Privacy, explained plainly.

Privacy notice

Last updated: 3 October 2026

About this notice

This notice explains how GroomNear, a personally operated UK directory, uses information. Contact support@groomnear.com for privacy questions or requests.

Information, purposes and lawful bases

Browsing and security

Hosting handles ordinary requests including IP address, browser and requested page. Necessary delivery, troubleshooting and abuse prevention serve our legitimate interests in a reliable, safe directory.

Business listings

Names, locations, services, websites and published business contacts may identify a sole trader. Sources are the business website linked on its listing, authorised submissions and the read-only legacy directory archive. Imports stay draft until reviewed. Our legitimate interest is helping people discover businesses using proportionate public information.

Accounts and claims

We store username, email, a protected password hash, confirmation status, private claim explanations, decisions and proposed changes. They provide the account service you request and protect business access. We rely on the requested service relationship and legitimate interests in preventing impersonation and resolving disputes. Account and authority details are required for these features; browse without providing them. People review claims, rather than solely automated decisions.

Support and complaints

We use the contacts and messages you send to answer or investigate your request, relying on legitimate interests or legal obligations where applicable. Send only what is needed, not passwords, payment data or identity-document numbers.

Optional analytics and maps

Google Analytics relies on your consent, withdrawable in Cookie preferences. External map tiles require an explicit map choice. See cookies and map choices for provider requests. Device-location permission is requested only when you choose Use my location.

Optional location search

Choose a postcode or town, or press Use my location and allow your browser to share a position. We round device coordinates to about a neighbourhood, use them only to find nearby groomers, and do not save them in your profile or send them to analytics or the postcode provider. Coordinates travel in the search form body, not page URLs. Nearby search responses are not cached. Change the area or leave the page to stop using it; browser permissions can be revoked in browser settings.

Manual postcode or town lookups send that search text through our hosting server to Postcodes.io (Ideal Postcodes), rather than your device coordinates. Its UK open-data lookup returns approximate postcode or place centres; you do not need to provide a house address. If lookup is unavailable, use device location or the standard directory. Northern Ireland postcode lookups use existing public listing areas where available; provider postcode data is not used there pending commercial licence clearance.

Location data: Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2025; Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2025; National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2025; NRS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Provider data licences.

Recipients

Published business information is visible to visitors and search engines. Private accounts, claims and draft changes are restricted to authorised administrators/reviewers and the account holder where appropriate. Support receives claim or proposed-update references and review links, without private evidence or proposed text in those notifications.

SmarterASP.NET provides hosting, SQL databases, backups and SMTP/support mail. Cloudflare manages domain and DNS. Google receives consented analytics; OpenStreetMap receives opted-in tile requests. The public API excludes private claims and internal import identifiers. We do not sell enquiry data or automatically subscribe visitors to marketing. Necessary information may be disclosed to advisers or authorities for a legal obligation or genuine dispute. Payments and rewards are not enabled.

International processing

Providers may process information outside the UK, including the United States. SmarterASP.NET publishes data-processing terms and states that it uses international safeguards. We are reviewing the applicable contracts, processing locations and UK transfer documentation. Provider statements alone do not establish every UK transfer requirement. Contact support for current details; we do not claim UK-only processing or that a specific UK transfer agreement has already been verified.

Retention

Accounts are kept while needed for account services; public business details while relevant and accurate. Claim decisions and edit records are retained as needed to substantiate current ownership, prevent fraud or resolve an active dispute. We review whether private evidence is still necessary when a claim or dispute closes. Support messages are kept for resolution and proportionate follow-up, and security information for troubleshooting or abuse investigation.

Retention and deletion requests are currently reviewed manually, without an automatic claim-deletion schedule. Legal obligations or live disputes may justify retaining limited records longer; we explain this where relevant. Deleted information may remain in restricted backups until the provider's backup cycle expires. Ask about a particular record: we do not promise an unverified fixed deletion date.

Your rights and choices

Request access, correction, erasure, restriction or portability where applicable. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including publication of sole-trader contact details. Rights depend on the processing and lawful exceptions. Withdraw analytics consent through Cookie preferences without affecting earlier lawful processing. Use list view without loading maps.

Email support. We may request proportionate identity checks before disclosing private records. Data-rights requests normally receive a response within one month; we explain any lawful extension or necessary clarification. There is no routine fee. Account deletion may affect business access; we discuss this rather than exposing private records.

Privacy complaints

We acknowledge data protection complaints within 30 days, investigate and respond without undue delay. See our complaints process. You may also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO); contacting us does not remove that right.

Changes and children

We date changes here and explain material new uses before introducing them. Future enquiries, reviews, commerce or data tools need their own assessment and notices. Accounts and claims are for adults; we do not intentionally collect children's account information.