Privacy Policy

FAPPNY is a trading name of Polestar Property Services Ltd, registered in England and Wales (Company No. 10563083), whose registered office is at Sibling Workspace, York House, Station Road, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, LS24 9JF.

Polestar Property Services Ltd (trading as FAPPNY) is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. If you have any questions about how we handle your data, please contact us at [email protected].

When you apply to join our directory, we collect:

• Identity data — first name, last name, photo ID (passport, driving licence, or national identity card)
• Contact data — email address, phone number, business address, postcode
• Business data — business name, website, professional biography, profession type
• Credential data — registration body, membership or licence numbers, insurance details
• Verification documents — uploaded copies of certificates, licences, insurance schedules, proof of address, and trading address proof
• Account data — email address and hashed password used to access your portal
• Communications — messages exchanged with our verification team via the portal inbox
• Technical data — IP address, browser type, and access logs generated when you use the portal

When members of the public use our search and directory, we collect:

• Search data — postcode, profession searched, and search radius (not linked to an account)
• Quote request data — name, email address, optional phone number, and message submitted via the "Get a Quote" form on a professional's profile
• Technical data — IP address, browser type, and access logs

We do not use cookies for tracking or advertising. We do not build profiles of site visitors.

We use professional data to:

• Verify your identity, credentials, and regulatory compliance before approving your listing
• Display your approved listing on the public directory
• Manage your account and portal access
• Send you renewal reminders and administrative communications about your listing
• Forward quote requests submitted by members of the public to your registered email address
• Comply with our legal obligations and resolve disputes

We use visitor data to:

• Return relevant search results based on postcode and profession
• Forward quote requests to the relevant professional
• Monitor for abuse and protect the security of the service

We process your data on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

• Contract — processing necessary to provide the directory service you have applied to join (Article 6(1)(b))
• Legitimate interests — verifying credentials to protect consumers, preventing fraud, and maintaining the integrity of the directory (Article 6(1)(f))
• Legal obligation — retaining records as required by applicable law (Article 6(1)(c))
• Consent — where you have explicitly agreed to this policy before submitting your application

Identity documents (photo ID, proof of address, trading address proof) and professional credential documents are stored securely in private, access-controlled storage. They are accessible only to our verification team and are not displayed publicly. Documents are retained for the duration of your listing and for up to 2 years after your listing is closed or removed, after which they are securely deleted.

We do not share identity documents with third parties except where required by law or where you have given explicit consent.

Once your application is approved, the following information is displayed publicly on your profile page: business name, profession, city, county, postcode area, professional biography, registration body and membership number, and any Google Reviews link you choose to add. Your full address, email address, and uploaded documents are never displayed publicly.

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with:

• Our email service provider — to send you transactional emails (renewal reminders, quote notifications, verification updates)
• Our hosting and infrastructure providers — who process data on our behalf under data processing agreements
• Regulatory or law enforcement bodies — where we are legally required to do so

• Active listings — data retained for the duration of your listing
• Rejected or withdrawn applications — data retained for 6 months then deleted
• Closed listings — contact and credential data retained for 2 years then deleted; identity documents deleted immediately on closure
• Quote request data — retained for 12 months then deleted
• Access logs — retained for 90 days

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Erasure — ask us to delete your data (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Restriction — ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, use our Data Rights Request form or email us at [email protected]. We will respond within one calendar month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

We use industry-standard security measures including encrypted storage, access controls, and HTTPS throughout the site. Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text. Uploaded documents are stored in private server-side storage inaccessible from the public web.

We take the accuracy of information in our directory seriously. All professionals are required to provide truthful information about their qualifications, credentials, and services. We verify credentials before approving listings and may remove or suspend listings where inaccurate claims are identified.

If you believe a professional's listing contains false or misleading claims, please contact us at [email protected].

All content on this website — including text, design, logos, and software — is owned by or licensed to FAPPNY. Professionals retain ownership of content they upload (photos, documents, biographies) but grant us a licence to display it as part of their listing.

If you believe content on this site infringes your intellectual property rights, please use our IP & Copyright Takedown form or email [email protected].

Many professions listed in our directory are subject to statutory licensing, registration, or regulatory oversight. We require professionals to declare their relevant registrations and verify them where possible. However, we are a directory service and not a regulatory body. Consumers should always independently verify a professional's current registration status with the relevant authority before engaging their services.

Regulated professions include (but are not limited to): mortgage brokers (FCA), conveyancers (SRA/CLC), gas engineers (Gas Safe Register), electricians (NICEIC/NAPIT), architects (ARB), and structural engineers (IStructE/ICE). Links to the relevant registers are provided on each profession's landing page.

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify active professionals of material changes by email. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.