Last updated: 29 April 2025
Notice and takedown
If you have found material on our website that you believe infringes your intellectual property rights or is defamatory, obscene, illegal, violent or threatens your security or privacy (the “Offending Material”), please tell us about it using the notice form below. Upon receipt of the notice, we
Checkatrade is committed to maintaining a safe, lawful, and trustworthy platform. If you’ve identified content that is false, offensive, infringes intellectual property, misuses our brand or breaches our terms and conditions, our Notice and Takedown Procedure helps you report it swiftly and effectively.
1. What content can be reported?
You can use this procedure to report content that may include:
Defamation – False factual claims that harm a person or business’s reputation.
Obscene or Illegal Content – Content that is unlawful, offensive, or violates UK law.
Intellectual Property Infringement – Unauthorised use of copyrighted materials, trademarks, or other protected intellectual property.
Security or Privacy Violations – Content that discloses personal data, threatens physical or financial security, or is used for harassment.
Misrepresentation – Where an individual or business falsely claims to be affiliated with Checkatrade, including misuse of our logo, branding, or name, suggesting they are a vetted or approved Checkatrade member when they are not.
2. How to submit a notice and takedown
To process your request, you must provide the following:
A detailed explanation of why the content is unlawful or violates our policies.
The specific URL(s) of the content.
Supporting evidence (e.g., screenshots, documentation).
For Defamation: Evidence the statement is false and harmful.
For Intellectual Property Infringement claims: Proof of rights ownership and details of the alleged infringement.
Incomplete notices may be rejected. Please ensure you provide all requested information.
3. How we handle your request
Upon receiving a valid Notice and Takedown request, Checkatrade will:
Acknowledge receipt.
Review the information provided.
Temporarily restrict access to the content (if necessary).
Notify the content originator (if applicable) and request a response.
Make a final determination based on applicable law and platform policy.
Take action, which may include:
Removing the content if it violates our policies or the law.
Retaining the content if it complies with our policies and/ or the law.
Checkatrade has sole discretion to remove, amend, or retain content and may not provide individual updates on the outcome of our assessment. Content that is an opinion, lawful, or within fair use/expression guidelines will not be removed.
For more information on what is and isn’t defamatory see here.
4. What Checkatrade considers when reviewing a notice and takedown
Content Type | What we need from you | What we will assess |
Defamatory Content | Specific false statements and supporting evidence | If the content is fact-based or opinion-based, and if it meets the legal threshold for defamation |
Obscene/Illegal Content | Explanation of the alleged legal breach | Whether the content breaches UK laws or our platform policies |
Intellectual Property Infringement | Provide proof of ownership (e.g., copyright, trademark registration) and details of infringement. | If the content unlawfully uses protected materials |
Security or Privacy Violations | Explanation of risk or breach of privacy/safety | Whether sensitive data is disclosed or a safety risk is created |
Misrepresentation | Details of misuse of branding or claims of false affiliation | Whether the user has falsely represented themselves as affiliated with Checkatrade |
Submit a Notice and Takedown Request
If you would like to submit a Notice and Takedown request, please click here.