Privacy Policy

1The short version

We gather a small amount of information, mostly what you type into our request form. We never sell it. Texts go out only when you tick the optional text box on one of our forms, and you can end them by replying STOP.

Mortelo publishes home improvement information. It is not a contractor, remodeler, home-services marketplace, lender, or licensed professional, and nothing you send us is passed along to anyone who does that kind of work.

2What we collect

• Form details. On the request form, first name, last name, where things stand for you, and which topic you want first are required, along with the box accepting this policy and our Terms. Email, ZIP code and mobile number are optional.
• Text consent records. If you tick the text box, we keep the wording you saw, the time and time zone, the page address, the referring page and your browser’s user-agent string, so that we can show when and how you agreed.
• Messages to us. Emails, phone calls and text replies, including STOP and HELP.
• Basic technical data. Our web host keeps ordinary server logs, such as IP address, browser type and pages requested.

Please leave out Social Security numbers, bank or card numbers and other sensitive details when you write to us or fill in the form. We do not ask for them and do not want them.

3How we use it

Your details are used to send the guide you picked, to run Mortelo Home Notes for people who opted in, to keep proof of consent and of any opt-out, to answer your questions, and to keep the site working and safe from spam or misuse. An optional ZIP code only tells us roughly where readers are, which helps us decide when a guide should mention regional permit practices.

We do not use your information to make decisions about you that carry legal or similar effects, and we never set prices or judge projects for anyone.

4Sharing

Mortelo never sells personal information and does not trade it with builders, remodelers, installers, home-services marketplaces, lenders, retailers or lead buyers.

A few vendors work on our behalf: the company that hosts the site, the email service, the text-messaging platform and the system that stores form records. They may use the data only to do that work for us. We may also disclose information when a law, court order or similar legal process requires it, or to protect people from fraud or harm. If the business behind Mortelo is ever reorganized or sold, these promises would go with the information.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties, except as necessary to provide text messaging services (e.g., aggregators or telecom providers).

5Text messages

Mortelo Home Notes texts are sent only after you agree, by ticking the optional, unchecked text box on our Get started or Texts form. Consent is not a condition of purchase or of requesting information. Message frequency may vary, up to 8 messages per month. Message and data rates may apply.

Reply STOP to any message to opt out. Replying STOP ends your enrollment in Mortelo Home Notes, and one final confirmation is sent. Reply HELP for help. Please message HELP to any of our numbers to receive help or information about the number. You can also reach us at support@mortelo.com or 866-433-0737. The SMS Terms cover the program in full.

6Cookies

Mortelo does not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. The pages rely only on the browser features they need to load and to submit the form. If we ever add simple visit counts, we will choose a privacy-respecting tool and update this page first.

7How long we keep things

Form details stay on file until you ask us to remove them, or until 24 months pass without you opening our emails, replying to our texts or using the site, whichever is sooner. Text consent and opt-out records are kept for at least four years after your last interaction, because carriers and the law expect us to be able to show them. Server logs roll off on the host’s normal schedule.

8Security

The site and form use HTTPS, and only a small number of people can open stored records. No system is perfectly secure, so we keep only what we need and ask you not to send sensitive details. Texts are not encrypted, so please keep replies short and leave out private information.

9Your choices and rights

You may ask to see the information we hold about you, to correct it, to delete it, or to change your text settings. Email support@mortelo.com with “Privacy request” in the subject line, call 866-433-0737, or write to the address below. We confirm requests within 10 business days and answer within 45 days. Someone you authorize in writing may ask for you.

Residents of California and other states with their own privacy laws, such as Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia and Texas, may have added rights, including the right to know which categories of data we hold and the right not to be treated differently for using these rights. Because we do not sell or share personal data for targeted advertising, there is no sale to opt out of. If we turn down a request, you can appeal by replying to our answer, and you can contact your state attorney general.

10Children

Mortelo is written for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13, and we delete it if we learn that we have.

11Changes to this policy

When this policy changes, the “Last updated” date at the top changes too. For a significant change, we will also post a notice on the site or email people who gave us an address.

12Contact us

Questions or requests about privacy can go to us by mail, email, phone or text: