1. Who We Are

Pro Trade Connect Ltd (“We, Us, or Our”) operates the website www.protradeconnect.com. We connect homeowners with qualified and vetted tradespeople

2. Information We Collect

We may collect information from homeowners and businesses (such as contact details and job details), and tradespeople (including business information, qualifications, insurance, service area).
We also automatically collect technical data such as IP address, browser type, and analytics information. Payment processing is handled by Stripe. We do not store card details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data to:

• Match homeowners and businesses with tradespeople.
• Verify tradespeople’s credentials.
• With Stripe (for payments).
• With Mailchimp or similar tools (for emails and alerts).
• As required by law.

We never sell or rent your personal data.

We do not handle or process any payments between customers and tradespeople. All job related payments are made directly between the customer and the tradesperson. We only process membership payments made to Pro Trade Connect Ltd via stripe.

We may also use your data to improve our services, maintain platform security, prevent fraud, and support business operations that are necessary for running Pro Trade Connect Ltd. These activities are carried out under our legitimate interest, and we have carried out a Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) to ensure these activities do not override your rights.

When matching a homeowner or business with a tradesperson, we only share the specific information needed for the job, typically your name, contact details (email/phone), postcode, and the job description. No unnecessary data is shared.

4. How We Store and Protect Your Data

Your data is stored securely using encrypted servers. Payment data is handled safely by Stripe; we never store card details.

For offline storage, personal data is kept on encrypted USB devices that are physically secured. These devices are not connected to any network, and copies are not stored in the cloud or on external servers. We implement technical and organisational measures (including encryption at rest, restricted physical access, and secure transport practices) to reduce the risk of unauthorised access, misplacement, or loss.

In the unlikely event of a personal data breach that may affect your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) without undue delay, and where required, within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach. We will take all reasonable steps to minimise potential harm and prevent recurrence.

Please note that while we take strong precautions to protect data stored offline, unforeseen device failures can occur. We encourage users to maintain their own copies of critical information as a precaution.

5. How Long We Keep Your Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to complete the connection between the homeowner or business and the relevant tradesperson.
Once the job has been successfully referred and completed, and no further action is required, we securely delete or anonymise the personal data.

Limited records (such as minimal contact details or reference IDs) may be retained for up to 90 days for audit, dispute prevention, or verification purposes. After this period, data is permanently deleted or anonymised.

We do not handle refunds or payments directly, all financial transactions are processed securely by Stripe or the relevant tradesperson, who retain their own records in accordance with their legal obligations.

6. Sharing Your Data

We may share data with verified tradespeople, payment processors (Stripe), and essential service providers, all of whom comply with GDPR and UK data protection law.

Tradespeople receiving a job lead are required to safeguard the customer information we share with them and must not use it for any purpose other than responding to the job request.

International Transfers

We ensure that any international data transfers are conducted in compliance with applicable data protection laws. This includes implementing appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or relying on UK adequacy decisions. You can request more details about these safeguards by contacting us at admin@protradeconnect.com.

7. Cookies & Analytics

We use essential cookies to ensure the functionality of our website and non-essential cookies to analyse site usage and improve performance. By continuing to use our website, you consent to the use of non-essential cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences or withdraw consent at any time through your browser settings or by using our cookie management tool.

Where required by UK GDPR and PECR, non-essential cookies are only set with your consent. You can withdraw or change your cookie preferences at any time through our cookie banner (where applicable) or through your browser settings. 

8. Your Rights

You may request access, correction, deletion, or withdrawal of consent regarding your data. Complaints can be made to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk/.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at admin@protradeconnect.com.

We aim to respond within one month of receiving your request. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on a request. If your request is complex or numerous, we may extend this by up to two additional months, in which case we will notify you.

Your rights include:

• The right to object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests.
• The right to restrict processing in certain circumstances (e.g., if you contest accuracy).
• The right to data portability – to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

You also have the right to object at any time to direct marketing. If you object, we will stop sending marketing communications immediately. 

9. Updates To This Policy

We may update this privacy policy when required. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated 'Last updated' date.

Where changes are significant, we may also notify you by email or display a notice on our website. 

10. Contact Us

For questions or data requests, please contact:
Email: admin@protradeconnect.com

11. Communication & Marketing

We may contact you by email, SMS, or phone with important updates or service information.

We may use your contact details to share updates, offers, and promotional content about Pro Trade Connect Ltd, including information about memberships, giveaways, and featured promotions such as "Trade of the Day."

From time to time, we may feature tradespeople or businesses on our website or social media channels as part of our marketing activity. We will always seek consent before sharing any personal or identifiable information in such promotions.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us at admin@protradeconnect.com.

12. Affiliate Links and Promotions

Pro Trade Connect Ltd participates in affiliate programmes with certain suppliers. When you click on one of our affiliate links or use one of our promo codes to make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These partnerships help support our platform and do not affect the independence of our content or recommendations.

13. Data For Verification & Compliance

For tradespeople, we may collect or verify qualifications, insurance, or ID documents as part of our vetting process. Identity documents (ID) are used solely to confirm eligibility and are permanently deleted immediately after verification. Other information, such as qualification or insurance details, may be retained for audit, dispute prevention, or compliance purposes, but is never shared publicly.   

14. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices or content. Please review their privacy policies before sharing any data.

15. Payments & Refunds

Payments are handled securely by Stripe. We do not store card details and have no access to your payment information. Refunds or credits are processed according to our Terms & Conditions.

• Pro Trade Connect Ltd does not handle payments between homeowners/businesses and tradespeople.
• We do not pay tradespeople on behalf of customers.
• All job related payments are handled directly between the customer and the tradesperson , according to their own terms.
• The only payments we process are membership subscriptions or platform related fees, which are handled securely through stripe.
• We do not store or have access to any card details, all payment information is managed by Stripe in accordance with PCI-DSS security standards.
• Any refunds relating to memberships follow our Term and conditions. Refunds for work carried out by tradespeople must be handled directly between the customer and relevant trade, as we are not involved in those transactions 

16. Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If a child has provided us information, please contact us to remove it at admin@protradeconnect.com.

17. Legal Basis For Processing (GDPR)

We process your data based on:

• Contractual necessity – to provide our service.
• Legitimate interest – for service improvement and fraud prevention.
• Legal obligation – to comply with UK law.
• Consent – for marketing communication where required.

Our legitimate interests include:

• Facilitating job matching between users and trades.
• Ensuring the safety and reliability of tradespeople.
• Maintaining platform security and fraud prevention.
• Storing limited data for audit, dispute prevention, and operational continuity. 
• Running a commercially viable service.

We have conducted a Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) to ensure your rights and freedoms are not overridden.