Privacy Policy
Effective: 20 February 2026
TradeScout (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a trading name operating from the United Kingdom. We’re committed to protecting your personal data and being transparent about how we use it. This policy explains what data we collect, why, and what your rights are.
1. What data we collect
When you use TradeScout, we may collect:
- Account information: your name, email address, and password (hashed)
- Trade profile: your postcode, trade type(s), and search radius preferences
- Payment data: processed securely by Stripe. We never see or store your full card details. We receive a Stripe customer ID and subscription status.
- Usage data: pages visited, leads revealed, features used, and general interaction patterns
- Device data: browser type, operating system, and IP address (for security and analytics)
2. How we use your data
- To provide the service: matching you with relevant planning application leads based on your trade and location
- Account management: creating and maintaining your account, processing payments
- Email digests: sending you lead alerts and summaries (you can opt out at any time)
- Service improvement: understanding how people use TradeScout so we can make it better
- Security: detecting fraud, abuse, and protecting our users
3. Legal basis for processing
Under UK GDPR, we process your data on these grounds:
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Providing the service and processing payments | Contract performance |
| Sending lead digest emails | Consent (you can opt out) |
| Analytics and service improvement | Legitimate interest |
| Security and fraud prevention | Legitimate interest |
| Legal obligations (e.g. tax records) | Legal obligation |
4. Third-party processors
We use trusted third parties to help run TradeScout. Each processes data only as needed for their specific role:
| Service | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, authentication | EU / US |
| Stripe | Payment processing | US (with EU entities) |
| Vercel | Website hosting and delivery | US / Global edge |
| Resend | Transactional and digest emails | US |
| PlanIt | Planning application data source | UK |
5. International data transfers
Some of our processors (Supabase, Vercel, Stripe, Resend) may process data in the United States. Where this happens, transfers are protected by Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, or the processor participates in an approved data transfer framework. We only use processors who maintain appropriate security measures.
6. Data retention
- Account data: kept while your account is active, then deleted within 30 days of account closure
- Payment records: kept for 7 years to comply with UK tax obligations
- Usage analytics: aggregated and anonymised after 12 months
- Email logs: kept for 6 months
- Support correspondence: kept for 2 years after resolution
7. Your rights under UK GDPR
You have the right to:
- Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate data
- Erasure: ask us to delete your data (“right to be forgotten”)
- Portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
- Restriction: ask us to limit how we process your data
- Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interest
- Withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@tradescout.co.uk. We’ll respond within 30 days. See our Data Rights page for more details.
8. Cookies
We use essential cookies to keep you signed in and remember your preferences. We do not use third-party advertising cookies. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.
9. Children’s data
TradeScout is designed for professional tradespeople and is not intended for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we’ll notify you by email or through the app. The “effective” date at the top shows when it was last updated.
11. Contact us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data:
- Email: info@tradescout.co.uk
- Trading name: TradeScout
- Location: United Kingdom
If you’re not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint