Thanks for talking with us about home building work. As part of pricing, planning, and getting a job set up properly, we may both share information we would not normally publish or hand to a stranger.
It means we both agree to treat the other’s confidential information with care and to use it only for discussing, quoting, planning, or carrying out the home building work we are talking about.
What we keep private
“Confidential information” is anything either of us shares that a sensible person would treat as private, whether it is marked confidential or not. For you, that can include your address and access details, alarm or key safe codes, drawings, structural calculations, surveys, photos of your home, budgets, and your family’s day to day routines while you are living in.
For us, it can include pricing and estimates, supplier rates, programme and sequencing, variation quote sheets, subcontractor contacts, method statements, checklists, and how we coordinate Building Control inspections and sign-off. It also includes logins, passwords, and any files shared by email, link, USB drive, or printed pack.
How we both handle it
We both agree to use the other side’s confidential information only to evaluate, agree, or carry out the home building work being discussed. We will not use it for any other job, any marketing, or to gain an advantage with someone else.
We both agree to share confidential information only with people who genuinely need it for that purpose, for example our project manager, site supervisor, estimator, or a specialist trade we bring in for a specific part of the job. If we pass information on, we will make sure those people are bound to keep it private to at least the same standard. We will protect it with the same care we use for our own confidential information, including keeping site copies and digital files controlled and not left lying around.
What is not confidential
Information is not confidential if it is already public through no fault of the receiving side. It is also not confidential if the receiving side can show they already knew it before it was shared, or they received it lawfully from someone else who was not under a duty to keep it private.
Information is not confidential if it was developed independently without using the other side’s confidential information. Finally, if we are required to disclose something by a regulator, a court, an insurer, or similar official process, we may do so. Where we are allowed to, we will give the other side notice first and share only what we have to.
When this applies
This agreement applies from the date it is signed and covers all confidential information we share with each other from that point onwards, whether it is shared before a proposal is signed, during planning and pricing, or while work is on site.
Our duty to protect each other’s confidential information continues after our discussions end, or after any working relationship ends. That duty will last for the period we agree in writing. If we agree different periods for different types of information, for example security details versus pricing, we will set that out in writing as well.
Returning and deleting
If either of us asks, or when our discussions or work together end, we will return the other side’s confidential materials or securely destroy them. This includes copies, extracts, marked-up drawings, photos, notes, and downloaded files.
In practice, some information may sit in routine backups, email archives, or job records. We can keep what we reasonably need for normal business records, insurance, tax, warranty, or to show what was agreed and when. Anything kept like that stays confidential and is not pulled into use for another purpose. If you want something specific deleted, tell us what it is and where it was shared, and we will confirm what we have removed.
Who owns what
This agreement does not change who owns anything. Each side keeps ownership of its own ideas, methods, designs, documents, photos, and know-how, even if they are shared during discussions.
Sharing confidential information does not give the other side permission to copy it, publish it, or use it on another project. The only permission we both give each other under this agreement is to review the information and use it to decide whether to proceed, and if we do proceed, to plan and carry out the home building work we have agreed. Any wider use needs a separate written agreement.
If there is a leak
We both understand that if confidential information is leaked or misused, the harm is not always something money alone can put right. The harmed side can ask for an order to stop the leak or misuse, as well as seeking compensation for the loss.
If something goes wrong, we both agree to act quickly, share what we know, and take practical steps to limit the spread, for example removing access to links, requesting deletion from recipients, and securing any site copies.
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