Privacy notice

Who we are

Self Build Budget is a trading name of Wakeman Advisory Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 14373323). Our registered office is Belmont Suite, Paragon Business Park, Chorley New Road, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 6HG.

We are the data controller for the personal information described in this notice, and we are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), registration number ZB500208.

If you have any questions about your information, email us at hello@selfbuildbudget.com.

What we collect

• Your account: your name, email address and password. Your password is stored securely as a one-way hash, so we can never see it.
• Your project: everything you put into Self Build Budget, such as budgets, stages, quotes, payments, suppliers, notes and the documents you upload. Quotes, invoices and receipts can include names, addresses and bank details of the people and businesses you deal with.
• People you invite: the email addresses of partners you invite to your project.
• Billing: your plan and payment history. Card payments are handled by Stripe, so we never see or store your full card number.
• Messages: anything you send us by email.
• Technical information: information such as your IP address, browser and the times you sign in, kept in our system logs so we can keep the service secure and fix problems.

This website does not use analytics or tracking, and we do not build profiles of you or use your information for advertising.

How we use it

• To run the service: to give you an account, store your project, let your partners see it and show you your figures. We do this to provide the service you have signed up for (contract).
• To read your documents: when you upload a quote, invoice or receipt, AI reads it and suggests details for you to check (see below). This is part of the service you have signed up for (contract).
• To email you about your account: such as sign-in links, partner invitations, payment receipts and important changes to the service (contract).
• To take payment: for paid plans (contract), and to keep billing records we are required to keep by law (legal obligation).
• To keep the service safe and working: to prevent misuse, investigate problems and improve how the service works (our legitimate interests).
• To answer your questions: when you get in touch with us (our legitimate interests).

If we ever send news or tips about self building, we will only do so if you have asked for them, and every email will have an unsubscribe link.

AI document scanning

When you upload a quote, invoice or receipt, it is sent to Anthropic's Claude AI service, which reads it and suggests details such as the supplier, date, amounts and VAT. Nothing it suggests is saved until you or your partner check and confirm it.

Anthropic processes your documents only to provide this service to us. It does not use them to train its AI models.

Where your information is stored

Your account and project data, including the documents you upload, are stored in our database in London, in the UK.

Some of the companies that help us run the service are based in the United States, so your information may be processed there. When that happens, we make sure it is protected by safeguards approved under UK data protection law, such as the UK-US data bridge or the International Data Transfer Addendum.

Who we share it with

We never sell your information. We only share it with the companies that help us run Self Build Budget, and only what they need to do their job:

• Supabase: our database, file storage and sign-in, hosted in London.
• Vercel: hosts this website and the app.
• Resend: sends our emails, such as sign-in links and invitations.
• Stripe: takes payments for paid plans.
• Kit: holds invitation requests and sends our product updates.
• Anthropic: reads the documents you upload to suggest their details.

Each of them acts on our instructions under a data processing agreement. The partners you invite to your project can see the project. We may also share information if the law requires us to.

How long we keep it

• While your account is open: we keep your account and project data for as long as you use Self Build Budget.
• When you delete your account: your account closes straight away and is deleted 7 days later, unless you change your mind before then. We email you a reminder 48 hours before. After deletion, your data is removed from our live systems and falls out of our backups within 30 days.
• Billing records: we keep these for 6 years, because the law requires it.
• Emails you send us: we keep these for as long as we need to deal with your question, and no longer than 2 years.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• ask for a copy of the information we hold about you
• ask us to correct anything that is wrong
• ask us to delete your information
• get your data in a format you can use elsewhere (you can also export it from the app at any time)
• object to, or ask us to limit, how we use your information

To use any of these rights, email hello@selfbuildbudget.com. We will reply within one month.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at https://ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this notice

If we make an important change to this notice, we will email you before it takes effect. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.