PRIVACY POLICY: WHAT WE COLLECT AND WHY

What we collect

We store your email only if you join the newsletter, and we see anonymous page views that help us understand which guides readers find useful. There are no accounts, no ad pixels and no cross-site fingerprinting on this site, and no hidden tracking scripts either.

How we use it

Newsletter email addresses are used for one thing: sending the messages you asked for. We do not rent, sell or trade lists. Every email includes a one-click unsubscribe link, and the address is removed from our records when you use it.

Your rights

You can ask what we hold about you, ask for a copy, or ask us to delete it. Contact us and we reply within seven days. We keep the smallest record needed to honour opt-outs and to meet legal obligations. For context on data rights you can read the GDPR overview.

Cookies and analytics

We use a small number of cookies to keep the site working and to count anonymous visits. We do not use them to build a profile of you across other sites. You can block cookies in your browser at any time; the guides still load and the search still works.

Third-party services

We keep outside services to a minimum. A newsletter provider stores the email address you give us. Our host keeps short server logs to stop abuse. Neither is allowed to use your data for its own marketing. When we link to another site, that site has its own policy.

Data retention and security

We keep newsletter addresses until you unsubscribe, plus a short suppression record so we never email you again by mistake. Traffic logs are kept for a few weeks and then deleted. Access to the list is limited to the people who send the messages.

Children and international readers

This site is written for adults making decisions about property and building work, and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under sixteen. If a young reader has signed up by mistake, email us and we will delete the record.

Newsletter and email

The newsletter form asks for one thing: an email address. We use it to send the weekly guide round-up and nothing else. We do not add you to other lists, and we do not pass the address to advertisers. The confirmation message you see on the site is a validation step, not a promise that a marketing email has already been sent.

Every newsletter includes an unsubscribe link. When you use it, the address is removed from the active list and kept only as a suppression record so we do not add it again by mistake. You can also email us and ask for removal manually; we will confirm when it is done.

Your choices at a glance

You can browse without telling us who you are. You can join the newsletter and leave whenever you like. You can ask what we hold about you and have it deleted. None of that requires an account or a phone call.

Contact us to start the process. We may ask one question to confirm we are speaking to the right person, but we will not demand identity documents for a simple unsubscribe request. We confirm when the change is complete so you are not left wondering.

Changes to this policy

If we add a new service that changes what we collect, we will update this page before the change goes live and note the date at the top. We will not quietly widen the policy to cover data we already hold for a different purpose.

If a change is significant, we will mention it in the newsletter as well as on the site. Continuing to use the site after an update means you accept the new wording, but you can always ask us to delete your data if you would rather not.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handled your data, tell us first and give us a chance to put it right. If we cannot resolve it, you have the right to contact your national data protection authority. We will share the information it asks for, free of charge and within one month.