Privacy Policy

This privacy policy (this “Privacy Policy”) is provided by HomeStars Inc. (“HomeStars”, “us”, “we”, “our”, or words of like meaning) and applies to this website and any applications, features, widgets, or online services owned, operated, or controlled by HomeStars (collectively, the “Platform”). This Privacy Policy explains how we access, receive, collect, use, store, process, record, disclose, share, transfer, retain, dispose of, destroy, manage, or otherwise handle (“Handle”) personal information in Canada. This Privacy Policy is governed by and forms an integral part of our Terms of Use. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy will have the meaning given to them in the Terms of Use. We appreciate the trust you (“you”, “your”, “yourself”, and words of like meaning) place in us when you choose to access and use the Platform and we take that responsibility seriously. We will only Handle your Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy unless otherwise required by applicable law. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully so that you understand how we handle your personal information. If you do not agree to us Handling your personal information or if you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, you may not provide us with any of your personal information and you should exit and not use the Platform or the Services. You may revoke your consent to us Handling your personal information at any time by notifying us of your revoked consent via email to privacyofficer@homestars.com or via the Contact Us page.

HomeStars reserves the right to modify, change, amend, supplement, restate, or replace this Privacy Policy at any time and from time to time. You should review this Privacy Policy from time to time to ensure that you are aware of and accept any changes made. To obtain a current copy of this Privacy Policy, you may contact us via email to privacyofficer@homestars.com or via the Contact Us page.

1. Personal Information and Privacy Law. In Canada, “personal information” is generally defined as information about an identifiable individual, subject to more particular definitions or interpretations under Canadian privacy laws, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) (“Privacy Law”). Privacy Law gives consumers the right to limit the sharing of personal information. Privacy Law requires us to tell you how we handle your personal information. This Privacy Policy does not apply to any information that is not personal information as defined under Privacy Law.

2. Minors. Our Website is not intended for children under 14 years of age. No one under the age of 14 may provide any personal information to us. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 14. If you are under the age of 14, do not access or use the Platform or the Services and do not provide us with any personal information, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or username you may use. If we learn that we have collected or received personal information from a child under the age of 14, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under the age of 14, please contact us via email to privacyofficer@homestars.com or via the Contact Us page.

3. Your Consent. HomeStars provides the Platform, the Content, and the Services to a wide range of users. In addition, HomeStars facilitates the provision of third-party services and discloses, shares, and transfers your personal information to third parties in accordance with this Privacy Policy and Privacy Law, including third-party users and third-party service providers (each, a “Third Party”). We and Third Parties Handle your personal information with your consent or as permitted or required by Privacy Law. Your consent may be express or implied, depending on the circumstances and the sensitivity of the personal information in question. In most cases, your consent to the Handling of your personal information may be implied by the fact that you have provided the information to access or use the Platform or the websites of Third Parties or related products and services or where Handling of personal information is necessary for, or directly relates to, the provision of the Services and the services of Third Parties. If we ask for your personal information for a secondary reason (e.g., newsletter subscription or marketing messages), we will ask you directly for your express consent and provide you with an opportunity to withdraw your consent and unsubscribe. If you provide personal information about another person to us, we assume you have the consent of that individual to enable us to Handle their personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you choose to provide personal information to us, we assume that you consent to the Handling of such personal information as outlined in this Privacy Policy. By accessing and using the Platform or by providing us with personal information for any reason, including to complete a transaction or to verify your credit card, you consent to the Handling of your personal information by us and the Third Parties contemplated in this Privacy Policy.

4. Revoking Consent. If you do not consent to us or Third Parties Handling your personal information, please do not provide your personal information. If you change your mind about your consent and wish to revoke your consent, subject to Privacy Law, you may revoke your consent at any time by notifying us of your revoked consent via email to privacyofficer@homestars.com or via the Contact Us page. Subject to Privacy Law, we honour and respect all such notices. If you revoke your consent to certain uses of your personal information, HomeStars and/or Third Parties may no longer be able to provide you with products or services.

5. Collection of Personal Information. We Handle personal information in accordance with Privacy Law as necessary for us to provide the Services or to enable Third-Parties to offer and provide services and information and generally to fulfill our responsibilities with respect to our business. When you are no longer a user of the Platform, we may continue to share your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy and subject to Privacy Law. We collect personal information directly from you or through our interaction with you, including by way of the Platform. We may also obtain personal information about you from other sources, including payment processors, fraud detection partners, and third-party analytics tools. Subject to Privacy Law, the types of personal information we collect from you may include:

(a) information you share with us or Third Parties directly when you register for a user account on the Platform or use the Platform or any of our Services, including identifying information such as the information included in government-issued identification (e.g., driver’s licence or passport) as well as your name, address, mailing address, postal code, email address, telephone numbers, and other contact details and information, including as may be required to verify your identity and prevent fraud;

(b) profile and account information, including usernames and passwords, contact information, purchase information, subscription information, Feedback, rating and review information, promotional information, and other information about any user account or user profile you may have on the Platform;

(c) where applicable, billing and financial information, including credit and account information, payment method and payment information (such as debit or credit card number and related information), bank account information, and billing address;

d) where applicable, information regarding you and your business, including personal and business details, business names and trade names, information regarding directors, officers, partners, principals, personnel, and subcontractors associated with your business, proof of your and their qualifications, skills, expertise, specializations, certifications, and experience (including certifications, licenses, permits, skills-based questionnaires, and trade qualifications), evidence of completed work or services by you and your business and associated personnel and subcontractors, other information about the work and services performed by you and your business and associated personnel and subcontractors (including work details, substantive work product, work histories, responsiveness, and behaviour), publicly available background information, information about you in the media, ratings and reviews about you from other websites or platforms, and other complaints, ratings, reviews, and evaluations regarding you from Third Parties;

(e) where applicable, information about you in connection with ratings and reviews, evaluations, references, or disputes in connection with the Platform;

(f) information in connection with your interactions and communications with HomeStars and Third Parties, including purchases of services and refunds, your comments, opinions, and evaluations, your ratings and reviews or your responses to the ratings and reviews of Third Parties, call and video conference recordings from any communications made via the Platform, your participation in message boards or forums, your participation in polls or surveys, your messaging to or communications with HomeStars or Third Parties (whether online or offline), disputes you may have with HomeStars or Third Parties, recordings of calls you make to HomeStars customer service agents for training and quality assurance purposes, or when you contact HomeStars with a question or comment or to provide Feedback, and any other information we may collect in the course of providing services to you;

(g) demographic information, including age, date of birth, gender, employment information, and other similar information about you;

(h) preference information, including marketing preferences and service interests;

(i) information regarding your advertising preferences and your interactions with and responses to online advertisements;

(j) technical information about the delivery of emails, SMS, and push notifications from other sources such as Google Analytics and Amazon Web Services;

(k) information we are required to collect pursuant to applicable law or as a consequence of any contractual relationship we have with you, including where failure to collect this information may prevent or delay the fulfillment of our obligations to you and governmental or regulatory authorities;

(l) information we collect about you from other sources, such as Google, Meta, and TikTok, including commercially available third-party sources and public databases where permitted by applicable law;

(m) location information of your device that you use with the Platform, if your device settings allow for the collection of location information;

(n) device and browsing information including IP addresses, information about your phone, tablet, computer, or device, online browsing activity, unique device identifiers, cookie identifiers, device and browser settings and information, internet service provider (ISP) information, information about when and how you access and use the Platform (such as the date and time of your visit or use), and the websites you visit before coming and after leaving the Platform; and

(o) any other information that HomeStars or Third Parties may collect with your consent or as permitted or required by Privacy Law.

6. Cookies. We understand that your privacy is important to you and we are committed to being transparent about the technologies we use. We and Third Parties use cookies, web beacons, pixels, clear gifs, and other similar tracking technologies (“Cookies”), which may be stored on or accessed from your device when you use or visit the Platform or any website or app that posts a link to the Platform. A Cookie is a small text file that can be stored on and accessed from your device when you visit the Platform. It takes up very little room on your system and allows the Platform to recognize your device as distinct from other devices. By continuing to access and use the Platform (in whole or in part), you agree that HomeStars and Third Parties may use, store, and access Cookies. We use Cookies to, among other things, identify you and your interests, remember your preferences, enhance your user experience, market and advertise to you (including targeted ads), track your use of the Platform, facilitate analytics, control access to certain content on the Platform, protect the Platform, prevent spam and fraud, comply with applicable law, and process requests that you make from us or Third Parties. To administer the Platform and for research purposes, we may contract with Third Parties to track and analyze statistical usage and volume information from the users of the Platform. These Third Parties may use Cookies to help us improve the user experience on the Platform, manage associated content, and analyze how users navigate and utilize the Platform. We may contract with Third Parties to send emails to users who have provided us or Third Parties with their contact information. To help measure and improve the effectiveness of such email communications, or to determine whether messages have been opened and links clicked on, such Third Parties may place Cookies on the devices of these users. You may refuse to accept Cookies by activating or adjusting the appropriate setting of your internet browser to reject the setting of all or some Cookies or alert you when a Cookie is placed on your device. However, if you refuse to accept Cookies or use your browser settings to block all Cookies, you may be unable to access or use the Platform or the websites of Third Parties or related functionalities (in whole or part). If you want to remove previously stored Cookies, you can manually delete these Cookies at any time. However, this will not prevent the Platform or the websites of Third Parties from placing further Cookies on your device unless you adjust your internet browser setting accordingly. Unless you have adjusted your internet browser setting so that it will refuse Cookies, the Platform will issue Cookies when you direct your browser to it. The following is a list of the type of Cookies that may be used by the Platform from time to time:

7. Handling of Personal Information. HomeStars and/or Third Parties may use your personal information for business purposes, including to process transactions, to protect against fraud, to respond to court orders or legal investigations, and for marketing and advertising purposes. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the following is a list of some of the ways that HomeStars and/or Third Parties may Handle your personal information:

(a) to provide and improve the Platform and the websites of Third Parties, including the Content and the services offered to you, including for service testing and development, website analytics, or the running and analysis of surveys you choose to take part in to improve our Services;

(b) to operate and improve our business, provide the Services, facilitate the provision of the services of Third Parties, process payments, maintain records, conduct research, and determine your satisfaction therewith;

(c) to process, maintain, administer, and service user accounts;

(d) to verify and validate your identity and the information you provide and ensure the security of the Platform;

(e) to provide you with material and information regarding the Services and the services of Third Parties, inform you of offers and promotions of HomeStars and Third Parties, and market and advertise to you or facilitate Third Parties to market and advertise to you, including by sending you marketing and advertising communications and customizing the marketing and advertising that HomeStars and Third Parties show you;

(f) to communicate with you, including regarding services you request, solicit or respond to Feedback, respond to your requests and enquiries, conduct internal research, and notify you of changes to the Platform or any related terms and conditions or policies;

(g) to administer billing databases and issue and collect accounts;

(h) to personalize your experiences and interactions with the Platform and Third Parties, including remembering your interests and preferences, customizing service offerings, facilitating your interactions with Third Parties, tracking and categorizing your activity and interests (including by identifying the different devices you use), and enriching your experiences and interactions with the Platform and Third Parties;

(i) to develop and use knowledge management systems that contain personal information about you;

(j) to understand how you use the Platform and the websites of Third Parties and how to improve them;

(k) to protect you, HomeStars, and Third Parties against errors and detect and prevent fraudulent activity or misuse of the Platform, including fake feedback or ratings and reviews, inappropriate or illegal communications, creation of accounts by or for banned users, infringement of intellectual property rights, violation of privacy rights, violations of applicable law, and breaches of any terms and conditions related to the Platform;

(l) where applicable, to conduct background checks and professional assessments on you and your business and associated personnel and subcontractors and verify information provided by you and Third Parties;

(m) to defend or protect you, HomeStars, and Third Parties from harm or in legal proceedings, protect your rights and the rights of HomeStars and Third Parties, protect the security and property of HomeStars and Third Parties, respond to court orders, lawsuits, subpoenas, and government requests, address legal and regulatory compliance, and notify you of service or safety issues;

(n) to compile, aggregate, and anonymize information collected by way of the Platform; and

(o) to take such actions and do such things and to Handle personal information as permitted or required by applicable law, including Privacy Law, or for purposes for which you otherwise provide your consent.

8. Anonymized Data. We may anonymize your personal information so that it may not be reasonably re-identified. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, SUBJECT ONLY TO APPLICABLE LAW, WE MAY USE SUCH ANONYMIZED AND DE-IDENTIFIED DATA FOR ANY LEGITIMATE BUSINESS PURPOSE IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE TO YOU OR YOUR CONSENT.

9. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Information. HomeStars may Handle your personal information and, in particular may share or disclose your personal information to Third Parties in the following cases:

(a) where you provide your consent;

(b) where you have instructed us to disclose your personal information to a Third Party for a designated purpose;

(c) to the public when your information is displayed on your public user profile page of the Platform;

(d) to other users of the Platform when you are connected to them by way of the Platform;

(e) to process payments, collect debts (including for example to a financial institution or collection agent), optimize services, supply online advertising, send newsletters and marketing messages, send support emails, communicate via messaging services, and analyze information;

(f) to Third Parties where we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of us, our customers, or others, including by exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction;

(g) to our affiliates, including our parent company Angi Inc.;

(h) to our transaction partners, professional advisors, and other Third Parties in connection with the consideration, negotiation, or completion of a corporate transaction in which we are acquired by or merged with another company or we sell or transfer all or a portion of our assets or business;

(i) to any Third Party if you are involved in a dispute with that Third Party, subject to applicable law;

(j) to regulatory or governmental authorities; and/or

(k) where we are required or authorized to do so by applicable law or court order.

Where applicable, we will take steps to require that such Third Parties treat your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and Handle your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise in accordance with Privacy Law. There are instances where we may Handle your personal information without your consent, including to comply with a subpoena or court order or to comply with the rules of court regarding the production of records.

10. Data Security. The security of your personal information is very important to us, and we take the security of your personal information seriously. Following industry standards, we take reasonable steps to help protect the confidentiality and security of personal information you share with us. We have implemented reasonable physical, technological, organizational, and administrative security measures to safeguard personal information in our custody or control, including to protect personal information against unauthorized or accidental Handling, modification, loss, and theft, including computer safeguards (such are firewalls and secured files) and physical safeguards. All personal information in our possession or control is Handled behind firewalls on secure servers. HOWEVER, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ELECTRONICALLY SUBMITTED DATA IS NOT 100% SECURE, THAT HOMESTARS MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, OR GUARANTEES AS TO THE SECURITY OF ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU PROVIDE US OR BY WAY OF THE PLATFORM, THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HOMESTARS WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR, THE TRANSMISSION OR SHARING OF ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION TO US OR BY WAY OF THE PLATFORM OR ANY CIRCUMVENTION OF ANY PRIVACY SETTINGS OR SECURITY MEASURES ON THE PLATFORM, AND THAT ANY TRANSMISSION OR SHARING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION TO US OR BY WAY OF THE PLATFORM IS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK. We encourage you to take steps to help protect the confidentiality and security of your personal information, including the following:

(a) if you have a user account on the Platform, review your account periodically and promptly report any unexpected activity or unrecognized information;

(b) install and maintain the latest security updates and anti-virus software on your computer to help prevent malware and viruses;

(c) password-protect your computer and any other devices you use to connect with the Platform;

(d) use strong and complex passwords with your use account and your devices, not use the same password on more than one website, and not share your passwords with others; and

(e) sign out or log off of website sessions so that your session is closed, especially when using a public computer or shared device.

11. Links and Third-Party Websites. For your convenience, the Platform offers links from and to the websites, applications, plug-ins, widgets, social media, and services of Third Parties (each, a “Third-Party Site”). When you click on such links, they will direct you away from the Platform. Once you leave the Platform or are redirected to a Third-Party Site, your personal information is no longer governed by this Privacy Policy. You should read the privacy policies of Third Parties before providing any personal information on any Third-Party Site linked to the Platform. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HOMESTARS WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR, THE HANDLING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION BY THIRD-PARTIES THAT YOU CONNECT WITH VIA LINKS FROM THE PLATFORM.

12. Third-Party Service Providers. HomeStars or the Platform may transfer your personal information to Third Parties who are our service providers, including to administer or provide services or information to you. We use reasonable measures to require such Third Parties to use your personal information for the purposes to which you consented. Such Third Parties have their own privacy policies governing the personal information we provide to them, including for your purchase-related transactions or for marketing purposes. We recommend that you read the privacy policies of such Third Parties carefully so you understand the manner in which your personal information is Handled by them.

13. International Data Transfer. Personal information may be transferred to or otherwise Handled outside Canada to a foreign country that may or may not provide the same level of protection for personal information as Canada and may be available to the government of those countries under applicable legislation or court order in those countries. In particular, please note that certain Third Parties may be located in or have facilities that are located in jurisdictions outside Canada. As a result, your personal information may be Handled outside Canada, including in connection with the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. If you elect to proceed with a transaction that involves a Third Party, your personal information may become subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that Third Party or its facilities are located, and contractual or other measures we may use to protect your personal information will be subject to the legal requirements of the foreign jurisdiction where your personal information may be Handled, including lawful requirements to disclose information to government authorities in those countries. For example, if your personal information is shared with a Third Party located in the United States, your personal information may be subject to disclosure under United States legislation, including the Patriot Act.

14. Your Rights. Your principal rights under Privacy law include the right to access, the right to rectification, the right to erasure, the right to object to processing, the right to data portability, the right to complain to a supervisory authority; and the right to withdraw consent. You have the right to confirmation as to whether or not we Handle your personal information and, where we do, access to the personal information, together with certain additional information. That additional information includes details of the purposes of the processing, the categories of personal information concerned and the recipients of the personal information. Providing the rights and freedoms of others are not affected, we will supply to you a copy of your personal information. The first copy will be provided at cost, but additional copies may be subject to a reasonable fee. In some circumstances you have the right to the deletion of your personal information without undue delay, including where the personal information is no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise Handled, where you withdraw consent to consent-based Handling, where you object to the Handling under certain rules of applicable privacy and data protection law, where the Handling is for direct marketing purposes, and where the personal information has been unlawfully Handled. However, there are exclusions of the right to deletion, including where processing is necessary for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information, for compliance with a legal obligation, or for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

15. Accessing and Correcting your Information. It is important that the personal information that HomeStars holds about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes. If you want to review, verify, correct, or withdraw consent to the use of your personal information you may contact us via email to privacyofficer@homestars.com or via the Contact Us page to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. If we are required to delete your personal information, we may also need to delete your user account on the Platform. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any applicable law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect. We may charge you a fee to access your personal information, and if so, we will notify you of any fee in advance. We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and your right to access, and to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you or make your requested changes. Applicable law may allow or require us to refuse to provide you with access to some or all of the personal information that we hold about you, or we may have destroyed, erased, or made your personal information anonymous in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices or appliable law. If we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions. We will provide access to your personal information, subject to exceptions set out in applicable privacy legislation, including information protected by solicitor-client privilege, information that is part of a formal dispute resolution process, information about another individual that would reveal their personal information or confidential commercial information, and information that is prohibitively expensive to provide.

16. Contact Us. If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or if you wish to revoke your consent to us Handling your personal information, you may contact us at any time via email to privacyofficer@homestars.com or via the Contact Us page or at the address below:

HomeStars Inc.
49 Spadina Avenue, Unit 502
Toronto, ON M5V 2J1

Last Updated: 21 January 2025