Privacy Policy

Housing Grades LLC
Effective Date: April 1, 2026
Last Updated: April 1, 2026

Housing Grades LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") operates the Housing Grades platform ("Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information about you when you use the Service. By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this Policy.

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1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

• Account information: Name, email address, and password when you register
• Payment information: Billing details processed by our payment provider, Stripe, Inc. We do not store your full credit card number — Stripe handles all payment data under its own privacy and security standards
• Communications: Any messages you send us via email or support channels

Information We Collect Automatically

• Usage data: Pages viewed, features used, search queries entered, time spent on the Service, and interaction patterns
• Device and browser data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, and referring URLs
• Cookies and similar technologies: We use cookies and local storage to maintain your session, remember your preferences, and analyze usage patterns. See Section 5 for more detail

Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect or store sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, government-issued ID numbers, financial account numbers (beyond what Stripe requires for billing), or health data.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain the Service
• Process payments and manage your subscription
• Communicate with you about your account, subscription status, and service updates
• Send monthly research newsletters and product announcements (you may opt out at any time)
• Analyze usage patterns to improve the Service and develop new features
• Detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your data to train machine learning models for third parties.

3. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We share information with third-party vendors who help us operate the Service, including:

• Stripe, Inc. — payment processing
• Email service providers — transactional and newsletter delivery
• Hosting and infrastructure providers — cloud storage and delivery
• Analytics providers — aggregated usage analysis

These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only as directed by us and in accordance with this Policy.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you by email and/or a prominent notice on the Service prior to such a transfer.

4. Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. If you cancel your subscription, we retain your data for up to 12 months in case you wish to reactivate, after which it is deleted or anonymized. We retain billing records for seven years as required by applicable tax and financial regulations. Usage data and analytics may be retained in aggregated, anonymized form indefinitely.

5. Cookies

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies: Required for the Service to function, including session authentication and security tokens. These cannot be disabled without breaking the Service.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences across sessions.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how the Service is used in aggregate. We use anonymized analytics only.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies will prevent you from logging in to the Service.

6. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS), hashed password storage, and access controls limiting who can view subscriber data internally.

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

7. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Opt-out of marketing: Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@housinggrades.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. California Residents — CCPA

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We do not sell personal information as defined under the CCPA. You have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, to request deletion of your personal information, and to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. To submit a CCPA request, contact us at privacy@housinggrades.com.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will delete it promptly.

10. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or data sources referenced in our methodology. This Privacy Policy applies only to our Service. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or by posting a notice on the Service. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any change constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

12. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at:
Housing Grades LLC
Email: privacy@housinggrades.com