Terms of Service

Last updated: 24 March 2026

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using the RateWatch.uk website, application, and services (collectively, the "Service"), operated by RateWatch.uk Ltd ("we", "us", "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Service.

2. Important Disclaimer — Not Financial Advice

The Service is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. Nothing on this website constitutes, or is intended to constitute, financial advice, mortgage advice, investment advice, tax advice, or any other form of professional advice.

All data, rates, charts, analyses, commentary, AI-generated insights, and other content displayed on the Service ("Content") are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. The Content is intended solely to help users compare publicly available mortgage rate data and macroeconomic indicators. It should not be relied upon as a basis for making financial decisions.

You acknowledge and agree that:

• We are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or any other financial regulatory body.
• We do not provide regulated mortgage advice, personal recommendations, or any form of financial guidance.
• Any decisions you make based on information obtained through the Service are made entirely at your own risk and discretion.
• You should always seek independent professional advice from a qualified, FCA-regulated mortgage broker or financial adviser before making any financial decisions.
• AI-generated analysis and commentary are automated outputs and may contain errors, inaccuracies, or outdated information.

3. No Guarantee of Accuracy

While we make reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy of the data displayed, we make no warranty or representation, express or implied, that the Content is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. Mortgage rates and financial data are sourced from third-party providers and publicly available sources, and may be delayed, incomplete, or incorrect. We accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on such data.

4. Eligibility and Accounts

You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Service. By creating an account, you agree to provide accurate information and to keep your login credentials confidential. You are responsible for all activity under your account. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account at our sole discretion, without notice, for any reason including breach of these Terms.

5. Subscriptions and Payments

Certain features of the Service are available only through a paid Pro subscription. By subscribing, you agree to pay the fees displayed at the time of purchase. All payments are processed securely via Stripe. Subscriptions renew automatically on a monthly basis unless cancelled. You may cancel at any time through your account settings; access will continue until the end of your current billing period. All fees are non-refundable except where required by applicable law.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations.
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated means to extract data from the Service without our prior written consent.
• Redistribute, republish, or commercially exploit any Content from the Service without authorisation.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Service, other users' accounts, or our systems.
• Introduce viruses, malware, or other harmful code.
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.
• Use the Service to provide financial advice, mortgage broking, or regulated activities to third parties.
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of the Service.

7. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Service, including but not limited to the design, layout, software, graphics, logos, and original content, are owned by or licensed to RateWatch.uk Ltd. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works without our prior written consent. Third-party data remains the property of its respective owners.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, RateWatch.uk Ltd, its directors, officers, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or financial losses arising out of or in connection with your use of or inability to use the Service.

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising from or relating to the Service shall not exceed the total amount paid by you to us in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or fifty pounds (£50), whichever is greater.

Without limiting the foregoing, we shall have no liability whatsoever for any financial loss, mortgage decision, investment outcome, or other consequence arising from your reliance on any data, rate information, AI analysis, or other Content provided through the Service.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless RateWatch.uk Ltd and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with your use of the Service, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any third-party rights.

10. Third-Party Links and Data

The Service may contain links to third-party websites and relies on third-party data sources. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of any third-party sites or services. Inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement.

11. Service Availability and Modifications

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service (or any part of it) at any time, with or without notice. We shall not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation.

12. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including if you breach these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising under or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

14. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

15. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective immediately upon posting to the Service. Your continued use of the Service following any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

16. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at hello@ratewatch.uk.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 24 March 2026

1. Introduction

RateWatch.uk Ltd ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal data when you use the RateWatch.uk website and services (the "Service"). By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

We are the data controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and an encrypted version of your password. If you sign up via Google OAuth, we receive your name and email from Google.

Subscription and Payment Data: If you subscribe to a paid plan, payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe. We do not store your credit card number, bank details, or other payment instrument data on our servers. We receive from Stripe your Stripe Customer ID, subscription status, and billing dates for the purpose of managing your subscription.

Usage Data: We may collect information about how you interact with the Service, including pages visited, features used, timestamps, browser type, device type, and IP address.

Mortgage Preferences: If you use our onboarding or personalisation features, you may provide optional information such as your mortgage type preference, property value range, or LTV band. This data is used solely to tailor your experience.

Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use essential cookies to maintain your session and preferences (such as theme settings). We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. See Section 8 for further details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain the Service.
• Manage your account and process subscription payments via Stripe.
• Personalise your experience based on your stated preferences.
• Send you service-related communications such as rate alert notifications (if you have opted in).
• Monitor and improve the performance, security, and reliability of the Service.
• Comply with applicable laws and legal obligations.

We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

• Contract: Processing necessary to perform our contract with you (e.g., providing the Service, managing your subscription).
• Legitimate Interest: Processing necessary for our legitimate interests (e.g., improving the Service, ensuring security), where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent: Where you have given specific consent (e.g., opting in to rate alert notifications).
• Legal Obligation: Where processing is required to comply with applicable law.

5. Data Sharing

We may share your personal data with:

• Stripe: For payment processing and subscription management. Stripe's privacy policy governs their handling of your data.
• Hosting and Infrastructure Providers: Our Service is hosted on Render. These providers process data on our behalf under appropriate data processing agreements.
• Law Enforcement: Where required by law, regulation, or legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of RateWatch.uk Ltd, our users, or the public.

We do not share personal data with advertisers or data brokers.

6. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account remains active. If you delete your account, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required for legal, tax, or regulatory purposes. Usage logs and anonymised analytics data may be retained for up to 12 months for service improvement purposes.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include encryption of passwords using industry-standard hashing (bcrypt), secure HTTPS connections, and access controls. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Cookies

We use only essential and functional cookies:

• Authentication Token: Stored in localStorage to maintain your logged-in session.
• Theme Preference: Stored in localStorage to remember your dark/light mode choice.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies, social media tracking pixels, or analytics cookies that share data with third parties. You can clear localStorage through your browser settings at any time.

9. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Restriction: Request that we restrict the processing of your data.
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@ratewatch.uk. We will respond within one month.

10. International Transfers

Your data may be processed by service providers located outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions, to protect your personal data in accordance with UK GDPR.

11. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service following changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at hello@ratewatch.uk.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.