Checkatrade Privacy Notice

Checkatrade Privacy Notice Website When you visit our website we collect information which includes your I.P. (Internet Protocol) address and information regarding the pages you visited. Collecting this information allows us to monitor how effective our website is and how easy it is for you to find the information you need. We also use Cookies to assist the working of our site and for analysis and advertising purposes. You can change the cookies by clicking on the Cookies Settings button at the bottom of this notice.

If you provide feedback or review a trade When you contact a Checkatrade trade member you will be asked to provide feedback on your experience or to review the trade. Collecting feedback helps us to monitor the service you receive from our members and to improve our service to consumers. Collecting reviews also helps us monitor if our trades continue to meet our high membership standards and provides information for other people who are looking for a trade in a given area. Checkatrade may also contact you about leaving a review once work has been completed on your home. When a trade member contacts you to request feedback through email or text message via the Checkatrade platform, the instigating trade company remains the Controller (“Data Controller”), of the information in that instance and Checkatrade acts as the Processor (“Data Processor”). In all other instances where you provide information directly to Checkatrade, we are the Controller of that information.

To ensure the reviews we receive are fair and genuine, we will ask you for the following personal information: name, postcode (or full address if using a paper form), email address, telephone number, signature (paper forms only) and specific information regarding the work performed. To protect against fraud we will use this information to send a confirmation service message or call you after you leave a review. Reviews are published on our website and in our directories. We only display your postcode district or town name alongside your review and you can request to have your review removed at any time. We use analytical word recognition software to ensure the reviews submitted to us do not include prohibited language. We reserve the right to provide a copy of any reviews to the relevant member if they request it.

If you make a claim under our Guaranteed Scheme When you make a claim under our Guaranteed Scheme after using one or our trade members, we will ask you for the following personal information: name, full address, proof of address, email address, telephone number, reviews, details regarding the work performed, copies of correspondence or recordings of contact with the trade, photographs of the work performed, evidence of payments, or other information to establish the claim. To investigate the claim we will use our phone logs and website data to ensure that the job originated through a contact with the trade member via Checkatrade. For a more detailed investigation we may be required to commission a report from a surveyor and your personal information will be provided to our contracted service providers to arrange the inspection visit

If you receive a quote or invoice from one of our members using our systems We have developed an online functionality that our trade members can use to send initial quotes for their work and invoices after work completion. This online facility is provided through our systems and we provide the service as a Data Processor, the trade member sending the information is the Data Controller. The quote or invoice you receive will notify you that the service is provided by Checkatrade and that we are processing the data on behalf of the trade member.

Trades listed on our website are provided with a secure telephone number and email address through our Secure Contacts service.

When you make an enquiry using the provided telephone number or email address, Checkatrade will make the connection and retain certain information relating to this contact. This information includes saving the telephone number or email address that you used to contact the trade and the duration of the call. We do not record any audio or the content of emails sent. We retain this information for six years. You may also receive a text message from us asking you to provide feedback on your experience with Checkatrade and with the trade, and to advise you of the requirements of our Guarantee scheme. Our legal basis for these communications is our legitimate interest to maintain the integrity of our business as a trusted service provider and to protect the public from fraudulent or spam activity. We also use the information for market research purposes. If you would like to request the deletion of your data please send an email to: [email protected]

If you have submitted a review or a complaint about a trade, we will retain your personal information in line with our retention schedule. Some of the personal data linked to the review will be deleted at the end of the six year retention period but the review or complaint and your name will be retained to maintain the integrity of our membership requirements and to protect the public. If you make a claim under our Guaranteed scheme, your financial information will be collected and retained for a period of six years for the purpose of meeting our legal obligations.

If you send a request via our website asking a trade to contact you, we will retain some of the personal data provided. We might request feedback after your visit to improve our service and that of the trades you contacted. If you would like to request the deletion of your data please send an email to: [email protected].

Some of the data that we collect may be transferred to or stored at a destination outside the United Kingdom. International data transfers are done in compliance with applicable safeguarding mechanisms such as the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses and International Data Transfer Agreements, and the US-UK Data Privacy Framework.

We may utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our services and improve user experiences. This may include the processing of personal and usage data or user data to provide tailored recommendations, analyse user behaviour in order to protect the integrity of our systems, or optimise our products. Any data utilised for AI purposes will be in accordance with this Privacy Notice and applicable data protection laws.

We will pass your information to a limited number of third parties such as trades, and where required, surveyors and Trading Standards. This sharing will be to meet our legal or contractual obligations, or for our legitimate business interests.

The data sharing will be done for the following reasons:

• To contact trades on your behalf following your request for a quote or a specific service. We will provide the trades with the information you provided to us when you requested the service through our website or by contacting us over the phone or through social media channels. This will include the contact information you provided and the specifications of the work you require which will be used by the trade to contact you.

• If you requested us to contact one of our franchise members this will be done with your consent based on the information you provided. The trade member will use this information to contact you.

• For legal or regulatory purposes including fraud prevention to safeguard the public against illegal and fraudulent activities.

• If we buy or sell any business or company assets.

• If you have made a claim under our Guaranteed scheme we may provide your information to a surveyor to conduct a detailed inspection of the work performed.

• For analytical purposes with other Group companies and with our third party suppliers

• If you have made us aware of a serious complaint we may share your details with Trading Standards to investigate on your behalf and support you.

We also share personal information in order to create custom and lookalike audiences on Facebook and Google. You can opt out of your data being used in this way by contacting [email protected].

We will use your details to tell you about other products and services that we think may be of interest to you, via email address, SMS, phone or our App. We may also use your location data, including IP address or GPS location, to tailor marketing messages and our products & services to suit you. We will not share your details with third parties outside of the Group for marketing purposes.

We may also send messages requesting feedback on our service for market research purposes, and research related to the development and improvement of our products and services.

You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at the bottom of each email you receive from us. You can also opt-out of all text messages at any time. You can change your mind at any time by sending an email to: [email protected]

If you enter any of our competitions, prize draws and promotions, we will use your personal information for administration purposes. There will be additional terms and conditions which will contain more information about how we use and share your personal information.

If you send us your personal information to enter a competition, prize draw or promotion, we will process your entry to allow for winners to be contacted. Please refer to the terms and conditions for further information. If you enter via social media channels, your personal data is subject to the processing of the channel so please refer to them directly.

If you would like to see a copy of the personal information that we hold about you, or request that we update incorrect information, you can contact us by sending an email to:[email protected]. You can also request that we delete information or restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances. If you decide to move away from us, you can also request for your personal data to be transferred to a new provider on your behalf.

If you have any concerns about the way in which we process your personal information you can send an email to: [email protected].

You can also write to us at:

Data Protection Officer Legal Services HomeServe PLC Cable Drive Walsall WS2 7BN Tel: 01922 659700 Email: [email protected]

We will not charge you for a copy of your personal data but we may ask you for proof of your identity before we disclose any information. We will respond within one month, unless more time will be required to action the request. If that is the case, we will notify you within the one month period.

Please contact the Checkatrade Data Protection Team below:

Vetted Ltd, Checkatrade Head Office,

Building 2000,

Lakeside North Harbour,

Western Road,

Portsmouth,

PO6 3EN

Email:[email protected]

If you feel that we have not processed your data fairly or you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal information, please contact our privacy team. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can submit a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). For full details on how to make a complaint please visit: ico.org.uk/concerns/

When changes are made to this notice the date released will always be listed below.

Date released: March 2024

Here at Checkatrade we know how important it is to keep your personal data safe, that is why we are committed to making sure that you receive the service you expect and that your privacy is protected every step of the way. Checkatrade is a trading name of Vetted Ltd. which is the Data Controller. We are part of the HomeServe Group owned by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. Our registration number with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is Z6851067. For more information, please visit www.homeserveplc.com.

Data Protection Officer

Legal Services

HomeServe PLC

Cable Drive

Walsall

WS2 7BN

Email: [email protected]