Privacy Policy

swimmingpoolbuilders.co.za ("we", "us", "our") is an editorially independent South African publisher of guides, cost data and pool-type comparisons. We are the responsible party as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 ("POPIA"). You can reach our Information Officer at privacy@swimmingpoolbuilders.co.za.

• Account data — if you sign up: your name, email, hashed password, role (customer / builder / admin).
• Builder profile data — if you list a business: company name, contact details, service areas, portfolio images.
• Form submissions — any details you voluntarily send via contact, quote or correction forms.
• Technical data — IP address, browser, device, pages viewed and referrer, collected through cookies and server logs.
• Analytics & advertising — anonymised usage data via Google Analytics and ad-serving identifiers via Google AdSense, only after you opt in.

• Contract — to operate accounts, builder listings and any services you sign up for.
• Legitimate interest — to keep the site secure, prevent fraud, and improve our content.
• Consent — for analytics cookies, advertising cookies and email marketing. You can withdraw consent at any time via the "Cookie preferences" link in the footer.
• Legal obligation — to comply with POPIA, tax and other South African law.

We do not sell personal information. We share limited data with operators acting on our instructions: hosting (Lovable Cloud / Supabase), analytics (Google), and advertising (Google AdSense). All operators are bound by written agreements requiring POPIA-equivalent safeguards. We may disclose information when compelled by South African law.

Some of our processors store data outside South Africa (for example in the EU or the US). We rely on adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses or your explicit consent as permitted by section 72 of POPIA.

Account and builder profile data are kept while your account is active and for up to 36 months after closure for record-keeping. Anonymised analytics may be retained indefinitely. Marketing consents are retained until you unsubscribe.

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you (Form 1).
• Request correction or deletion of inaccurate or excessive information.
• Object to processing for direct marketing.
• Withdraw consent for analytics or advertising cookies at any time.
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za.

We use essential cookies (required for the site to work), and — only with your consent — analytics and advertising cookies. You can change your preferences at any time using the "Cookie preferences" link in the footer.

Our site is not directed at children under 18 and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has submitted information, contact us and we will delete it.

We review this policy annually. Material changes are highlighted at the top of the page and dated. The "Last updated" date below shows the most recent revision.