation: To comply with strict UK regulatory requirements, including mandatory Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks, Know Your Customer (KYC) identity verifications, and statutory HMRC submissions.
• Legitimate Interests: To securely administer our business, ensure our website remains protected from cyber threats, and provide you with relevant regulatory accounting updates.
• Consent: When you have explicitly opted in to receive secondary marketing communications, newsletters, or advisory insights from our firm. You can withdraw this consent at any time.

5. Who We Share Your Data With

To provide our services and maintain a secure digital experience, we may share your personal data with trusted third parties, including:

• Government & Regulatory Bodies: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Companies House, and The Pensions Regulator.
• Software Providers: Cloud accounting platforms (including Xero and QuickBooks) and secure payroll software tools necessary to process your business data.
• Automated Security Systems: We use Google reCAPTCHA to protect our online inquiry forms from automated spam and abuse. This service cross-references technical identifiers and user behavior, and its usage is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
• Professional Advisers & Processors: IT support and system administration providers, as well as legal experts, banking institutions, or insurers who provide critical operational consultancy.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes.

6. Data Security

We have put in place robust technical and organizational security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, altered, disclosed, or accessed in an unauthorized way. Access to your personal data is strictly limited to our employees, agents, and contractors who have a defined business need to know, are bound by contractual duties of confidentiality, and handle data under strict data processing agreements.

7. Data Retention

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or regulatory reporting requirements. By law, we are required to securely maintain comprehensive basic information about our clients (including Contact, Identity, and Financial Data) for **6 years** after they cease being clients for tax, professional liability insurance, and legal compliance purposes.

8. Your Legal Rights

Under UK data protection laws, you have clear statutory rights regarding your information. These include the right to request access to your personal data (via a Subject Access Request), request the correction of inaccurate data, request erasure under certain conditions, object to or restrict processing, request data portability, and withdraw processing consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our team at: info@gdoaccountants.co.uk.

We do not charge a fee for a standard request. Once we have successfully verified your identity, we will respond to your request without undue delay and strictly within **one calendar month** of receipt.

9. Data Protection Complaints Procedure

G D O’Hehir & Co Ltd is committed to addressing data privacy concerns transparently, fairly, and quickly. In accordance with the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you have an explicit right to lodge a formal complaint if you are unhappy with how your data is handled.

Under UK law, you are required to submit your complaint directly to GDO Accountants in the first instance to allow us to carry out an internal review and deploy a prompt resolution.

• How to Complain: Please email info@gdoaccountants.co.uk or write to our registered office. Please include your full name, contact information, a detailed description of your data concern, and your ideal resolution.
• Our Obligations: We will formally acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 30 days. Our team will thoroughly investigate the matter internally and issue our formal findings and any systemic corrective actions taken.
• Escalation: If you remain completely unsatisfied following our final internal response, you retain the statutory right to escalate your complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) by visiting www.ico.org.uk or calling 0303 123 1113.