Conflict of interest policy

This policy makes sure every landlord, provider and investor we work with is treated fairly, even when our own care company has an interest in the same property.

It applies to:

• GK Alpha Investment Group ("we", "us"), our sourcing business.
• Tender Stone Care Ltd, our related care company, and any future companies in the same group.
• Our founders, Gavin and Khush.
• Every employee, contractor and outsourced team member, including remote staff.

Everyone covered must read this policy and confirm in writing that they will follow it.

Our founders own both a property sourcing business and a care company. That means we could be tempted to keep the best buildings for ourselves.

We find buildings for care and supported living providers and match them with landlords. Our care company also needs buildings for its own children's homes. When both our clients and our care company could use the same property, we have a conflict of interest.

We will never hide this. This policy sets out how we handle it openly and fairly.

We make six promises to everyone we work with:

1. We always tell you. If our care company is interested in a property we are discussing with you, we say so in writing before going any further.
2. Clients come first. A property found under a provider's search brief is offered to that provider first.
3. Same terms for everyone. Our care company pays the same fees and gets no better terms, information or timing than any other client.
4. No hidden fees. You always know who is paying us and how much.
5. Your information stays private. What you share with us is never passed to our care company.
6. You can walk away. If you are unhappy with how a conflict is handled, you can end the arrangement with no penalty.

Our care company is treated as one client, and it waits its turn behind any client whose brief the property already matches.

1. Every new property is logged in our CRM with the date found and the source.
2. We check it against every live client brief, including our care company's.
3. If it matches a client's brief, that client is offered it first, in the order their briefs were received.
4. Our care company can only be offered it if every matching client has declined it in writing, or none match.
5. If our care company wants a property a client is considering, we tell that client and let them decide first.
6. A founder who does not lead the care company signs off every property our care company takes.
7. Every decision and the reason for it is recorded in the conflicts register (section 8).

If a landlord brings a property directly to our care company, we still record it in the register and tell any client who had a matching brief.

Every fee is agreed in writing before any work starts, and both sides know about each other's fees.

• One side paying: our fee agreement names who pays us and how much.
• Both sides paying: if we charge both the landlord and the provider on the same deal, we tell both of them in writing, including the amount each pays, before either signs.
• Our care company as tenant: we disclose the relationship to the landlord in writing and charge the landlord no more than our standard fee.
• Referral fees: any fee we pay to or receive from an agent, solicitor or broker for a deal is disclosed to our client.

Client information stays inside the sourcing business and is never used to give our care company an advantage.

• Client briefs, rents, fees and landlord details are stored in the sourcing company's CRM only.
• Care company staff do not have access to that CRM.
• Sourcing staff do not share client information with the care company, in writing or in conversation.
• Outsourced and remote team members sign a confidentiality agreement and only get access to the systems their role needs.
• Our care company's property searches are handled like any other client's: through a written brief logged in the CRM.

Anyone covered by this policy must declare a personal interest before working on a deal it touches.

• Personal interests: owning, renting or investing in a property, or having a family member or close friend on either side of a deal, must be declared. That person steps back from the deal.
• Side payments: no one may accept money, commission or favours from a landlord, provider, investor or agent outside our written fee agreements.
• Gifts and hospitality: anything worth more than £50 must be recorded in the register. Anything that could influence a decision must be refused.

Every conflict, declaration and gift is recorded in one conflicts register, and the policy is reviewed every 12 months.

Raising a concern. Any client, employee or contractor can raise a concern about a conflict by emailing management@gkalpha.co.uk. A founder who is not involved in the deal replies within 5 working days. If you are still unhappy, you can take your complaint to our redress scheme, Property Redress, membership number PRS060839.

Review. This policy is reviewed every 12 months, and sooner if our business changes. A solicitor checks it before it is first published and after any major change.

Questions about how this policy works in practice? Email us or read our terms of use and privacy policy.