Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use walkshed.app (the "Service"), why, who we share it with, and your rights. It should be read with our Terms of Service and Disclaimer.

State note. Today Walkshed keeps most of your inputs in your own browser (local storage) plus a sign-in cookie, and sends addresses you type to a third-party geocoder. The account, couple-pairing, and payment processing described below switches on at commercial launch.

1. Who we are

Walkshed ("Walkshed", "we", "us") is operated by [LEGAL / TRADING NAME] ("the controller"). We decide how and why your personal data is processed.

• Contact: hello@walkshed.app
• ICO registration: [ICO REGISTRATION REF]

2. The personal data we collect

Information you give us

• Account details — your email address and a password. We store passwords only as a salted hash (bcrypt); we never store them in plain text.
• Search inputs — the home and work addresses, commute locations, and travel-time thresholds you enter; budgets; weightings; filters; and your shortlist of areas.
• Family / friend places — any names and addresses you add as visit targets. Only add another person's address where you have a proper reason to.
• Couple pairing — if you link with a partner, the inputs and shortlist above are shared between the two paired accounts.
• Messages — anything you send us by email or support form.

Information we collect automatically

• Sign-in cookie — a secure, signed session cookie (ws_session) that keeps you logged in. It does not track you across other websites.
• Local browser storage — preferences such as your theme and, currently, your shortlist are stored in your browser's local storage on your device.
• Technical and usage data — IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, and similar log data, used to run and secure the Service.

Information from third parties

• Payment confirmation — when you buy a plan, our payment provider tells us that a payment succeeded and gives us limited details (such as your name, email, country, and the plan bought). We do not receive or store your full card details.

We do not intentionally collect special-category data (such as health, religion, or ethnicity) about you. The area demographic figures in the app are aggregated statistics about places, not data about you.

3. How we use your data, and our lawful bases

• Create your account and keep you signed in — performance of a contract.
• Provide the core service — geocode addresses, calculate commute times and scores, save your shortlist, and share with a paired partner — performance of a contract.
• Take payment and give access to paid features — performance of a contract.
• Keep the Service secure, prevent fraud and abuse, fix bugs, and understand usage — our legitimate interests in running a safe, working product.
• Send service messages (account, security, or purchase emails) — performance of a contract / legitimate interests.
• Send marketing, or use non-essential analytics or cookies — your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
• Meet legal, tax, and accounting obligations — legal obligation.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have weighed those interests against your rights; you can object (see section 8).

4. Maps, geocoding, and address data

To turn an address you type into a location and show it on a map, we send that address (and map requests) to our maps and geocoding provider, MapTiler, which uses OpenStreetMap data. Please don't enter a precise third-party address unless you have a reason to. MapTiler processes this under its own privacy terms.

5. Who we share your data with

We share personal data only with service providers who help us run Walkshed, and only as needed: hosting and platform (Vercel), database (Turso / libSQL), maps and geocoding (MapTiler / OpenStreetMap), payments (Paddle, our merchant of record), email (our email provider), analytics (where you have consented), and your paired partner.

We may also disclose data if required by law, to establish or defend legal claims, or to a buyer if we sell or transfer the business (your rights under this policy would carry over). We do not sell your personal data.

6. International transfers

Some providers may process data outside the UK or EEA. Where they do, we rely on appropriate safeguards — such as a UK adequacy decision or the International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum to EU Standard Contractual Clauses — so your data keeps an equivalent level of protection. Ask us for details.

7. How long we keep it

• Account data — for as long as your account is open, then deleted or anonymised within 90 days of closure (unless we must keep some records for legal / tax reasons).
• Search inputs and shortlists — until you delete them or close your account; items stored only in your browser stay until you clear them.
• Payment and accounting records — kept for as long as tax law requires (generally 6 years).
• Logs — kept for a short period for security and debugging, typically up to 12 months.

8. Your rights

Under UK data-protection law you have the right to access a copy of your data; rectify inaccurate data; erase your data; restrict or object to certain processing, including direct marketing; portability (receive your data in a usable format); and withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.

To exercise any right, email hello@walkshed.app. We will respond within one month. Using these rights is free, and we will not treat you differently for it.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk, but please contact us first so we can try to put it right.

9. Security

We protect your data with measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, signed and HTTP-only session cookies, and access controls. No online service can be guaranteed 100% secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information and will notify you and the ICO of a serious breach where the law requires.

10. Cookies and local storage

We use a small number of strictly necessary cookies and local-storage items to sign you in and remember your preferences — these don't need consent. We will ask for your consent before setting any non-essential analytics or marketing cookies.

11. Children

Walkshed is for adults (18+) making housing decisions. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. If a change materially affects you, we'll give reasonable notice (e.g. by email or an in-app notice) before it takes effect.

13. Contact

Questions, or want to exercise a right? Email hello@walkshed.app. Controller: [LEGAL / TRADING NAME]. ICO registration [ICO REGISTRATION REF].