Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2026-05-25
This Privacy Policy describes how Instant Estimate ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our website at https://instantestimatehq.com and our HVAC estimation services (collectively, the "Services"). Instant Estimate is operated from the United States and our Services are intended for users in the United States.
We provide software to HVAC contractors ("Contractors") that lets them generate instant estimates for their own customers ("Homeowners"). This Policy covers our handling of information for both groups.
1. Information we collect
Information you provide to us. When you create a Contractor account we collect your name, email, business name, phone number, and payment information (processed by Stripe — we do not store full card numbers). When a Homeowner uses an estimator we collect, on the Contractor's behalf, the address of the property, the contact information they enter, and the details of the system they're requesting an estimate for.
Information we collect automatically. When you visit the Services we automatically collect device and usage information such as IP address, browser type, operating system, pages viewed, links clicked, referring URL, and timestamps. We use cookies and similar technologies to collect some of this information — see Section 4.
Information from third parties. If a Contractor connects a third-party service to their account (for example, a CRM via our Lead Connector integration), we receive information from that service as needed to provide the integration.
2. How we use information
We use the information we collect to:
- provide, maintain, and improve the Services;
- create and manage accounts and authenticate users;
- process payments and send transactional emails (receipts, password resets, estimate notifications);
- deliver Homeowner estimate leads to the relevant Contractor;
- understand how the Services are used and measure the effectiveness of our marketing;
- communicate with Contractors about their account, product updates, and marketing where permitted;
- detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent, unauthorized, or illegal activity; and
- comply with our legal obligations.
3. How we share information
We share information in the following circumstances:
With Contractors. When a Homeowner submits an estimate request through a Contractor's estimator, they are providing their information directly to that Contractor — the independent business they are requesting an estimate from. The Contractor is the party responsible for that information. Our role is limited to operating the estimator and delivering the lead to the Contractor on their behalf. How the Contractor uses, stores, and shares Homeowner information — including through their own CRM and other tools — is governed by the Contractor's own privacy policy, not this one. Homeowners should review the Contractor's privacy policy and direct any request to access or delete their estimate information to the Contractor; we will assist the Contractor as needed.
Service providers and processors. We share information with vendors who help us run the Services, including hosting (Railway), database, email delivery, payment processing (Stripe), file storage (Cloudflare R2), analytics (PostHog), and tag management (Google Tag Manager).
Advertising partners. When you have not opted out, we share limited information with advertising networks (Meta, Google Ads, LinkedIn, X) to measure and optimize our advertising. See Section 4.
Legal and safety. We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
Business transfers. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
We do not sell personal information for money. Some of our advertising practices (described in Section 4) may be considered "sharing" or "selling" under certain US state privacy laws. You can opt out at any time as described in Section 7.
4. Cookies and tracking technologies
We use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to operate the Services, understand usage, and measure advertising. The table below describes the categories of cookies we use and your choices.
| Category | Purpose | Examples | Your choices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Required to operate the Services (authentication, security, load balancing). Cannot be disabled. | Session cookies, CSRF tokens, consent preference cookie | None — required for the site to function |
| Product analytics | Help us understand how the Services are used so we can improve them. | PostHog (ph_* cookies) | Always on. Disclosed for transparency. |
| Advertising | Used by advertising networks to measure campaigns and show relevant ads. | Meta Pixel (_fbp), Google Ads (_gcl_*), LinkedIn Insight Tag (li_*), X Pixel (_twitter_*) | Disable via Your Privacy Choices or by sending a Global Privacy Control signal from your browser |
We use Google Tag Manager to load advertising tags and we have configured Google Consent Mode v2. When you opt out of advertising cookies, or when your browser sends a GPC signal, we instruct Google Consent Mode v2 to deny ad_storage, ad_user_data, and ad_personalization. Advertising tags configured to require advertising consent will not fire.
5. Data retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. In general:
- Contractor account information is retained for as long as the account is active and for a reasonable period afterward to comply with our legal, tax, and accounting obligations and to resolve disputes.
- Homeowner estimate information is retained for as long as needed to deliver the estimate lead to the relevant Contractor and to maintain records of the transaction, after which it is deleted or de-identified.
- Usage and analytics data is retained for a limited period sufficient to analyze and improve the Services.
- Payment records are retained as required for financial and tax compliance.
When personal information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify it. Actual retention periods depend on the type of information and the purpose for which it was collected.
6. Your rights under US state privacy laws
Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:
- the right to know what categories of personal information we collect and how we use them;
- the right to access a copy of your personal information;
- the right to correct inaccurate personal information;
- the right to delete personal information we have collected from you (subject to exceptions);
- the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising; and
- the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights.
These rights are available, in varying forms, to residents of California (CCPA/CPRA), Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA), Utah (UCPA), Texas (TDPSA), and a growing list of other states. To exercise a right, contact us using the details in Section 9. We will verify your request before fulfilling it.
Authorized agents. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. We will require written authorization and verification of the agent's identity.
Right to appeal. If we decline to take action on your request, you may appeal our decision by contacting us at the address in Section 9 within a reasonable time. We will respond to your appeal in writing and explain the reasons for our decision within the period required by your state's law (for example, 60 days in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Texas). If your appeal is denied, you may contact your state attorney general to submit a complaint.
7. Your choices
Opt out of advertising cookies. Visit Your Privacy Choices and toggle the opt-out on this device. The setting is stored as a cookie and applies to this browser only.
Global Privacy Control (GPC). We honor the GPC browser signal. If your browser sends Sec-GPC: 1, we will treat your visit as an opt-out of advertising cookies automatically and you do not need to do anything else on this device.
Browser controls. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Doing so may break parts of the Services.
Marketing email. Every marketing email we send includes an unsubscribe link.
8. Children
The Services are not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
9. Contact us
For privacy questions, requests, or complaints, contact us at:
Email: hello@instantestimatehq.com
We aim to respond to verifiable requests within 45 days as required by most US state laws.
10. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above. If we make material changes we will provide additional notice (for example, by email or in-app notice).