Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Who We Are

Welcome to Hire London ("we", "us", "our", or "the Platform"). This Privacy Policy applies to the localized directory operating at hirelondon.trade and all related regional domains within the HireUK trade network.

We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our visitors, homeowners, property managers, and independent tradespeople. We process all personal information strictly in compliance with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018), and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

2. Personal Data We Collect

Depending on your interaction with the platform, we may collect and process the following categories of data:

• Job Quote Inquiries (Homeowners & Customers): When you submit a quote request via our directory, we collect your full name, telephone number, email address, postal code or district (e.g. within Greater London), urgency timeframe, and description of works required.
• Tradesperson Profiles & Listings: Business operating name, trading address, phone numbers, contact email, website URL, primary postal districts served, verification credentials, public review scores, public images/media, and emergency availability.
• Customer Reviews & Ratings: Reviewer name, email verification, rating score, work performed, and review commentary.
• Technical & Device Data: IP address (anonymized where possible), browser user-agent, operating system, referral source, pages viewed, time spent on site, and cookie preferences.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing Data

Under Article 6 of the UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases to process your information:

• Performance of a Contract / Pre-Contractual Steps (Art. 6(1)(b)): When you request a quote, we transmit your job details to vetted tradespeople in your local district so they can provide you with an estimate.
• Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): Operating, securing, and improving the directory platform, preventing spam and fraudulent inquiries, verifying tradesperson qualifications, and generating aggregated search statistics.
• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): Where you explicitly consent to non-essential functional, analytical, or marketing cookies, or subscribe to optional email notifications. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal Obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): Retaining records for compliance with applicable UK tax, company, or consumer protection legislation.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third-party data brokers under any circumstances. We only share information in the following limited ways:

• Local Verified Tradespeople: When you request a quote, your customer contact details and job description are delivered directly to vetted contractors who cover your postal district in Greater London.
• Essential Infrastructure Providers: Highly secure sub-processors who assist us in operating the platform, including Cloudflare (CDN, security, and R2 media storage), transactional email delivery services, and managed database hosting. All partners operate under strict UK/EU Data Processing Agreements (DPAs).
• Law Enforcement: If required by a court order, subpoena, or to prevent fraudulent or illegal activity.

5. Cookies & Local Storage

We use essential cookies for platform security, user sessions, and CSRF protection. With your permission, we also use analytical and preference cookies to remember your selected district and evaluate platform performance.

For a comprehensive, granular breakdown of every cookie used, please read our dedicated Cookie Policy. You can also click the button below at any time to modify your choices:

6. Data Retention Periods

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

• Quote Inquiries: Retained for 180 days to allow customer follow-up, dispute resolution, and review requests, after which inquiry messages are permanently purged or anonymized.
• Active Tradesperson Profiles: Retained for the duration of the business listing on the platform.
• Web Server & Security Logs: Retained for 30 days for cybersecurity and DDoS monitoring before automated rotation.

7. Your UK GDPR Statutory Rights

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, you hold the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to be Informed: Transparent information about how your data is processed (this policy).
• Right of Access (Subject Access Request): You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you free of charge.
• Right to Rectification: You may request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): You may request the deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling lawful reason for its continued processing.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we pause processing your data under certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: You may obtain your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: You may object to data processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.

8. How to Contact Us or File a Complaint

To exercise any of your data protection rights or to ask questions regarding this policy, please contact our Data Privacy Team:

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) • Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF • Website: ico.org.uk • Helpline: 0303 123 1113.