Privacy Policy

RentBuyPlanner ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website at rentbuyplanner.com. We try to keep this page plain and honest so you can understand what happens to your data when you use our calculators and guides. We do not require an account, and we collect as little personal information as we reasonably can.

Information we collect

You do not need to register, log in, or give us your name or email to use the site. Most of what you do here never reaches our servers at all.

• Calculator inputs. When you use a tool such as the rent vs. buy calculator or the mortgage calculator, the numbers you enter are processed in your browser. We do not transmit those figures to us or store them on our servers. If a result is shareable, the inputs may be encoded in the page URL so a link reproduces your scenario. In that case the data lives in the link you choose to share, not in a database we hold.
• Basic analytics data. Like most websites, we collect aggregate, measurement-oriented information about how pages are used. This can include the pages you view, approximate location derived from your IP address, device and browser type, referring page, and similar usage signals. We use this to understand which guides and tools are helpful and to keep the site working.
• Information you send us directly. If you email us through the address on our contact page, we receive the message and whatever details you include in it, and we use that information only to respond.

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. We and our service providers use cookies and similar technologies (such as local storage and pixels) for a few purposes: to remember your consent choices, to measure how the site is used, and to support advertising. Some cookies are strictly necessary for the site to function and to record your preferences. Others, including analytics and advertising cookies, are only set in line with the consent choices described below. You can also manage or delete cookies through your browser settings, though doing so may affect how parts of the site behave.

Google AdSense and advertising cookies

We display advertising through Google AdSense to help keep RentBuyPlanner free. Google and its advertising partners may use third-party cookies and similar identifiers to serve ads, to personalize ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites, and to measure ad performance. Where personalization is not permitted, Google may serve non-personalized ads that rely on contextual signals and basic frequency limits rather than your browsing history.

You can learn more about how Google uses information from sites that use its services in the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Technologies and Principles pages, and you can review or adjust ad settings through Google Ads Settings. These Google-operated controls are independent of the choices you make on this site.

Google Analytics 4

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand site usage, delivered through Google Tag Manager. Google Analytics collects measurement data such as pages viewed, events like starting or completing a calculation, session duration, approximate location, and device and browser characteristics. We use this in aggregate to improve our content and tools. We do not use it to identify you personally, and we configure it to respect the consent signals described in the next section. Google processes this data as described in its own privacy documentation.

Your consent choices

For visitors in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom, we use a certified Consent Management Platform (CMP) together with Google Consent Mode v2. By default, analytics and advertising storage are set to denied until you give consent. That means non-essential cookies are not set, and tags adjust their behavior, until you make a choice.

When the consent banner appears, you can accept, reject, or customize the categories you allow. You can change your decision at any time by reopening the consent settings from the banner or the link we provide, and your updated choice takes effect going forward. Outside the EEA and UK, regional rules and the controls described elsewhere in this policy apply.

Your rights under the GDPR

If you are in the EEA or the UK, data protection law gives you rights over your personal data. Because we hold very little information about individual visitors, some of these rights may have limited practical effect, but they include:

• Access — to ask whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy.
• Rectification — to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
• Erasure — to ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Restriction — to ask us to limit how we process your data.
• Objection — to object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests.
• Portability — to receive data you provided in a portable, machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent — to withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on it, without affecting earlier processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please reach us through our contact page. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Your rights under the CCPA and CPRA

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, gives you the right to know what personal information is collected, to request access or deletion, and to correct inaccurate information. You also have the right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information, terms that can include certain advertising-related data sharing through cookies.

To exercise the right to opt out, you can use the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" control available through our consent settings, and you can adjust advertising preferences through the Google controls referenced above. You can also contact us through our contact page to make a request, and we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

Data retention

Because calculator inputs are processed in your browser, we do not retain them. Analytics and advertising data are retained by our service providers according to their own retention settings and policies; aggregate analytics are kept only as long as needed to understand trends and improve the site. If you contact us by email, we keep that correspondence only for as long as needed to handle your request and to meet any legal or record-keeping obligations.

Third parties

We rely on Google for analytics (Google Analytics 4 via Google Tag Manager) and advertising (Google AdSense), and on a certified Consent Management Platform to capture and enforce your consent choices. These providers process data under their own privacy policies and terms. We do not sell your personal information for money, and we limit data sharing to what is needed to run these services.

Children's privacy

RentBuyPlanner is intended for adults making housing and financial decisions. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our service providers, or the law. When we make material changes, we will revise the "Last updated" date shown on this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically so you stay informed about how we handle data.

Contact

If you have questions about this policy or about how your data is handled, you can email us at hello@rentbuyplanner.com or use our contact page. For related information, see our terms and disclaimer.