Checkatrade Privacy Notice
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 is Z6851067. For more information, please visit www.homeservegroup.com.
In this notice we provide information on the personal information we collect, how we use it, how long we keep your data, and how to exercise your data protection rights.
When you visit our platform, we collect information which includes your IP (Internet Protocol) address and information regarding the pages you visited. Collecting this information allows us to monitor how effective our platform 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.
The platform processes your personal details including your precise or approximate location determined from your IP address or device’s GPS, or other information you share with us, depending on your device settings.
1.1 When you engage a tradesperson included on our platform you can provide feedback on your experience or to review the tradesperson. Collecting feedback provides information for other people who are looking for a tradesperson in a given area and helps us to improve our service to consumers. Collecting reviews also helps us monitor tradespeople who have passed our vetting checks (“Approved Tradespeople” or “Approved Tradesperson”) and whether they continue to meet our high membership standards.
1.2 When an Approved Tradesperson contacts you to request feedback through email or text message via the Checkatrade platform, the instigating Approved Tradesperson 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. Checkatrade may also contact you about leaving a review once work has been completed on your home by an Approved Tradesperson.
1.3 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)
Specific information regarding the work performed
1. 4 To protect against fraud, we will use this information to send a confirmation service message or call you after you leave a review.
1.5 Reviews for tradespeople are published on our platform and for our Approved Tradespeople in our directories, with your consent. 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 Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to ensure the reviews submitted to us do not breach our review guidelines.
1.6 We reserve the right to provide a copy of any reviews to the relevant tradesperson if they request it and you have consented. This may include but is not limited to:
Name
Phone number
Email address
Postcode
1.7 If you provide a review to us but do not consent to it being published on our platform, we will aggregate and anonymise the information you provide (so that it does not identify you or make you identifiable). We will use this anonymised information for the purpose of evaluating the tradesperson and monitoring the service provided by our Approved Tradespeople. This may include using your review to produce score ratings, which will form part of the overall ratings given to that tradesperson. These score ratings will be published on our platform. Our legal basis for aggregating and anonymising data for these purposes is that it is necessary in our legitimate business interests in (i) assessing and rating our tradespeople(ii) making decisions on trade memberships and (iii) protecting our customers.
2.1 When you make a claim under our Guarantee Scheme after using one or our Approved Tradespeople, 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
2.2 To investigate the claim, we will use our phone logs and platform data to ensure that the job originated through a contact with the Approved Tradesperson via Checkatrade.
2.3 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
3.1 We have developed functionality that our Approved Tradespeople can use to send initial quotes for their work and invoices after work completion. This is provided through our systems, and we provide the service as a Data Processor, the Approved Tradesperson 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 Approved Tradesperson.
4.1 We have also developed functionality to allow you to pay an Approved Tradesperson for the work they undertake for you through the platform. In order to facilitate this, we will collect and process payment information such as your credit/debit card details. We will share this information with our payments service providers, as described below. Our legal basis for processing your payment data is that it is necessary for the performance of the contract between you and the Approved Tradesperson.
5.1 Approved Tradespeople listed on our platform are provided with a secure telephone number and email address through our Secure Contacts service. When you make an enquiry Checkatrade will make the connection and retain certain information relating to this contact.
5.2 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. We may contact you to ask you to provide feedback on your experience with Checkatrade and with the Approved Tradesperson, and to advise you of the requirements of our Guarantee scheme.
5.3 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 see the Contacting Us section for details of how to connect with us.
6.1 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.
6.2 If you make a claim under our Guarantee Scheme, your financial information will be collected and retained for a period of six years for the purpose of meeting our legal obligations.
6.3 If you send a request asking an Approved Tradesperson 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 see the Contacting Us section for details of how to connect with us.
6.4 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.
7.1 We may utilise 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.
8.1 We will pass your information to a limited number of third parties such as Approved Tradespeople, and where required, surveyors and regulators, including but not limited to the Trading Standards and the Competition Markets Authority. This sharing will be to meet our legal or contractual obligations, or for our legitimate business interests.
8.2 The data sharing will be done for the following reasons:
8.2.1. 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 platform 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.
8.2.2. To contact Approved Tradesperson on your behalf following your request for a quote or a specific service. We will provide the Approved Tradesperson with the information you provided to us when you requested the service through our platform 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 Approved Tradesperson to contact you. The Approved Tradesperson will become a Data Controller of your data.
8.2.3. 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 franchise member will use this information to contact you.
8.2.4. For legal or regulatory purposes including fraud prevention to safeguard the public against illegal and fraudulent activities.
8.2.5. To process transactions and payments through service providers (e.g. Adyen and GoCardless).
8.2.6. If we buy or sell any business or company assets.
8.2.7 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.
8.2.8. For analytical purposes with other Group companies and with our third-party suppliers.
8.2.9. 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.
8.2.10. 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 – please see the Contacting Us section for details of how to connect with us.
9.1 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 via our platform.
9.2 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.
9.3 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.
9.4 You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at the bottom of each marketing 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 - please see the Contacting Us section for details of how to connect with us.
9.5 You will always receive service messages.
9.6 Please note that, in accordance with data protection law, service messages do not require the inclusion of an unsubscribe link.
10.1 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.
10.2 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.
11.1 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 may do so - please see the Contacting Us section for details of how to connect with us. 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.
11.2 If you have any questions about the way in which we process your personal information please see the Contacting Us section for details of how to connect with us.
11.3 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.
12.1 Please contact the Checkatrade Data Privacy Team below:
Checkatrade Data Privacy Team, Focus Point, 21 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX
Email: privacy@checkatrade.com
13.1 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. For full details on how to make a complaint please visit: ico.org.uk/concerns/
13.2 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.
13.3 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.
13.4 Our registration number with the Information Commissioner's Office is Z6851067. For more information, please visit www.homeserveplc.com.
Contact: Data Protection Officer, Legal Services, HomeServe Group, Cable Drive, Walsall WS2 7BN
Email: privacy@homeserve.com
When changes are made to this notice the date released will always be listed below.
Date released: February 2025