1. Who we are
Instant-Estimate ("we", "us") runs the Instant-Estimate app and website. For your own account details we are the data controller under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. You can contact us about privacy any time through our Contact page.
INSTANT-ESTIMATE.COM LTD, a company registered in England and Wales, company number 17527068. Registered office: 41 Church Croft, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 6BQ. ICO registration: ZC283708.
2. What we collect
- Your account: name, business name, email, phone, business address, logo, bank details you add for invoices, prices and settings.
- Your clients: names, email addresses, phone numbers and site addresses you enter on quotes, invoices and in your client list.
- Job photos you upload, and any markup you draw on them.
- Voice notes: the recording is sent for transcription and the text is saved with your quote. We don't keep the audio recording.
- Quotes, invoices and payments: line items, totals, and when quotes are viewed, accepted or paid.
- Billing: your subscription status. Card details are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number.
- Bank feeds (if you connect a bank): account names, balances and transactions, read-only, so you can match payments and expenses. We can't move money.
- HMRC (if you connect HMRC): your National Insurance number, tax business details, the figures you submit and HMRC's replies.
- Location (only if you turn on trip tracking): your device's GPS position while a trip is being recorded, used to work out mileage. Tracking only runs when you start it, and we save the start, end and distance, not a live record of where you are.
- Expenses and receipts: photos of receipts, amounts, suppliers, vehicles and mileage logs.
- Accountant sharing and documents: if you link an accountant, the sections of your books you choose to share, plus documents you or they upload to your document vault (for example ID checks, P60s and signed sign-offs).
- Reviews: star ratings and comments you leave for an accountant, shown with your business name.
- Usage: basic technical data such as which link brought you to the site and when you sign in.
3. Why we use it
- To run the service you've signed up for: drafting quotes, creating PDFs, sending emails to your clients and tracking payments (contract).
- To show your bank transactions, work out mileage, and prepare and send your tax updates to HMRC when you ask us to (contract; sending to HMRC is also a legal obligation under Making Tax Digital).
- To share your books with an accountant you've linked, only for the sections you allow (contract, at your request).
- To take subscription payments and keep records for tax (contract and legal obligation).
- To send account emails, such as password resets, quote accepted alerts and receipts (contract).
- To send tips and product updates, which you can turn off at any time (legitimate interests).
- To keep the service secure, prevent abuse and improve it (legitimate interests).
We don't sell your data or your clients' data, and we don't use it for advertising.
4. Your clients' data
When you add a client's details or photos of their property, you are the data controller for that information and we process it on your behalf, only to provide the service to you. That means:
- Only add client details you have a good reason to hold, such as to quote for or carry out their job.
- Avoid photographing people, car number plates or anything personal that isn't needed for the quote.
- If a client asks you to delete their details, you can delete their quotes and client record in the app. Or contact us and we'll help.
Clients who receive a quote or invoice from you can contact you directly, or contact us if they can't reach you.
5. Who processes data for us
We use trusted providers to run the service. They only process data on our instructions:
- OpenAI: drafts quotes from your photos and description, and transcribes voice notes. Data sent through the API isn't used to train their models.
- Stripe: subscription payments and card details.
- Anthropic: powers some AI features, such as the AI assistant and marketing tips.
- Open banking provider: an FCA-authorised provider that connects to your bank, read-only, when you choose to link it.
- HMRC: receives your quarterly updates and final declaration when you or your accountant send them. HMRC is a separate controller of that data.
- postcodes.io and OpenStreetMap: turn addresses and postcodes into map positions for mileage. Only the address or postcode is sent.
- Your accountant: if you link one, they can see the sections of your books you choose to share. They're a separate controller and responsible for how they use it. You can stop sharing any time.
- Our email delivery provider: sends quotes, invoices, reminders and account emails.
- Our hosting and file storage providers: store your account, quotes and photos securely.
Some of these providers are based in the USA. Where data leaves the UK, it's protected by approved safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or the UK-US Data Bridge.
6. How long we keep it
We keep your account data, quotes, invoices, client details and photos for as long as you have an account. You can delete your account yourself in Business settings, under Your data. It's taken offline straight away and erased for good after 30 days. If you log back in before then, it's restored. The exception is billing records, which we must keep for up to 6 years for tax purposes.
Your own tax records: HMRC requires you to keep business records for at least 5 years after the 31 January tax return deadline. If you delete your account, those records are erased too, so download your data first from Business settings. Disconnecting your bank or HMRC removes our access straight away.
8. Keeping it safe
Passwords are stored as one-way hashes, all traffic is encrypted (HTTPS), and only you can see your quotes, clients and photos unless you share a quote or invoice link. Anyone with a shared link can view that one document, so only send links to the right person.
9. Your rights
You have the right to access, correct, download or delete your personal data, to object to or restrict how we use it, and to stop marketing emails. In Business settings you can download all your data in one file, delete your account, and turn off tips emails. For anything else, use our Contact page and we'll reply within one month.
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk. Please contact us first so we can try to put it right.
10. Changes
We'll update this policy if how we use data changes, and tell you by email or in the app if the change matters. See also our Subscription Terms.