Data Retention & Destruction Policy
Last updated: 28 August 2026
Bentley Legal Support Services (“Bentley”, “we”, “us” or “our”) recognises that personal and confidential information should not be retained for longer than is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is held.
This policy sets out how Bentley determines retention periods, reviews information and securely deletes or destroys information when it is no longer required.
1. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that Bentley retains information for an appropriate period while avoiding unnecessary or indefinite retention.
UK data protection law requires personal data to be kept for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed. There is no universal statutory retention period for all personal information, so Bentley uses documented and justifiable retention criteria for different categories of information. ([ICO](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/data-protection-principles/a-guide-to-data-protection-principles/storage-limitation/))
2. Scope
This policy applies to information held by Bentley in paper, electronic, photographic, mobile, cloud or other formats, including:
- Client instructions
- Legal and court documents
- Attendance notes
- Service records
- Reports
- Photographs
- GPS and location information
- Tracing and verification information
- Property and occupancy information
- Emails and correspondence
- Contracts and client records
- Invoices and payment records
- Complaints and related records
- Business and administrative information
3. Retention Principle
Bentley will retain personal information only for as long as there is a legitimate and identifiable reason to do so.
Retention may be necessary to:
- Complete an assignment
- Meet contractual obligations
- Comply with legal or regulatory requirements
- Maintain appropriate business and accounting records
- Deal with complaints or disputes
- Establish, exercise or defend legal claims
- Meet insurance requirements
- Protect Bentley’s legitimate business interests
Information must not be retained indefinitely simply because it may potentially become useful in the future. ([ICO](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/advice-for-small-organisations/information-security/data-storage-advice/))
4. Retention Schedule
Bentley will maintain a retention schedule identifying appropriate retention periods or retention criteria for the principal categories of information it holds.
The retention period for a particular category may depend on the nature of the information, the purpose for which it was collected, contractual commitments, legal requirements, insurance considerations and the circumstances of the relevant matter.
5. Client and Assignment Records
Client instructions, assignment records and related correspondence may need to be retained after completion of an assignment to provide an appropriate business record of the work undertaken and to address contractual, legal, insurance or dispute-related requirements.
Information will be reviewed and deleted when it is no longer reasonably necessary to retain it.
6. Legal Documents
Copies of documents supplied for process serving or other assignments will be retained only for as long as necessary for the relevant service, reporting, contractual, legal, insurance or dispute-resolution purpose.
Where continued retention is not required, unnecessary copies should be securely deleted or destroyed.
7. Attendance Notes and Reports
Attendance notes, service records and reports may be retained as evidence of the work undertaken and the outcome of an assignment.
The appropriate retention period will depend on the nature of the assignment and any legal, contractual, insurance or dispute-resolution requirements.
8. Photographs
Photographs collected during an assignment will be retained only for as long as they are reasonably required for the relevant service, report, evidence, legal, contractual, insurance or dispute-resolution purpose.
Where photographs are no longer required, they should be securely deleted from approved storage and, where applicable, from devices used to collect them.
9. GPS and Location Information
GPS or other location information collected as part of an assignment will be retained only where it is necessary for the relevant service, evidence, reporting, legal, contractual, insurance or dispute-resolution purpose.
Unnecessary location information should not be retained.
10. Tracing and Verification Information
Information obtained during tracing, address verification or related fieldwork will be retained only for as long as it remains necessary for the purpose of the assignment or another lawful purpose.
Where information is no longer required, it should be securely deleted or destroyed.
11. Property and Occupancy Information
Property inspection reports, occupancy observations and related photographic or field information will be retained according to the purpose of the assignment and Bentley’s applicable retention schedule.
12. Client Contact Information
Basic client and business contact information may be retained for legitimate business administration, ongoing client relationships, accounting, legal or contractual purposes.
Marketing information will be handled separately in accordance with applicable data-protection and electronic-marketing requirements.
13. Financial and Accounting Records
Financial and accounting records will be retained for the periods required by applicable legal, tax and accounting obligations and for any additional period reasonably necessary for legitimate business purposes.
14. Complaints
Records relating to complaints may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to investigate the matter, demonstrate how it was handled, address follow-up issues and meet any applicable legal, contractual or insurance requirements.
15. Litigation and Legal Holds
Where Bentley reasonably expects that information may be required in connection with a complaint, dispute, legal claim, investigation or other formal process, the relevant information may be placed on a temporary legal hold.
Information subject to a legal hold must not be deleted until the hold has been lifted or the relevant retention requirement has otherwise ended.
16. Data Subject Requests
Information relating to a data subject access request or other data-protection request may need to be retained temporarily to demonstrate how the request was handled and to comply with applicable legal requirements.
17. Regular Review
Bentley will periodically review retained information to determine whether it is still required.
Where information is no longer necessary, appropriate steps will be taken to delete, destroy or anonymise it.
The ICO recommends that organisations document retention periods and regularly review whether information remains necessary. ([ICO](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/data-protection-principles/a-guide-to-data-protection-principles/storage-limitation/))
18. Secure Digital Deletion
Electronic information that is no longer required should be securely deleted from the systems in which it is held, taking account of backups and system retention features.
Where immediate deletion from a backup system is not technically practical, the information should remain inaccessible for ordinary use and be deleted in accordance with the applicable backup cycle, where legally permissible.
19. Secure Destruction of Paper Records
Paper documents containing personal or confidential information must be securely destroyed when no longer required.
Depending on the circumstances, this may involve secure shredding or another appropriate destruction method.
20. Device Disposal
Before a device containing Bentley information is disposed of, transferred or returned, appropriate steps must be taken to remove or securely erase business and personal information.
21. Personal Devices
Where business information has been stored temporarily on an authorised personal device, the information should be transferred to an approved business system and removed from the personal device as soon as reasonably practical, subject to legitimate retention requirements.
22. Unnecessary Copies
Duplicate copies of documents, photographs, emails and other information should not be retained unnecessarily.
Staff and authorised users should regularly remove duplicate or temporary copies that are no longer required.
23. Accuracy and Outdated Information
Where personal information is found to be inaccurate or no longer relevant to the purpose for which it is held, Bentley will take reasonable steps to correct, remove or update it where appropriate.
However, historical records may sometimes need to remain unchanged where they accurately document what was recorded or done at the time.
24. Exceptions to Deletion
Information may be retained beyond an ordinary retention period where continued retention is reasonably necessary for a lawful purpose, including:
- Legal or regulatory requirements
- Legal claims or disputes
- Insurance requirements
- Fraud prevention or investigation
- Professional or contractual obligations
- Regulatory investigations
25. Confidentiality
Retention does not remove the requirement to protect information.
Information retained for a legitimate purpose must continue to be subject to appropriate access controls, confidentiality and security measures.
26. Third-Party Storage
Where information is stored with a third-party provider, Bentley will take reasonable steps to ensure that retention and deletion arrangements are appropriate to the provider’s role and the nature of the information.
27. End of Client Relationship
When a client relationship ends, Bentley will review the information it holds and retain only what remains necessary for legitimate contractual, legal, insurance, accounting, dispute-resolution or other lawful purposes.
28. Destruction Records
Where appropriate, Bentley may maintain a record that information has been securely destroyed or deleted, particularly where the destruction forms part of a formal retention or legal-hold process.
29. Responsibilities
Everyone handling Bentley information is responsible for avoiding unnecessary retention and following the applicable retention and destruction procedures.
Management is responsible for maintaining an appropriate retention schedule and reviewing it when services, legal requirements or business arrangements change.
30. Changes to this Policy
Bentley may update this policy where necessary to reflect changes in its services, systems, retention requirements, technology or applicable law.
31. Contact Us
If you have any questions about our retention or destruction practices, please contact:
Bentley Legal Support Services
Email: enquiries@bentleylegal.co.uk
Telephone: +44-7890-197837
Website: www.bentleylegal.co.uk
Related Policies
Privacy Policy | Data Processing Addendum | Information Security Policy | Service Standards
This policy provides a framework for Bentley Legal Support Services’ information-retention practices. Specific retention periods should be documented in the company’s internal retention schedule and reviewed against its actual legal, contractual, accounting, insurance and operational requirements.