Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 25, 2026
Version 4.1, this document supersedes the revision from August 20, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Erin Benson, trading as Erin’s Pet Sitting Services (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you use our website, erinspetsittingservices.co.uk (the “Website”), or engage with any of our services.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at erinspetsittingservices@mail.com.

We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Information We Collect

When you visit our Website or use our services, we may collect the following types of information:

1.1 Automatically Collected Information

We use two analytics tools to collect anonymous data about how visitors use the Website: Google Analytics and Umami. This data may include:

Your IP address (anonymised);
The type of device, browser, and operating system you use;
The pages you visit on our Website, the time spent on those pages, and the referring website (if applicable);
Approximate location data (e.g., city or region, not your precise address).

This data is collected to help us understand how our Website is used and to improve its functionality.

Google Analytics uses cookies to track this information. You can learn more about how Google processes data in its Privacy Policy.

Umami is a privacy-focused analytics tool that does not use cookies and does not collect any personally identifiable information. All data collected by Umami is anonymised and aggregated. You can learn more at umami.is.

1.2 Information You Provide

When you use our Website or services, you may provide personal information through online forms, by contacting us directly, or when arranging or receiving our services. The information you may provide includes:

Name: To identify you as a client and manage your bookings and services.
Email address: To communicate with you regarding bookings, enquiries, updates, and other matters relating to our services.
Telephone number: To contact you regarding bookings, services, or where a prompt response is required.
Address: To identify the location where services are to be provided and to enable us or an approved subcontractor to attend the correct property.
Signature: Where required, to confirm your agreement to our terms, service arrangements, or other relevant documents.
Pet information: Information about your pet(s), such as their name, species, breed, age, care requirements, routines, behavioural information, and relevant instructions, where necessary to provide our services safely and appropriately.
Emergency contact information: Where provided, such as the name and telephone number of an emergency contact, to allow us to contact them where necessary in connection with the provision of our services.
Other information you choose to provide: Any additional information you provide when contacting us or arranging our services, where that information is relevant to providing or managing the services requested.

If you contact us directly via email or by telephone, any personal information you provide as part of your correspondence will be handled in accordance with applicable UK data protection laws.

Where information is optional, you are not required to provide it. However, some information may be necessary for us to provide certain services or fulfil your booking.

2. How We Use Your Information

The information collected via our analytics tools (Google Analytics and Umami) is used solely for the following purposes:

To analyse Website traffic and visitor behaviour;
To improve the Website’s design, content, and user experience;
To monitor the effectiveness of our Website.

We use the personal information you provide (including but not limited to name, email address, and signature) to:

Process your requests for pet sitting services;
Send you confirmation emails or other communications related to your request;
Contact you regarding your inquiries or bookings.

Signatures are included in documents sent to you as part of any forms you fill out and are not stored separately.

We do not use automatically collected data to identify individual visitors or to contact you unless you submit your information through our Website forms or reach out to us directly.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process the data collected through Google Analytics and Umami based on our legitimate interests (as permitted under UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f)). Our legitimate interest is to maintain and improve the functionality and performance of the Website for all users. As Umami does not collect personally identifiable information or use cookies, its use presents minimal privacy impact.

We process the personal information you provide (name, email address, etc.) based on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): If you provide your information through a form and consent to its use for processing your request or sending communications.
Contract (Article 6(1)(b)): If the information is necessary to fulfill a contract for pet sitting services or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or withdraw consent (see Section 8).

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses cookies through Google Analytics. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us track usage patterns.

Google Analytics Cookies: These cookies collect anonymised data about your visit. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On or by adjusting your browser settings to block cookies (see Section 5).

Umami: Umami does not use cookies or any persistent identifiers. It collects only anonymised, aggregated data and does not track you across sessions or websites.

Cloudflare Turnstile: We use Cloudflare Turnstile on our document signing page to verify that form submissions are made by humans rather than automated bots. Turnstile works by analysing browser and device signals without displaying a traditional CAPTCHA puzzle. Cloudflare may process limited technical data (such as your IP address and browser characteristics) as part of this verification. No persistent cookies are set by Turnstile, and the data collected is used solely for security purposes. You can learn more about how Cloudflare processes data in its Privacy Policy.

We do not currently use any other cookies or tracking technologies beyond those described above.

5. Your Choices Regarding Cookies

You can control how cookies are used on your device:

Most web browsers allow you to block or delete cookies through their settings. Note that blocking cookies may affect your experience on the Website.

You can disable Google Analytics tracking specifically by using the opt-out tool linked above.

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise share your personal information with third parties, except as follows:

Subcontractors: We may share personal information, including but not limited to your name, address, telephone number, and other information necessary to carry out the requested services, with subcontractors engaged to provide services on our behalf. We will only share your personal information with subcontractors who have been approved by you to carry out services for you. We will only provide the information reasonably necessary for the subcontractor to perform the agreed services.

We require our subcontractors to handle your personal information securely and in accordance with applicable data protection laws, and to maintain appropriate standards of data protection, confidentiality, and security. Where a subcontractor processes personal information on our behalf, we will require them to comply with our instructions and applicable data protection requirements.

If you have concerns about how a subcontractor is handling your personal information or believe that they are not maintaining appropriate data protection or security standards, you should raise your concerns with the subcontractor in the first instance where appropriate. You can also raise any concerns directly with us at any time, and we will take reasonable steps to investigate and address the matter.
Google Analytics: Data collected via Google Analytics is processed by Google in accordance with its own policies. We have configured Google Analytics to anonymise your IP address to enhance your privacy.
Umami: Anonymised, aggregated analytics data is processed by Umami. As Umami does not collect personally identifiable information, no personal data is shared through its use.
Third-Party Cloud Services: Some information or documents associated with our services may be processed by third-party cloud service providers, such as cloud storage, hosting, document generation, and other software providers. These providers may process personal information on our behalf where necessary to provide or support our services. We require such providers to process personal information securely, in accordance with applicable data protection laws, and only for the purposes for which they have been engaged.
Legal Obligations: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or to comply with a legal process (e.g., a court order).

7. Data Storage and Security

Data collected via Google Analytics is stored on Google’s servers, which may be located outside the UK. Google complies with data protection standards, including the UK-US Data Privacy Framework where applicable. Anonymised analytics data collected via Umami is stored on Umami’s servers; as no personally identifiable information is collected, this presents minimal privacy impact.

In the unlikely event of a personal data breach, including a breach involving one of our subcontractors or third-party service providers, we will take appropriate steps to investigate, contain, and address the breach. Where required by law, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach and will notify affected individuals without undue delay where the breach is likely to result in a high risk to their rights and freedoms.

All client information is stored securely and is only accessed by authorised personnel. We retain personal information (including but not limited to name, phone number, home address) for as long as necessary to provide our services or as required by law. Where no services have been booked or are required for a period of one year, we will securely delete the personal information we hold, unless we are required or permitted by law to retain it for a longer period. We regularly review the personal information we hold and will securely delete or anonymise information when it is no longer required.

We take reasonable steps to protect the data we process, but no online system is entirely secure. If you contact us directly (for example via email), your correspondence will be stored securely and accessed only by authorised personnel.

Our services are not intended for children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If we become aware that a child under 16 has provided us with personal information, we will delete it as soon as possible.

8. Key Holding and Property Access

Where you provide us with a key, access code, or other means of entry to your property in connection with our services, we treat this information with the same care as your other personal data. Keys are stored securely and are not labelled in any way that could identify the associated property if lost or misplaced. Access codes and similar information are stored securely and are not recorded in a way that could be linked to your address by an unauthorised person.

Where an approved subcontractor is engaged to carry out services at your property, we will only provide them with access to your property where you have given your approval. Any key or access information shared with a subcontractor will be limited to what is necessary to carry out the agreed services, and we will require them to handle it securely and return it promptly once it is no longer needed.

At the end of our services, or at your request, any keys held by us will be returned to you promptly. Any access codes or similar information held by us will be securely deleted once they are no longer required.

Should you have any concerns about the security of your key or access information, please contact us.

9. Your Rights

Under UK data protection laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: You can request a copy of the data we hold about you (e.g., name, email address).
Rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate data.
Erasure: You can request deletion of your data (though this may not apply to anonymised analytics data).
Restriction: You can ask us to limit how we use your data.
Objection: You can object to our use of your data based on legitimate interests.
Portability: You can request your data in a transferable format (if applicable).
Withdraw Consent: If you provided consent for us to process your data, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise these rights, please email us at erinspetsittingservices@mail.com. We will respond within one month, as required by law. If you’re unhappy with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.

10. Third-Party Links

Our Website may contain links to external sites (e.g., Facebook, Rover). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date. Previous revisions of this policy are available on request - please contact us at erinspetsittingservices@mail.com.

Revision 4 (August 20, 2026) includes the following updates:

How we share information with sub-contractors.
Added the deletion period for clients who no longer require services.
Clarified what information is provided by the client and why it is required.

Revision 4.1 (August 25, 2026) includes the following updates:

Added information about keyholding and access to properties.

If we introduce new features or services, we will update this Privacy Policy to reflect those changes and how they affect your data. Should you wish to see previous versions of this document please use the contact email below.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact Erin at:
Email: erinspetsittingservices@mail.com
Website: erinspetsittingservices.co.uk