Privacy

What we count

We keep a few simple counts of our own: which AI assistants send people here, how often each provider is shown, and which search engines and AI crawlers visit. None of it records who you are. We do not store your IP address in these counts, and nothing in them builds a profile of you. The only cookie we set ourselves is the listing order cookie above. The analytics tools described in the next section set their own.

Our hosting provider, Vercel, handles each request so the site can load. Like any web host, it keeps its own technical logs, which can include your IP address and browser type, under Vercel's privacy policy.

If you arrive from an AI assistant

If you click through to us from an AI assistant such as ChatGPT or Perplexity, we record the hour (not the minute), the page you landed on, and which assistant it was. Nothing else. We keep these records for 24 months.

How often providers are shown

Each time a list of providers is shown, we add one to a count for each provider, by its position in the list and the day. We do this to check that the order is fair to every provider. These are counts only. They are not about you, and we keep them.

Search engines and AI crawlers

When an automated crawler (such as a search engine's) visits, we record its name, the page, our answer, and whether the request really came from the company it says it is. We check that using the company's published address ranges or a reverse lookup of the address, and we do not keep the address. We keep these records for 90 days, then keep only daily totals.

Tools we use to understand how the site is used

To understand how the site is used and to improve it, we use Google Tag Manager, which loads two analytics tools on our behalf: Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity. They run on the public pages of the site, not on the screens our own staff use to manage it.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics uses cookies to record the pages you view, which phone and email links you click (not the number or address), your device and browser, and your approximate location. Google receives this information.

You can stop Google Analytics from collecting information about your visits by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity shows us where visitors click and scroll (heatmaps) and replays how a visit moved through a page (session recordings). What you type into a form is masked, so we cannot see it.

Microsoft receives this information. You can read how it handles it in Microsoft's privacy statement.

IP addresses

We do not store visitors' IP addresses ourselves. Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity do receive IP addresses as part of how their tools work, and Google uses the address to work out your approximate location.

To block spam and abuse, we keep a scrambled (one-way hashed) version of a visitor's IP address for up to 48 hours, then delete it. We never keep the address itself.

What we do with it

We use these tools to understand how the site is used and to improve it. We do not sell personal information.

Cookies for quote requests

If you arrive from an ad or a link with tracking details, we set a small cookie called lhc_attr. It holds the page you landed on, the kind of site that sent you, any campaign details in the link (such as utm_source), and any ad click ID. It lasts 30 days. We use it only to tell which ads and links lead to requests. It holds no name, phone number or email.

While you answer the questions we keep your answers in a small cookie called lhc_draft for up to 60 minutes. It holds your ZIP code, your answers to the questions, and the providers we showed you and the ones you picked, never your name, email or phone number. We delete it when you send your request.

When you send a request, we keep it in a small encrypted cookie called lhc_quote while you enter your code, for up to 15 minutes. It holds your name, email address and phone number, and the details of your request. Once you confirm, the same cookie stays for 30 minutes more so the confirmation page can show your email address, the photos you add, and the note and good times you save there. Then it expires.

Ad measurement

We keep ad click IDs and campaign details with a request, so we can tell which ads lead to requests.

Email

If you tick the box, we may email you seasonal home maintenance reminders and tips. Email only. You can unsubscribe at any time, and we ask you to confirm before the first one.

Repeat requests

We link requests made with the same verified phone number, so we can tell when someone asks more than once.

What we ask, and who sees it

We ask how you're connected to the home, to understand demand. We keep this private. It is not shown to providers.

Your name, phone number and email go only to a provider you chose who accepts your request (a big project may be offered to up to three at once, and each that accepts may contact you). A backup, or any other provider, gets them only if you chose to send your request on, by ticking the box or tapping yes when we ask.

The verification text

We text a one-time code through our texting provider. We store your phone number only after you enter the code. We may also text you about your request, for example to ask whether to send it to your next choice. We never text you marketing.

Searching for a service

When you type in the box that asks what you need help with, the matching is done in your browser. If we find nothing to show, or we show services and you tap "Browse all services" instead of choosing one, or you leave the page while we are showing that we found nothing, we keep the words you typed, with numbers and anything that looks like an email or web address taken out, for 90 days, with the day and nothing that identifies you, so we can add the services people ask for. We do not keep searches where you choose one of the services we show.

The providers you pick

When you pick providers, we keep your picks (the providers, the order you chose them in, and whether you ticked the box that sends your request to your next choice) with your request, and we erase them when we erase your request. The proof of consent we keep for four years records the names of the providers as you saw them, and nothing else about your choice. We also count, for each provider and each day, how often it was shown in the list and at which position, with nothing that identifies you.

After you send a request

After you send a request you can add a short note and the best times to reach you, for 30 minutes. We keep them with your request, and only a provider who accepts your request can see them.

Emergency calls

If you choose Emergency, we show local providers you can call and we do not send your request to anyone. When someone taps a call button we record which provider, the city, the trade and the time, and nothing that identifies the person.

How long we keep a request, and erasing it

We keep your request for 24 months, then erase it. If you start a request and don't enter the code, we erase what you typed after 7 days.

In the email we send when your request is confirmed there is a link where you can cancel the request (we stop offering it to providers and nothing is erased) or erase your information (we erase your name, email, description, photos and ad click IDs, take your phone number off the request, and end any email subscription; your phone number then stays only in the proof of consent described below). The erase link erases every request made with your phone number.

You can also ask us to erase it by writing to hello@localhomecollective.com; we confirm requests made by email by replying to the email address on the request, and we erase only after you confirm.

After erasing we keep a record with no personal details (the trade, job type, dates, which provider accepted it, and any charge) for billing and disputes.

We also keep proof of your consent to the verification text (your phone number, the wording you agreed to, and the dates) for 4 years, even after you erase your request. This is the only place your phone number stays, and it is used only to answer legal claims.

If you ticked the box for seasonal emails, your email stays on that list until you unsubscribe, and erasing your request unsubscribes you.

A provider who accepted your request may already hold your contact details. Copies in our backups and at our email and texting services are removed on those services' own schedules.

Photos

If you add photos of the job, you can do it only right after you confirm your request. We keep them in private storage and remove location details before saving them. Providers you chose can see them when deciding whether to take your request, and a provider who accepts may ask you for more when they get in touch. We erase them with the rest of your request (see above), or sooner if you remove them.

While you add photos, the same encrypted cookie lasts up to 30 minutes after you confirm, so the page can list the photos you added. It holds no photo and no name.

Texts to providers

If a provider agrees to texts, we keep their mobile number, the wording they agreed to and the time, and use the number only for lead offers and account messages. We send the texts through our texting provider. We never text providers marketing.

A provider can reply STOP at any time. We then stop texting them and keep sending lead offers by email.

Mobile numbers and text opt-in data

Mobile phone numbers and text opt-in data are not shared with or sold to third parties for marketing.

How each text program works, and how to stop it, is in the SMS / text messages section of our Terms.