Privacy policy
Last updated [DATE YOU PUBLISH IT]
In short: we only collect what we need to connect customers with local tradespeople. We share a customer's details only with the trades who take their job, we never sell your data, and our website uses no advertising or tracking cookies.
Who we are
North East Trade Hub (northeasttradehub.co.uk) is run by [YOUR FULL NAME], trading as North East Trade Hub, [YOUR BUSINESS ADDRESS]. We are the "controller" of the personal information described here, which means we decide how it is used.
Contact us about your data at [YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS]. Our Information Commissioner's Office registration number is [ICO REGISTRATION NUMBER].
What we collect
If you request a quote
Your name, email address, phone number, town or postcode, the type of job and the details you give us. If you asked a particular tradesperson for a quote, we also record which one.
If you apply to join as a tradesperson
Your business name, contact name, email address, phone number, trade, the areas you cover, and anything optional you add (website, accreditations, a description). We also record the plan and billing option you choose. Your details are saved when you finish the first step, so we can follow up even if you don't choose a plan.
If you are listed on the site
- Shown publicly: your business name, trade, phone number, areas covered, description, and any website or badges.
- Kept private: your contact name, email address, plan, billing and payment records, and our notes.
- If you use the jobs page: your password (stored only in scrambled form, so nobody can read it, including us), when you last logged in, and which jobs you took.
When anyone uses the site
- Visit counts: when you open a page, we add one to that page's daily count, and note which website you came from (for example Google or Facebook), by name only. We don't record which pages a particular person looked at.
- Listing popularity: when someone taps "Call Trade" or "Get Quote" on a listing, we add one to that listing's daily count. To avoid counting the same person twice in a day, we use a one-way scrambled code made from your internet (IP) address and browser details. It can't be turned back into your address, and it is discarded after one day.
- Spam protection: to stop the forms being flooded, we keep a similar scrambled code for each form sent, for up to 24 hours.
- Hosting logs: like all websites, our hosting provider may keep standard technical logs, which include IP addresses.
How we use it, and our legal reasons
| What we do | Legal reason |
|---|---|
| Pass your quote request to tradespeople so they can contact you | To provide the service you asked for |
| Review trade applications, publish listings and run trade accounts | To provide the service you asked for |
| Invoice trades and keep payment records | To provide the service, and because tax law requires it |
| Follow up on unfinished trade applications | Our legitimate interest in growing the directory |
| Count visits and listing taps, and protect the forms from spam | Our legitimate interest in running and improving the site |
We don't sell your information, use it for advertising, or make automated decisions about you.
Who we share it with
- Tradespeople: when you request a quote, the job itself (the type of job, your town or postcode and your description) is shown to tradespeople registered with us for that trade. Your name, phone number and email are shown only to the tradespeople who take the job, up to 5. If you asked a particular tradesperson, only they see your request. Once a tradesperson has your details, they are responsible for how they use them.
- The public: the listing details marked "shown publicly" above.
- Web3Forms: a service that emails us a copy of each form sent.
- Fasthosts: our web hosting company, which stores the website and its data.
- Cloudflare: all visits to our website pass through Cloudflare, which provides the secure (https) connection and protects the site from attacks. It sees your IP address and the pages you request.
- Google Fonts, Cloudflare (cdnjs) and Tailwind: our pages load fonts, icons and styling from these services, so your browser shares your IP address with them when the page loads.
Some of these providers may process data outside the UK. Where they do, they must protect it to the standard UK data protection law requires, for example with approved contract terms.
How long we keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Quote requests (jobs) | Shown to tradespeople for 30 days, then automatically deleted after 120 days |
| Rejected trade applications | Deleted straight away |
| Unfinished or unanswered trade applications | Deleted within [6 months] |
| Trade listings and accounts | While you are listed, then deleted when you leave |
| Invoices and payment records in our accounts | As long as tax law requires, normally 6 years |
| Daily visit and listing tap counts | About 13 months |
| Scrambled codes for counting and spam protection | Up to 24 hours |
| Copies of form emails in our inbox | Deleted within [12 months] |
Cookies
Our website does not use advertising, tracking or analytics cookies. It only stores what is strictly necessary for something you have asked to do:
| Name | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|
| neth_trade | Keeps tradespeople logged in to the jobs page | Until you log out, or up to 30 days |
| neth_admin | Keeps the site owner logged in to the admin page | Until the browser is closed |
| neth-join (browser storage) | Remembers a trade application in progress, so going back a step doesn't create a duplicate | Until the application is sent or the tab is closed |
Because these are strictly necessary, we don't need to ask before using them. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, but logging in won't work without them.
How we protect it
Private information is kept in a locked area of our server that the public can't access. The site uses a secure (https) connection, passwords are stored only in scrambled form, and logins lock after repeated wrong attempts.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the information we hold about you
- ask us to correct it, or to delete it
- object to us using it, or ask us to limit how we use it
- ask for your information in a format you can take elsewhere
To use any of these rights, email [YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS]. We'll reply within one month. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk, but we'd appreciate the chance to put things right first.
Children
Our services are for adults. Please don't send us information if you're under 18.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your information, we'll update this page and the date at the top.