Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 25 June 2026
Advanced Rent Option Ltd, trading as ARO, is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly, lawfully and transparently.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you visit our website, use our ARO calculator or online forms, contact us, enquire about our services, enter into an agreement with us, or otherwise interact with us.
This policy applies to landlords, prospective landlords, tenants, prospective tenants, guarantors, website visitors, suppliers and other people who contact or interact with us.
This Privacy Policy replaces any previous privacy wording used on the ARO website or ARO calculator.
1. Who we are
ARO is the trading name of Advanced Rent Option Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 12953174.
Registered office:
Ground Floor, 1/7 Station Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1HT
Correspondence/contact address:
99 Brighton Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 6PS
Email: info@advancedrentoption.co.uk
Telephone: 01342 840 050
For data protection purposes, Advanced Rent Option Ltd is the controller of the personal information described in this Privacy Policy, unless we explain otherwise.
2. Personal information we collect
We may collect and use the following types of personal information.
Information you provide to us
This may include:
- your name;
- email address;
- telephone number;
- rental property postcode;
- monthly rent.
Information collected through the ARO calculator and online forms
When you use the ARO calculator or enquiry forms, we may collect your rental property postcode, monthly rent, name, email address and phone number.
We use this information to calculate an indicative ARO figure, assess whether ARO may be suitable for you, and follow up with you about your enquiry.
Any figure produced by the calculator is indicative only and subject to further assessment, eligibility checks, property details, tenancy details, applicable fees and our discretion.
Information from calls and messages
Where applicable, we may keep records of calls, emails, SMS messages, WhatsApp messages or other communications with you.
Calls may be recorded, transcribed or summarised for training, quality monitoring, customer service, compliance, record keeping and follow-up purposes.
Where we use AI-enabled tools to help manage enquiries, calls, messages, scheduling, document workflows or customer support, those tools may process your information on our behalf. We remain responsible for ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place.
Information we collect automatically
When you use our website or online tools, we may collect technical information, including:
- IP address;
- browser type and version;
- device type;
- operating system;
- time zone setting;
- pages visited;
- time spent on pages;
- referring websites;
- interactions with our website, forms or emails;
- cookie and similar technology data.
Information from third parties and public sources
We may receive personal information about you from third parties and public sources where this is relevant to an enquiry, eligibility assessment, tenant referencing, property management matter, compliance check or service we provide.
This may include:
- landlords, tenants, guarantors or applicants, who may provide identity, contact, property, tenancy, rent, affordability, payment, communication and supporting document information;
- Blinc-UK Ltd, our tenant referencing and AML provider, which may provide tenant referencing, identity verification, Right to Rent, anti-money laundering, fraud prevention, affordability, income, employment, open banking, landlord reference, credit check, CCJ, insolvency, bankruptcy, PEP, sanctions and risk assessment information;
- TransUnion International UK Limited, which may provide credit reference, credit risk, affordability, fraud prevention, anti-money laundering, identity verification and tracing information;
- LexisNexis Risk Solutions UK Ltd, which may provide credit risk, affordability, fraud prevention, anti-money laundering, identity verification and tracing information;
- Veriff OÜ and Yoti Ltd, which may provide digital identity verification, document authentication, biometric comparison, liveness check and Right to Rent information;
- TrueLayer Ltd, which may provide Open Banking connectivity to help verify income, spending and affordability information, where consent has been given;
- Mistho Ltd, which may provide secure access to HMRC employment history and income information, where explicit consent has been given;
- public registers and official sources, including HM Land Registry, Companies House, electoral roll sources, sanctions lists, insolvency registers, court records and other publicly available sources, which may provide property ownership, company, director, address, insolvency, sanctions, court judgment or other relevant compliance information;
- Choices group companies or connected businesses, where information is relevant to related property services, administration, customer support, compliance or marketing;
- contractors, agents, professional advisers, regulators, public authorities or law enforcement bodies, where relevant to property management, compliance, disputes, legal obligations or protecting our business.
Where we or our tenant referencing provider use credit reference agency data, the credit reference agency currently identified by Blinc-UK Ltd is TransUnion International UK Limited. More information about how TransUnion uses and shares personal information is available in its privacy notice and in the Credit Reference Agency Information Notice, also known as CRAIN.
Where fraud prevention databases are used, personal information may be checked against and shared with fraud prevention agencies for the purposes of preventing fraud, money laundering and financial crime. If Cifas is used as part of any checks, more information about how Cifas uses personal information will be available in the relevant Cifas Fair Processing Notice.
Criminal offence, fraud prevention and AML information
Where necessary for identity checks, anti-money laundering checks, fraud prevention, risk assessment, legal compliance or the protection of our business, we may process identity verification information, anti-money-laundering check results, fraud prevention information, sanctions and politically exposed person screening results, risk indicators, suspected fraud or money laundering information, criminal offence information where relevant, and related compliance records.
We only process this type of information where the law allows us to do so, including where it is necessary to comply with legal obligations, prevent fraud, prevent money laundering, protect our legal position, or assess whether we are able to provide our services.
Some identity, anti-money-laundering, fraud prevention and compliance information may be required by law or needed before we can provide our services. If you do not provide this information when requested, we may be unable to assess your enquiry, proceed with your application or provide ARO services.
Where required, we rely on relevant conditions under the Data Protection Act 2018 for processing this information, including preventing fraud, preventing money laundering and complying with legal or regulatory obligations.
We maintain internal policies and safeguards for this type of processing, including a Choices Group AML Policy document, which is available for compliance, audit or regulatory purposes where needed.
3. How we use your personal information
We may use your personal information for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Examples | Lawful basis and named legitimate interest |
|---|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries | Replying to your website, calculator, phone, email, SMS or WhatsApp enquiry | Legitimate interests — responding to landlord enquiries and providing information about ARO; steps before entering into a contract |
| Providing indicative ARO calculations | Estimating potential upfront rent based on property and rent details | Legitimate interests — providing landlords with an initial indication of potential upfront rent; steps before entering into a contract |
| Assessing eligibility for ARO | Reviewing property, tenancy, compliance, financial and referencing information | Legitimate interests — assessing whether a property, tenancy or landlord may qualify for ARO; contract; legal obligation where applicable |
| Providing our services | Managing property, tenancy, rent, documents, contractors, inspections and communications | Contract; legitimate interests — delivering and managing ARO services effectively; legal obligation where applicable |
| Identity, AML, fraud and risk checks | Verifying identity, checking documents, preventing fraud and managing risk | Legal obligation; legitimate interests — protecting ARO, landlords, tenants and other parties from fraud, financial crime and misuse of services |
| Communicating with you | Service updates, appointment reminders, document requests, customer support and follow-up | Contract; legitimate interests — keeping landlords, tenants and relevant parties informed about enquiries, services and property matters |
| Marketing similar services | Sending relevant updates about ARO, property management or related services | Consent or legitimate interests — promoting ARO and similar landlord/property services to people who have shown an interest, where PECR permits |
| Measuring marketing performance | Understanding email engagement, advert performance and website journeys | Consent where required for cookies/tracking; legitimate interests — understanding which marketing activity is effective and improving future communications, where lawful |
| Improving our services | Analysing enquiries, service performance, complaints, feedback and customer outcomes | Legitimate interests — improving ARO’s customer experience, processes, products and service quality |
| Training and quality monitoring | Reviewing calls, messages or customer interactions | Legitimate interests — training staff, monitoring service standards and improving customer support |
| Compliance and legal claims | Keeping records, responding to complaints, enforcing agreements, handling disputes | Legal obligation; legitimate interests — protecting our legal position, resolving disputes and enforcing or defending rights; legal claims where applicable |
| Business administration | Accounting, reporting, audits, insurance, professional advice and business planning | Legal obligation; legitimate interests — running ARO efficiently, maintaining accurate records and managing business operations |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we only do so where we consider that our legitimate interest is not overridden by your interests, rights and freedoms.
4. Marketing communications
We may contact you with information about ARO, property management, landlord services, market updates, offers or related services where the law allows us to do so.
For email, SMS, WhatsApp and similar electronic marketing, we will only contact you where:
- you have consented; or
- you have previously enquired about, discussed or used similar services and we gave you a clear opportunity to opt out when we collected your details and in every subsequent message; or
- another lawful basis under applicable marketing rules applies.
You can opt out of marketing at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails, replying to a message where that option is provided, or contacting us at info@advancedrentoption.co.uk.
We may still send you service-related messages where necessary, such as messages about an existing enquiry, agreement, appointment, compliance matter, payment, property management issue or legal obligation.
5. Cookies and similar technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the site, understand how it is used, improve performance, and support advertising or marketing activity.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to work properly. Other cookies, such as analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, will only be used where the law allows us to do so, including where you have given consent.
You can manage cookie preferences through our cookie banner or browser settings. If you disable some cookies, parts of the website may not work as intended.
We recommend maintaining a separate Cookie Policy that explains the specific cookies and similar technologies used, their purposes, durations and providers.
6. Who we share personal information with
We do not sell your personal information.
Advanced Rent Option Ltd is the controller of personal information collected through the ARO website, calculator and services, and where we lawfully share that information with Choices group companies or connected businesses for related property services, administration or marketing, those organisations act as independent controllers for their own use of that information.
We may share your personal information where necessary with:
- Choices group companies or connected businesses;
- CRM, website, hosting and IT providers;
- email, SMS, telephone, WhatsApp, call recording and customer communication providers;
- AI, automation or workflow providers acting on our behalf;
- Blinc-UK Ltd, tenant referencing, identity verification, AML, fraud prevention and credit reference providers;
- property portals, valuation tools and marketing platforms;
- contractors, maintenance providers, inventory clerks and property professionals;
- landlords, tenants, applicants and guarantors where relevant to a tenancy or property management matter;
- payment, accounting and finance providers;
- professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants, auditors and insurers;
- regulators, courts, public authorities, law enforcement or government bodies where required;
- potential buyers, investors or advisers if we sell, restructure or transfer part of our business.
Where third parties process personal information on our behalf, we require them to protect it and only use it in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection law.
7. International transfers
Some of our suppliers or technology providers may process personal information outside the UK.
Where we transfer personal information outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure it is protected in accordance with UK data protection law. This may include relying on UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism.
8. How long we keep personal information
We only keep personal information for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, regulatory, accounting, reporting, contractual and operational requirements.
As a guide:
| Type of information | Typical retention approach |
|---|---|
| Website and calculator enquiries that do not proceed | Usually up to 2 years after last meaningful contact, unless there is a reason to keep it longer |
| Marketing contacts | Until you opt out or we no longer have a valid reason to contact you. Suppression records may be kept to ensure we do not contact you again |
| Customer, landlord, tenant and property records | Usually up to 6 years after the end of the relationship or contract, unless a longer period is required |
| AML, identity and compliance records | For the period required by applicable law, commonly 5 years from the end of the business relationship or transaction where AML rules apply |
| Complaints and disputes | For as long as needed to investigate, resolve and defend any claim |
| Call recordings, transcripts and message records | For as long as needed for quality, training, compliance, service and dispute-resolution purposes |
| Cookie and analytics data | In accordance with our Cookie Policy and the settings of the relevant tools |
We may retain information for longer where required by law, where a dispute may arise, where we need to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, or where we are required to preserve records for regulatory reasons.
9. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- ask for access to your personal information;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask us to delete your personal information;
- ask us to restrict how we use your personal information;
- object to certain uses of your personal information;
- object to direct marketing at any time;
- ask for your information to be transferred to another provider, where applicable;
- withdraw consent where we rely on consent;
- not be subject to a solely automated decision that has legal or similarly significant effects, subject to certain exceptions.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object to that processing. You also have the right to object to direct marketing at any time.
These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.
To exercise your rights, contact us at info@advancedrentoption.co.uk.
10. Automated decision-making and profiling
We may use systems, analytics, calculators and automated tools to help us manage enquiries, prioritise follow-up, calculate indicative figures, assess service performance, understand customer interests, or support operational decisions.
No final decision producing legal or similarly significant effects is made solely by automated means. Our calculator and any automated tools are used to provide indicative information, support enquiries and assist our team, but important decisions about eligibility, suitability or whether to proceed are subject to human review.
Where AI-enabled tools are used, they are intended to support our team rather than replace human oversight for important decisions.
11. Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.
These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff training, contractual safeguards with suppliers, encryption where appropriate, monitoring and internal policies.
No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security of information sent online. Please take care when sending sensitive information to us.
12. Complaints
If you have a concern about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so we can investigate and respond.
Email: info@advancedrentoption.co.uk
Post: Advanced Rent Option Ltd, Ground Floor, 1/7 Station Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1HT
We will acknowledge data protection complaints within 30 days and respond without undue delay.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK data protection regulator. You can find more information at ico.org.uk.
13. Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of those websites. You should read their privacy policies before providing personal information to them.
14. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We keep this Privacy Policy under regular review and may update it from time to time.
If we make significant changes, we may notify you by email, website notice or another appropriate method.