Privacy Policy

Homeowner.ca is owned and operated by PointForm, Inc., an Ontario corporation located at 412 Laird Road, Unit 101, Guelph, ON, N1G 3X7, Canada. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit Homeowner.ca (the "Site").

We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation, including Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA BC), and Quebec's Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector.

By using the Site, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these practices, please do not use the Site.

We collect, use, and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances, and in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy legislation.

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Information Collected Automatically

When you visit Homeowner.ca, certain information is collected automatically through your browser and our server infrastructure. This includes:

• IP address (used for approximate geographic location and security purposes)
• Browser type and version (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
• Operating system and device information (e.g., desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation paths
• Referral source (how you arrived at the Site, such as a search engine, social media link, or direct visit)
• Date and time of your visit

This information is collected through server logs, cookies, and similar tracking technologies, as described further below.

Analytics Data

We use web analytics services, including Google Analytics, to understand how visitors interact with our content. Analytics data is collected in aggregate and anonymized where possible. This helps us understand which topics are most useful to our readers and how we can improve the Site. Google Analytics may set its own cookies on your device — see the "Cookies and Tracking Technologies" section for details.

Account Information

When you create an account on Homeowner.ca, we collect the following information through our authentication provider, Clerk:

• Email address — provided via Google OAuth or direct signup
• Display name — from your Google profile or entered manually
• Profile image — from your Google profile (if using Google OAuth)
• Username — auto-generated from your email address

Your account also stores the following preferences and activity data:

• Email preferences — whether you have opted in to marketing emails, weekly digest, and account notifications
• Profile visibility — your choice of public or private profile
• Saved articles — articles you have bookmarked for later reading
• Saved products — products you have saved from our comparison guides
• Last active timestamp — updated when you visit the Site while signed in

You are not required to create an account to browse the Site. Account creation is only needed to save articles, save products, and manage email preferences.

Contact Forms and Inquiries

If you reach out to us through a contact form or email, we collect the information you provide, such as your name, email address, and message content.

AI Chat Assistant

Homeowner.ca offers an AI-powered chat assistant on article pages that can answer questions about the article you are reading. When you use the chat assistant:

• The article content (title, body text, topic) is sent to our AI provider, Anthropic, to generate relevant responses
• Your chat messages are sent to Anthropic for processing
• Chat messages are ephemeral — they are processed in real time and are not stored in any database. Once your session ends, the messages are discarded
• No personally identifiable information (name, email, account data) is sent to Anthropic. Only the article content and your chat messages are transmitted

Anthropic processes data under their own privacy policy. We do not use chat interactions for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than generating the chat response.

Affiliate Link Interactions

Homeowner.ca includes affiliate links within our product reviews and recommendations. When you click an affiliate link, we may record that the click occurred (e.g., which link, on which page, and at what time). Once you leave the Site via an affiliate link, the destination merchant or affiliate network may collect additional information under their own privacy policies. See "Affiliate Links and Product Recommendations" below for more detail.

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We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Content improvement: Understanding which topics, reviews, and guides are most valuable to our readers so we can prioritize and improve our editorial content.
• Traffic analysis: Monitoring overall Site performance, identifying technical issues, and understanding traffic patterns.
• Personalization: Limited to general regional relevance, such as identifying that a visitor is in Canada or a particular province based on IP address (e.g., highlighting products available in Canada). We do not build individual profiles or use personal information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
• Communication: If you have opted in to our newsletter, sending you periodic updates, new content alerts, or relevant homeowner resources. We comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and will only send marketing or promotional emails where we have obtained your express or implied consent as required by law. You may withdraw your consent and unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link included in every email or by contacting us directly.
• Affiliate reporting: Tracking click activity on affiliate links in aggregate to understand which product recommendations are most useful to readers and to fulfil our reporting obligations to affiliate partners.
• Security and fraud prevention: Protecting the Site against malicious activity, spam, and unauthorized access.

We collect only the personal information that is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy. We do not collect information that is unrelated to the operation and improvement of the Site.

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What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently and to provide information to site operators.

Cookies We Use

Homeowner.ca uses the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies: These are necessary for the Site to function properly, such as remembering your cookie consent preferences.
• Analytics cookies: Set by Google Analytics and similar services, these cookies help us understand how visitors use the Site. They collect information such as the number of visitors, the pages they visit, and the sources of traffic. This data is aggregated and anonymized where possible.
• Affiliate tracking cookies: When you click an affiliate link, the affiliate network or merchant may set a cookie on your device to attribute your visit or purchase. These cookies are governed by the respective third party's privacy and cookie policies.
• Preference cookies: These may remember choices you make (such as dismissing a notification) to provide a more tailored experience.

Managing Cookies

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

• View what cookies are stored and delete them individually or in bulk
• Block third-party cookies
• Block cookies from specific sites
• Block all cookies
• Delete all cookies when you close the browser

Please note that blocking or deleting certain cookies may affect your experience on the Site. For more information on managing cookies, visit aboutcookies.org or your browser's help documentation.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

Where required by applicable law, we obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies (such as analytics or affiliate tracking cookies) on your device. You may manage your cookie preferences through our consent banner or your browser settings.

Some web browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not wish to have your online activity tracked. At this time, the Site does not respond to DNT signals.

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We work with a limited number of third-party service providers to operate and improve the Site. These include:

Each third-party service operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you interact with through the Site. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties.

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Homeowner.ca publishes product reviews, comparisons, and recommendations as part of our editorial content. Many of these include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase from a merchant.

Important points about affiliate links:

• Clicking an affiliate link takes you to a third-party website (e.g., Amazon.ca, a retailer's website). Once you leave Homeowner.ca, that merchant's privacy policy and terms of service apply.
• The affiliate network or merchant may set cookies on your device to track referrals and attribute purchases.
• We do not receive personally identifiable information about your purchases from affiliate partners. We receive only aggregated or anonymized reports (e.g., number of clicks, conversion rates, commission earned).
• Our editorial recommendations are independent. Affiliate relationships do not influence our product assessments or ratings.

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We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

• Anonymized and aggregate data: We may share non-identifying, aggregate statistics about Site usage with partners, advertisers, or publicly (e.g., "60% of our readers are in Ontario"). This data cannot be used to identify any individual.
• Service providers: We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Site (analytics, email, hosting), but only to the extent necessary for them to provide their services. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, 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 a portion of our assets, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We would notify you of any such change via a prominent notice on the Site.

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We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy:

• Account data (display name, username, email preferences, profile settings): Retained for as long as your account is active, plus 30 days after deletion to allow for recovery. After deletion, all account data is permanently removed.
• Saved articles and products: Retained for as long as your account is active. Deleted when your account is deleted.
• AI chat messages: Not retained. Messages are processed in real time and discarded immediately after the chat session. No chat history is stored.
• Authentication data: Session tokens and authentication state are managed by Clerk and are subject to Clerk's retention policies (typically 30 days for inactive sessions).
• Analytics data: Retained in aggregated form. Google Analytics data retention is configured in accordance with our analytics settings, typically 14 months, after which it is automatically deleted.
• Newsletter subscriptions: Your email address is retained for as long as you remain subscribed. You may unsubscribe at any time, after which your information will be removed from our mailing list within a reasonable timeframe.
• Contact form submissions: Retained for as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry and for reasonable record-keeping purposes, typically no longer than 24 months.
• Server logs: Retained for security and diagnostic purposes for a limited period, typically no longer than 12 months.
• Cookie consent preferences: Stored in a first-party cookie on your device for up to 12 months. You can clear this at any time through your browser settings or the CookieYes consent widget.
• Inactive accounts: If your account has been inactive for 24 months, we may send you a notification. If your account remains inactive for 30 months, it may be automatically deleted along with all associated data.

When personal information is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymized.

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Under PIPEDA and applicable provincial privacy legislation, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of access: You may request access to the personal information we hold about you. We will respond to your request within 30 days, as required by law.
• Right of correction: If your personal information is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request that we correct it.
• Right to withdrawal of consent: You may withdraw your consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions. For example, you may unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any email or by contacting us directly.
• Right to deletion (erasure): You may request that we delete your personal information, including your account and all associated data (saved articles, saved products, preferences). To request deletion, contact us at the email address below. Upon verification of your identity, we will delete your data within 30 days.
• Right to data portability (export): You may request a copy of your personal information in a portable, machine-readable format (JSON). This includes your account profile, preferences, saved articles, and saved products. To request a data export, contact us at the email address below.
• Right to complaint: If you believe we have not handled your personal information appropriately, you have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section below. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

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Homeowner.ca is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information as promptly as possible.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

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Homeowner.ca is operated from Canada, and our primary data processing takes place in Canada. However, some of the third-party services we use (such as analytics providers, affiliate networks, and hosting infrastructure) may process or store data on servers located outside of Canada, including in the United States.

Where personal information is transferred outside of Canada, we take reasonable steps to ensure that your information receives a level of protection consistent with Canadian privacy standards. This includes using service providers that adhere to recognized privacy frameworks and maintaining contractual safeguards where appropriate.

Please be aware that data stored or processed in other jurisdictions may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions, including lawful access by courts, law enforcement, and national security authorities.

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We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• Use of encryption (HTTPS/TLS) for all data transmitted between your browser and the Site
• Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Regular review of our data collection, storage, and processing practices
• Use of reputable, security-conscious third-party service providers

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to maintaining safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.

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In the event of a breach of security safeguards involving personal information that poses a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected individuals and report the breach to the appropriate regulatory authorities, as required by applicable Canadian privacy legislation.

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We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, the updated policy will be posted on this page.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to provide prominent notice on the Site.

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If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us:

PointForm, Inc.
412 Laird Road, Unit 101
Guelph, ON N1G 3X7
Canada

Email: admin@pointform.com

PointForm, Inc. has designated a Privacy Officer responsible for compliance with applicable privacy legislation. Privacy-related inquiries and rights requests should be directed to the email address above.

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Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, QC K1A 1H3
Canada

Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376
Website: www.priv.gc.ca