Privacy Policy

Look, We Get It

Privacy policies aren't exactly thrilling reads, but they're important. Here at Valaryn Venquinthos Architecture, we're committed to being straight with you about how we handle your info. We're architects, not data brokers - your personal details stay personal.

What We Actually Collect

When you reach out to us or fill out a contact form, we'll collect basic stuff like your name, email, phone number, and whatever project details you share. If you're working with us on a project, we'll obviously need more - like your address, budget range, and design preferences. Nothing weird or invasive.

Our website also picks up some standard technical data through cookies - things like your IP address, browser type, and which pages you visit. This helps us understand how people use our site and where we can make improvements.

How We Use Your Information

Pretty straightforward stuff here:

• To respond to your inquiries and discuss potential projects
• To provide architectural services you've hired us for
• To send project updates, invoices, and relevant documentation
• To improve our website and services based on user feedback
• Occasionally, to share our newsletter (but only if you've opted in)

We're not gonna sell your email to random marketing lists or spam you with unrelated offers. That's not our style.

Who We Share With (And Don't)

Your information stays pretty locked down. We might share it with:

• Contractors and consultants working on your project (structural engineers, sustainability experts, etc.)
• Service providers who help run our business - like our email platform or accounting software
• Legal authorities if required by Canadian law

We absolutely do NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. Period.

Cookies & Tracking

Like most websites, we use cookies - those little data files that help our site remember you. Some are essential for the site to work properly, while others help us understand visitor patterns through analytics tools.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though it might affect how smoothly the site functions. We use Google Analytics to see which pages get the most traffic and how long people stick around - all pretty standard stuff for a professional website.

Your Rights & Choices

Under Canadian privacy laws (specifically PIPEDA), you've got some solid rights:

• You can ask to see what personal information we have on file about you
• You can request corrections if something's inaccurate
• You can ask us to delete your data (with some reasonable exceptions for completed projects)
• You can opt out of marketing emails anytime - there's an unsubscribe link in every message
• You can withdraw consent for data processing where it's not required for our contract with you

Just shoot us an email at info@valarynvenquinthos.info if you want to exercise any of these rights.

How We Keep Things Secure

We take reasonable precautions to protect your information - encrypted connections, secure servers, limited staff access, that sort of thing. Our team's trained on privacy practices, and we review our security measures regularly.

That said, no system's 100% bulletproof. While we do our best to safeguard your data, we can't guarantee absolute security over internet transmissions. It's just the reality of digital communication.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We'll keep your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for. For project clients, that means maintaining records for at least seven years after project completion - it's pretty standard practice in architecture for legal and professional liability reasons.

If you've just inquired about our services but didn't move forward, we'll typically keep that info for a couple years in case you circle back to us.

Third-Party Links

Our site might link to external websites - maybe a manufacturer's site for materials we recommend, or project collaborators' portfolios. Once you click through to another site, this privacy policy no longer applies. We're not responsible for their privacy practices, so it's worth checking out their policies too.

Changes to This Policy

We might update this privacy policy from time to time - usually when we add new services or there are changes to privacy laws. When we make significant changes, we'll post the updated version here with a new date at the top. For major changes, we might drop you an email if you're an active client.

It's worth checking back occasionally, though we're not planning any dramatic shifts in how we handle things.

Questions or Concerns?

If something's unclear or you've got questions about how we handle your information, don't hesitate to reach out. We're real people here, and we're happy to explain things in plain language.