Cookie Policy

1. WHAT ARE COOKIES?

Cookies are small text files stored on your browser or device when you visit our website. They help us understand how you use House Made Ready, improve your experience, and deliver personalised content and advertising. Some cookies are deleted when you close your browser (session cookies), while others remain on your device (persistent cookies).

2. WHY WE USE COOKIES

House Made Ready uses cookies for the following purposes:

2.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies (No Consent Required)

These cookies are essential for the website to function:

• Session Management: Keeping you logged in and protecting your account
• Security: Preventing fraud and protecting against security threats
• Functionality: Enabling core website features (e.g., form submission, navigation)
• CSRF Protection: Securing form submissions against cross-site request forgery

2.2 Performance and Analytics Cookies (Consent Required)

These cookies help us understand how users interact with our website:

• Google Analytics: Tracking page views, session duration, and user behaviour to improve website performance and user experience
• Performance Metrics: Monitoring website speed, error rates, and technical performance
• User Journey Tracking: Understanding how users navigate between pages to identify improvements

2.3 Marketing and Targeting Cookies (Consent Required)

These cookies are used to deliver relevant advertising and track campaign performance:

• Advertising Cookies: Delivering targeted ads based on your interests and browsing history
• Retargeting Cookies: Showing you relevant ads from House Made Ready on other websites
• Campaign Tracking: Measuring the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns
• Social Media Integration: Allowing sharing of content on social media platforms

2.4 Third-Party Service Cookies (Consent Required)

• Stripe (Payment Processing): Secure payment processing and fraud detection
• Maps and Location Services: Enabling map features and location-based recommendations
• Customer Support Tools: Live chat and support integration

3. COOKIE MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL

3.1 Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit House Made Ready, you will see a cookie consent banner. You can:

• Accept All: Allow all cookies (necessary, analytics, marketing, and third-party)
• Reject Non-Essential: Accept only strictly necessary cookies
• Customize: Manage individual cookie categories before proceeding

3.2 Browser Settings

You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View all cookies stored on your device
• Block cookies from specific websites
• Delete all cookies or cookies from a specific date
• Enable "Do Not Track" requests (though not all websites honour these)

Note: Disabling strictly necessary cookies may affect website functionality and your user experience.

3.3 Changing Your Preferences

You can update your cookie preferences at any time by clicking "Cookie Preferences" in the footer of the website or by contacting privacy@housemadeready.co.uk.

4. COOKIES IN DETAIL

5. RELATED TECHNOLOGIES

In addition to cookies, we may use:

5.1 Local Storage

Browser local storage is used to store user preferences (e.g., theme selection, form data) that don't require server-side processing. This data persists until you manually clear it from your browser.

5.2 Web Beacons and Pixels

Small tracking pixels embedded in emails and web pages help us understand whether our marketing communications are being opened and interacted with. This data is linked to your email address and used to improve our communications.

5.3 Device Fingerprinting

We may use technical data (browser type, device characteristics, IP address) to identify and prevent fraudulent activity on paid services (e.g., multiple payment attempts from the same device).

6. PRIVACY AND COOKIES

Cookies may collect personal data. This data is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and UK GDPR. To learn more about how we use the data collected via cookies, please see our Privacy Policy and GDPR Compliance page.

7. THIRD-PARTY COOKIES

Third-party providers may set their own cookies when you use House Made Ready:

• Google Analytics: Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy
• Stripe: Privacy policy: stripe.com/gb/privacy
• Meta (Facebook Pixel): Privacy policy: facebook.com/privacy
• LinkedIn: Privacy policy: linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy

We recommend reviewing their privacy policies to understand how they use cookies and personal data.

8. DO NOT TRACK (DNT)

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" feature. House Made Ready does not currently respond to DNT signals because there is no industry-wide standard for how websites should respond to these requests. However, you can control cookies through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner.

9. INTERNATIONAL COOKIES

Some cookies may involve data transfers outside the UK (e.g., Google Analytics in the US). Where such transfers occur, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR.

10. CHANGES TO THIS COOKIE POLICY

We may update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect changes in technology, legal requirements, or our cookie practices. Material changes will be notified via the cookie consent banner or by email. Continued use of House Made Ready constitutes acceptance of updated policies.

11. CONTACT US

If you have questions about our cookie practices or this policy: