Your privacy is our priority
Last updated: May 10, 2026
Privacy Policy
We built helocalculator.com with privacy as a core principle — not an afterthought. We collect almost nothing, never sell any data, and our calculators run entirely in your browser without storing your inputs.
Plain-English summary
Read this before the legal version below
No personal data collected
Our calculators run in your browser. We never see or store your home value, mortgage balance, or financial inputs.
We never sell your data
We do not sell, rent, or share personal information with lenders, advertisers, or any third parties for marketing purposes.
No signup required
All tools are available without registration. We never require an email address or account to use any calculator or guide.
Minimal cookies only
We use anonymous analytics cookies to understand site traffic. No tracking cookies, no advertising ID, no cross-site tracking.
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Information we collect
What data we do and do not gather
We are committed to collecting the absolute minimum amount of information necessary to operate our site. Here is a precise breakdown:
Calculator inputs are never collected. When you enter your home value, mortgage balance, interest rate, or any other financial information into our calculators, that data is processed entirely in your browser using JavaScript. It is never transmitted to our servers, never stored, and never seen by our team.
Information we may collect automatically when you visit our site:
- IP address (anonymised): Used only to understand general geographic traffic distribution. We use IP anonymisation so the full IP address is never stored.
- Browser type and operating system: Collected anonymously to help us ensure our tools work across different devices.
- Pages visited and time on page: Aggregated analytics to understand which content is most useful.
- Referring URL: The page you came from, used to understand traffic sources.
- We do NOT collect: Your name, email, phone number, financial data, social security number, credit score, income, or any personally identifiable information unless you voluntarily submit it via our contact form.
If you submit our contact form, we collect the information you provide (name, email, subject, message) solely to respond to your inquiry. This information is not added to any marketing list.
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How we use information
The purposes for which we process data
We use the limited information we collect only for the following purposes:
- Site operation and improvement: Understanding which pages and tools are most used helps us prioritise improvements and fix issues.
- Technical performance: Monitoring page load times and errors to ensure our calculators work correctly across all devices and browsers.
- Responding to enquiries: When you use our contact form, we use the information you provide solely to respond to your message.
- Security: Detecting and preventing malicious traffic, bots, or abuse of our tools.
- We do NOT use your information for: Targeted advertising, selling to third parties, building user profiles, or any form of direct marketing.
We never use your data to recommend specific lenders, generate mortgage leads, or pass your information to any financial institution.
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Cookies and tracking
What cookies we use and how to opt out
We use a small number of cookies to operate and improve our site. We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking, or any third-party behavioural targeting.
| Cookie type | Purpose | Duration | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytics (_ga) | Google Analytics — anonymous traffic measurement. IP is anonymised. No personal data stored. | 2 years | No |
| Analytics (_gid) | Google Analytics session identifier — distinguishes unique visitors anonymously. | 24 hours | No |
| Preference | Stores your cookie consent choice so we do not ask again. | 1 year | Yes |
Opt out at any time: You can disable analytics cookies in your browser settings, or use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Disabling cookies does not affect your ability to use any of our calculators or tools.
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Third-party services
External tools we use and their privacy implications
We use a small number of reputable third-party services to operate our site. Each is listed below with a link to their privacy policy:
- Google Analytics (Google LLC): Anonymous traffic analytics. Data is anonymised before transmission. Google Privacy Policy
- Google Fonts: We load web fonts from Google's CDN. Google may log the request. No personal data from our users is transmitted. Google Privacy Policy
- Cloudflare: We use Cloudflare for CDN, DDoS protection, and performance. Cloudflare may process IP addresses as part of its service. Cloudflare Privacy Policy
We do not use Facebook Pixel, Google Ads, TikTok Pixel, or any other advertising tracking technology. We do not have any remarketing or retargeting campaigns.
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Data sharing and disclosure
We never sell your data — period
We do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to any outside party.
We will never sell your data to lenders, mortgage brokers, advertisers, or data brokers. This is a core commitment of our business model, not just a legal obligation.
The only circumstances in which we would disclose information are:
- Legal requirement: If required by law, court order, or governmental authority, we may disclose information to comply with applicable legal obligations.
- Protection of rights: To protect the safety, rights, or property of helocalculator.com, our users, or the public where required or permitted by law.
- Business transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data would be transferred to the successor entity under the same privacy protections.
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Data retention
How long we keep information
We retain data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected:
- Calculator data: Never retained — processed in your browser only and never transmitted.
- Contact form submissions: Retained for up to 12 months to handle follow-up questions, then permanently deleted.
- Analytics data: Aggregated, anonymised analytics data is retained for up to 26 months in Google Analytics, after which it is automatically deleted.
- Server logs: Web server access logs (containing anonymised IP addresses) are retained for up to 30 days for security and troubleshooting, then deleted.
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Your privacy rights
GDPR, CCPA, and global rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding any personal data we hold about you:
Right to access
You can request a copy of any personal data we hold about you (primarily contact form submissions).
Right to rectification
You can ask us to correct any inaccurate personal data we hold about you.
Right to erasure
You can request deletion of your personal data. We will comply unless we have a legal obligation to retain it.
Right to object
You can object to the processing of your personal data for certain purposes, including analytics.
Right to portability
You can request your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format for transfer to another service.
CCPA rights (California)
California residents have additional rights including the right to know what data is collected and the right to opt out of sale (we never sell data).
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@helocalculator.com. We will respond within 30 days.
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Children's privacy
Users under the age of 13
helocalculator.com is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Our tools are designed for adult homeowners making financial decisions.
If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at privacy@helocalculator.com and we will delete it promptly.
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Changes to this policy
How we notify you of updates
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons.
- The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision.
- For material changes that significantly affect how we use your data, we will post a notice on our homepage for at least 30 days.
- Continued use of our site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
We do not send marketing emails, so we cannot notify you of changes by email unless you have an open support ticket with us.
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Contact us about privacy
How to reach us with privacy questions or requests
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your privacy rights, or have a concern about how we handle your data, please reach out:
- Email (preferred): privacy@helocalculator.com
- General contact: hello@helocalculator.com
- Response time: We aim to respond to all privacy requests within 30 days as required by applicable law.
Have a privacy question?
Our team responds to all privacy requests within 30 days