Privacy Policy

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to three groups: customers who use Relay to find and book tradespeople; tradespeople who apply to and work through Relay; and visitors to our website. We collect different data from each group, as set out below.

2. Data we collect from customers

• Identity and contact details: name, email address, phone number.
• Addresses: any saved service addresses, including a geocoded location where provided, used to match you with nearby tradespeople.
• Account and consent records: the version of these Terms/this Policy you accepted, when, and your marketing preference.
• Booking and job data: the trade requested, a description of the job, its location, the timeline of its progress, and your communications with Relay in connection with a booking.
• Location data: when you make an urgent request, we collect the location you request from so we can find nearby tradespeople. We do not track your location continuously or outside the request/booking flow.
• Payment information: processed by our third-party payment processor. We receive a token identifying your saved payment method (e.g. card brand and last 4 digits) and payment confirmations — we do not receive or store your full card number.
• Reviews and ratings you leave for a tradesperson, and support correspondence you send us.
• Technical data: device type, app version, basic usage analytics, and a push-notification token if you enable notifications.

3. Data we collect from tradespeople

Because trust and safety are central to the service, we collect and verify more information from tradespeople than from customers.

• Identity and contact details: name, email, phone number, and the trade(s) and service area you offer.
• Business profile: your bio, pricing, and years of experience.
• Verification and compliance documents, uploaded by you and stored securely: proof of identity, evidence of trade qualifications and registrations, proof of public liability insurance, and — where relevant — DBS (criminal record) check information. Some of these documents may contain special category data, which we process only where necessary for vetting and safeguarding, with access restricted to you and authorised administrators.
• Financial details needed to pay you, held by our payment processor on our behalf — Relay does not itself store your full bank details.
• Availability: the working hours and slots you set.
• Location data: your configured service area and location shared for matching or a specific job. Relay currently shows job status rather than continuously publishing a live route to customers.
• Performance data such as how often you accept offers, attend on time and complete jobs, used to rank you fairly for future offers.
• Records of jobs completed, invoices issued, commission charged and payouts made, and reviews you receive.

4. Data we collect from website and app visitors

If you browse the marketing site or app without an account, we collect limited technical data (device/browser type, pages viewed, referring source) and, if you submit a waitlist or application form, the details you enter into that form.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website and app use technologies essential to their operation (for example, to keep you signed in), and, only with your consent where required by law, analytics technologies to understand how the service is used. You can control non-essential cookies through your browser settings or any consent controls we provide.

6. How and why we use your data — our lawful bases

We only use personal data where UK GDPR allows us to. We rely on:

• Contract — to create and run your account, match customers with tradespeople, facilitate bookings and payments, and provide support.
• Legitimate interests — to vet tradespeople, keep the marketplace safe, rank tradespeople fairly for job offers, prevent fraud, and improve the service. Where we rely on this basis we have balanced it against your rights, and you may object.
• Legal obligation — to comply with tax, accounting, anti-fraud and safeguarding requirements.
• Consent — for optional marketing communications and non-essential analytics/cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Where we process special category data (DBS information), we rely on the substantial public interest condition for the prevention or detection of unlawful acts and safeguarding, under the Data Protection Act 2018.

7. Automated matching — how it works, in the interest of transparency

When a customer requests an urgent tradesperson, the service automatically ranks and offers the job to nearby, available tradespeople using factors including distance, rating and review history, recent acceptance and completion record, how long it has been since they last received an offer, and any prior relationship between that customer and tradesperson. This decides the order tradespeople are offered a job — it does not decide whether a tradesperson may use the service at all, and a tradesperson always remains free to decline. We don't consider this a decision that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you, but we're telling you about it here for transparency. If you're a tradesperson and want to understand why you're being offered — or not offered — jobs, contact us.

8. Vetting and compliance checks

For tradespeople, we review submitted credentials, insurance evidence and, where relevant, background-check information before an account can accept bookings, and periodically afterwards. We keep a record of vetting decisions to protect customers and to demonstrate the checks we carried out.

9. Who we share data with

We do not sell personal data. We share it only as needed to run the service:

• Between a customer and tradesperson, as necessary to complete a booking — for example, a tradesperson receives the job details and address needed to attend.
• With service providers who process data on our behalf under contract — including cloud hosting, our payment processor, push-notification and SMS delivery, and identity/background verification providers. We choose established providers and require them to protect data under a data processing agreement.
• With professional advisers, insurers, regulators or law-enforcement authorities where required by law, or to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.
• With a successor entity in the event of a merger, acquisition or sale of business assets, subject to this policy continuing to apply.

10. International transfers

We aim to store and process personal data in the UK or the European Economic Area; our primary infrastructure is provisioned in London specifically for this reason. Where a provider processes data outside the UK/EEA, we ensure an appropriate safeguard is in place before that transfer occurs.

11. How long we keep data

• Account data is kept while your account is active, and for a reasonable period afterwards in case you return.
• Booking, invoice and payment records are kept for as long as required for tax, accounting and legal purposes.
• Tradesperson vetting and compliance records are kept for as long as the account is active, and for a limited period afterwards, to evidence the checks we carried out.
• DBS/background-check information is retained only as long as necessary for the purpose obtained, then securely deleted.
• Marketing preferences are kept until you unsubscribe or object.

12. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to: access a copy of your personal data; have inaccurate data corrected; have your data erased in certain circumstances; restrict or object to certain processing; receive your data in a portable format; and withdraw consent where we rely on it. You will not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that produces a legal or similarly significant effect on you without appropriate safeguards.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us. We aim to respond within one month, as required by law, anonymising booking records connected to job history rather than deleting them outright where we have a legal or accounting reason to retain the underlying transaction. Where erasure would remove records we are legally required to keep, we will explain this and erase or anonymise what we can.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk — though we'd appreciate the chance to resolve your concern directly first.

13. Children's data

Relay is intended for adults. It is not directed at children and is restricted to users aged 18 or over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.

14. Security

We use technical and organisational measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the data involved, including access restricted by account role, encryption of data in transit, and restricting sensitive verification documents to authorised staff. No system is completely secure, but we take safeguarding personal data seriously and review our measures as the service grows. If we become aware of a personal data breach likely to risk your rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO and, where required, you.

15. Marketing preferences

Where you have opted in, we may email you about Relay's launch, features or offers. You can opt out at any time via the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, or by contacting us. Opting out of marketing does not affect essential service communications such as booking updates.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Relay develops and as our data-processing arrangements are confirmed. We will update the "last updated" date above and, for material changes, take reasonable steps to notify you before they take effect.

17. How to contact us

For any privacy question, or to exercise your rights above, email us at the address below. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.