SOUTH WESTERN VEHICLE AUCTIONS LTD
WEBSITE PRIVACY NOTICE
Last updated: August 2026
1. Who We Are
South Western Vehicle Auctions Ltd (SWVA) is an independent vehicle auction business based at SWVA House, Blackhill Road, Holton Heath Trading Park, Dorset, BH16 6LS. For the personal information described in this notice, SWVA is the data controller.
You can contact us at enquiries@swva.co.uk or on 01202 745466.
2. What Information We Collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you deal with us. It may include:
Your name, postal address, email address and telephone or mobile number;
Business and company information, including company name, company number, VAT number, website and trading details;
Account and registration information used to access SWVA online services, the member area, LiveBid and Buy It Now services;
Identity and verification information, including documents or information provided to confirm identity, trading status or eligibility to use our services;
Vehicle and auction information, including entries, purchases, sales, bids, reserves, collection or delivery information and vehicle registration details;
Financial and transaction information, including payments, refunds, bank details where required, invoices, fees and account history;
Information provided through contact forms, valuation forms, account applications, email, telephone calls or other communications with us;
Marketing preferences and subscription information;
Website and technical information, such as IP address, device and browser information, login activity and information collected through cookies or similar technologies; and
CCTV or other security information where you visit our premises.
3. How We Collect Information
We collect information directly from you when you register for an account, enter or buy a vehicle, bid at auction, arrange collection or delivery, contact us, complete an online form, subscribe to updates or visit our premises.
We may also receive information from organisations involved in a transaction or service, for example vendors, buyers, transport providers, payment providers, finance providers, identity or fraud-prevention services, vehicle-information providers, professional advisers, regulators or publicly available sources where this is lawful and relevant.
4. How We Use Your Information
We may use personal information to:
Set up and manage customer or business accounts;
Provide auction, bidding, buying, selling, valuation, collection and delivery services;
Process bids, sales, purchases, payments, refunds, invoices and other transactions;
Communicate with buyers, sellers, vendors, customers and suppliers about auctions or transactions;
Verify identity, eligibility, trading information or account details where required;
Prevent and investigate fraud, misuse, security incidents or unlawful activity;
Manage our website, LiveBid and other online services;
Maintain records and meet accounting, tax, regulatory and legal obligations;
Deal with enquiries, complaints and disputes;
Protect our staff, customers, premises, vehicles, systems and business;
Improve our services and understand how our website and services are used; and
Send auction news, vehicle alerts, promotions or other marketing where permitted by law.
5. Our Lawful Bases
We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis. Depending on the circumstances, this may be:
Contract – where the information is needed to provide an auction, account, transport or other service you have requested or to take steps before entering into a contract;
Legal obligation – where we need to keep or disclose information to comply with legal, tax, regulatory or other obligations;
Legitimate interests – where use of the information is necessary for the reasonable operation, security and improvement of our business, prevention of fraud, management of customer relationships or protection of our legal rights, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights;
Consent – where the law requires us to obtain your consent, for example for certain marketing or cookies; and
Vital interests or another lawful basis where this is relevant in exceptional circumstances.
Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Where we rely on legitimate interests, you may have a right to object to the processing.
6. Marketing
Where permitted by law, we may send information about auctions, vehicles, events and SWVA services. You can unsubscribe or change your marketing preferences at any time by using the unsubscribe option in a message or contacting us.
Service messages about your account, bids, purchases, sales or other transactions are not marketing and may still be sent where necessary.
7. Who We Share Information With
We may share personal information where necessary with:
Buyers, sellers or other parties to an auction or transaction where information is needed to complete the sale, payment, collection, delivery or transfer of a vehicle;
Payment processors, banks, finance providers and other organisations involved in processing transactions;
Transport, collection and delivery providers;
IT, website, auction-platform, hosting, communications and other technology service providers;
Identity, fraud-prevention, vehicle-information or verification providers where relevant;
Professional advisers, auditors, insurers and service providers acting for SWVA;
HMRC, regulators, law-enforcement agencies, courts or other public authorities where required or permitted by law; and
Another organisation in connection with a sale, restructuring or transfer of all or part of the SWVA business, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards.
We do not sell personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
8. International Transfers
Some of the service providers used by SWVA may process or store personal information outside the UK. Where this happens, SWVA will ensure that an appropriate legal mechanism and safeguards are in place as required by UK data-protection law.
9. Data Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. These include access controls, secure systems, password protection, appropriate authentication, backups, staff awareness and other security measures appropriate to the information and risks involved.
10. How Long We Keep Information
We keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, tax, regulatory, contractual and operational requirements. Retention periods vary according to the type of record. Some transaction and accounting records may need to be kept for several years after the relevant transaction or relationship has ended.
When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised or otherwise disposed of in accordance with our retention arrangements.
11. Cookies and Website Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate and secure the website, remember preferences, measure how the website is used and improve our services. Some cookies and similar technologies may be provided by third-party services used on the website. Where consent is required, these technologies will not be used until you have made your choice through the website cookie settings.
Further information about the cookies and third-party technologies used on the SWVA website, including how to accept, reject or change your choices, should be provided through the website cookie notice or cookie settings.
12. Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis we rely on, you may have the right to:
Ask for access to the personal information we hold about you;
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Ask us to delete personal information in certain circumstances;
Ask us to restrict how we use your information;
Object to certain uses of your information, including direct marketing;
Receive certain information in a portable format where the right applies; and
Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent.
These rights are not absolute and do not apply in every situation. To exercise a right, contact us using the details below. We may need to confirm your identity before acting on a request.
13. Automated Decision-Making
SWVA does not currently intend to make decisions about customers solely by automated processing where those decisions have legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will update this notice and provide the information required by law.
14. Children
SWVA auction and account services are not intended to be used independently by children. We do not knowingly seek to create auction or bidding accounts for children.
15. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations. SWVA is not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. You should read the privacy information provided by the relevant organisation.
16. Changes to This Notice
We may update this notice where our services, systems, legal obligations or use of personal information changes. The current version will be published on our website with the date it was last updated.
17. Contact Us
South Western Vehicle Auctions Ltd (SWVA)
SWVA House, Blackhill Road, Holton Heath Trading Park, Dorset, BH16 6LS
Email: enquiries@swva.co.uk
Telephone: 01202 745466
18. Complaints
If you have a concern about how SWVA has used your personal information, please contact us first so that we have the opportunity to investigate and respond.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection.