Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 1, 2025

1. Who We Are

RenoRates operates an online renovation marketplace connecting homeowners and contractors in Canada. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our platform at renorates.ca and related services.

2. Information We Collect

Account information: When you register, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and password (stored as a secure hash).

Profile information: Contractors may provide company name, license numbers, insurance details, service areas, and a professional bio. Clients may provide property address, type, and accessibility details.

Project information: Details you provide about renovation projects, including location, budget, description, and photos.

Payment information: We use Stripe to process payments. RenoRates does not store your full credit card number. Stripe's privacy policy governs how payment data is handled.

Usage data: We collect standard server logs including IP addresses, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps to operate and improve the Service.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to: (a) operate and provide the platform; (b) match clients with suitable contractors; (c) process payments and issue receipts; (d) send service-related notifications; (e) respond to support inquiries; (f) detect and prevent fraud or abuse; (g) improve our services.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your information for behavioural advertising.

4. How We Share Your Information

Between platform users: When a contractor purchases a lead, they receive the client's contact details (name, email, phone, full address) for the purpose of providing a renovation quote. Clients can see which contractors have expressed interest in their project.

Service providers: We share data with trusted third-party providers including Stripe (payments), our hosting provider, and email delivery services — only to the extent necessary to provide the Service.

Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law or in good-faith belief that disclosure is necessary to comply with legal obligations or protect the rights and safety of our users.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will remove your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required for legal compliance, dispute resolution, or fraud prevention. Project files and billing records are retained for seven years as required by Canadian tax regulations.

6. Your Rights

Under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA), you have the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of your account and personal data
Withdraw consent to non-essential communications

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@renorates.ca.

7. Security

We use industry-standard security measures including HTTPS encryption, hashed passwords (bcrypt), and access controls to protect your personal information. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Cookies

RenoRates uses a single session cookie (rr_session) to maintain your login state. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies. You may disable cookies in your browser, but this will prevent you from logging in.

9. Third-Party Links

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

10. Children's Privacy

RenoRates is not directed at individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we become aware that we have collected information from a minor, we will promptly delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email or in-app notification. The updated policy will be effective upon posting with the revised date at the top.

12. Contact

For privacy-related questions or requests, contact our Privacy Officer at:

RenoRates — Privacy

privacy@renorates.ca