Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to Howson Auto Leasing ( referred to as HAL, "we" or "us" in this policy) and the purpose of this policy is to advise you what personal information we collect about you, how we use it, whether we disclose it to anyone else, how long we keep it and how you can request access to your personal information or obtain more information about Howson Auto Leasing.

Personal Information

 Personal information means any information about you except your name, business title, business address, business e-mail address, business telephone number or business facsimile number. It also does not include your home address and telephone number if these are published in a telephone or other directory.

Accountability

We are responsible for the personal information under our control and we have a designated Privacy Officer who is responsible for our compliance with this policy and with privacy legislation. If you wish to contact this officer, who is identified in the organization as the General Manager, you may do so in one or more of the following:

By Telephone  (416) 491-4000     By E-mail   info@howsonauto.com

By Facsimile    (416) 491-4008     By Mail  2135 Sheppard Ave., Willowdale, ON  M2J 1W6

What Personal Information do we collect?

When you lease or purchase a vehicle from us or when you purchase or lease other products and services through us, or if you participate in one of our surveys or promotions, or if you test drive one of our vehicles, or you contact our staff for information, we may collect some or all of the following personal information: 

• Your name, address and telephone number
• E-mail address and facsimile number
• Your occupation
• Information about your driving habits (such as preferred car size, colour, type of vehicle, kilometres driven annually etc.)
• Information about your existing vehicle (s) and any trade-in
• Details of your vehicle and its service history
• Your drivers license number
• The name of your Insurance Company and Agent
• Your Insurance Policy number and details about your insurance coverage
• Similar information about other members of your family
• Your language preference
• Your date of birth and/or date of birth of other members of your family
• Your social insurance number (SIN) and/or the social insurance numbers of your family (specific information is set out in the application for credit forms) *
• The principal amount of your loan, interest and repayment schedule on your existing vehicle

We will not collect, use or disclose relevant personal information without your consent either verbally or in writing or in accordance with the law.

* Provision of your social insurance number is optional. However, you should be aware that  most   credit reporting agencies use the social insurance number (SIN) as a unique identifier to ensure proper identification when conducting credit reviews and preparing credit reports. If you do not wish to provide your social insurance number, our ability to obtain a timely and accurate credit report may be affected.

The Security of your Personal Information is Important to Us

Your personal information is used by HAL only for the purposes identified below and access to your personal information is limited to only those employees of HAL who need to have access to it.

How do we use your Personal Information?

Your personal information may be used by us to provide products and services to you such as : to obtain a license for your vehicle, to obtain a credit report if you are leasing your vehicle, to provide you with a reminder that your vehicle requires servicing and/or to provide you with updates on products and services that we have to offer and which we think will be of interest to you. When manufacturer recalls are issued it is important that we are able to contact you to complete these warranty campaigns since many of them are involving safety related matters.

Sometimes we have to Share your Personal Information with Others

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share some or all of your personal information with third parties such as the manufacturer of your vehicle, and its related companies, the providers of products and services relating to your vehicle, credit reporting agencies, financial institutions or financing companies, your insurance agent or company and companies which provide or insure warranties relating to your vehicle. We may also disclose your personal information where we are required to do so by law.

How long do we keep your Personal Information?

We retain your personal information as long as we believe that you are still the lessee or the owner of the vehicle. If the information relates to the financing or lease of the vehicle, we retain personal information relating to the financing or lease arrangements as long as those arrangements are in place. If there are legal requirements relating to the period of time which we must retain your personal information, we comply with those requirements.

What can you do if you want to limit the use to which we put your Personal Information?

Most of the personal information which we collect is necessary for us to enter into an arrangement to lease or sell you your vehicle, to provide products and services related to the vehicle, assist you in the financing or the lease of your vehicle or to provide you with service to your vehicle and we cannot do this without that personal information. Similarly, we must disclose your personal information as described above in order to sell, assist with financing or leasing, supplying related products and services or to provide servicng to/for your vehicle. If you do not want us to use or disclose your personal information in a particular way, please contact the Privacy Officer (General Manager) as described above and we will be pleased to discuss with you how we can limit collection, use or disclosure of your personal information.

You can request access to your Personal Information

You have a right to access the personal information, which we have about you and to request your personal information, which you believe to be inaccurate, be corrected. If you wish to access your personal information you should contact the Privacy Officer (General Manager) who will be pleased to assist you.

Questions? Concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or about the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by Howson Auto Leasing, please contact the Privacy officer (General Manager) as set out at the beginning of this policy and we will address your concerns.