Privacy Policy

Straight up, we use your info to do our job better and keep you in the loop:

• Project Communication: To respond to your inquiries, schedule consultations, send project proposals, and keep you updated throughout the design and planning process.
• Service Delivery: Creating architectural plans, preparing documentation, coordinating with contractors and municipal authorities on your behalf.
• Improving Our Work: Understanding what kind of projects people are interested in helps us refine our services and maybe add new ones that actually matter.
• Legal Compliance: Sometimes we gotta keep records for regulatory purposes - building codes, permits, professional liability stuff. It's part of being a licensed architectural firm.
• Occasional Updates: If you've worked with us before, we might send you a newsletter or two about new sustainable building techniques or completed projects. But we won't spam you - that's annoying.

We'll never sell your information to third parties or use it for anything sketchy. That's not how we roll.

Security isn't just something we think about for building design - we take it seriously with your data too:

• Encrypted Storage: All client information is stored on secure servers with industry-standard encryption. No filing cabinets left unlocked here.
• Limited Access: Only team members who need your info to work on your project can access it. We're not sharing files around the office willy-nilly.
• Secure Communications: Our website uses SSL encryption, and we encourage encrypted email for sharing sensitive project documents.
• Regular Updates: We keep our security protocols current because hackers don't take breaks.
• Physical Security: Our Vancouver office has controlled access, and physical documents are stored securely and shredded when no longer needed.

No system is 100% bulletproof, but we're doing everything reasonable to keep your information safe. If there's ever a breach, we'll let you know immediately - it's the law and the right thing to do.

We're pretty protective of your info, but sometimes we need to share it to get the job done:

• Project Partners: Engineers, contractors, consultants who are working on your project need relevant details. But they're bound by confidentiality agreements too.
• Municipal Authorities: Building permits and zoning applications require submitting plans and property information. That's just how the system works in BC.
• Service Providers: Our web hosting company, email service provider, and project management software have access to data, but they're contractually obligated to keep it confidential.
• Legal Requirements: If a court orders us to disclose information or there's a legitimate legal investigation, we have to comply. Hasn't happened yet, knock on wood.

We'll always ask for your permission before sharing project details publicly - like in our portfolio or on social media. Your home or building is your business until you say otherwise.

Yeah, we use cookies. Not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately:

• Essential Cookies: These make the website actually work - things like remembering items in a contact form if you navigate away and come back.
• Analytics Cookies: We use tools like Google Analytics to see which pages get the most traffic, how long people stick around, where visitors are coming from. It helps us improve the site.
• Preference Cookies: Remember your language preferences or if you've closed certain pop-ups.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some parts of the site might not work as smoothly. Most browsers let you control cookies pretty easily these days.

We don't use any weird tracking stuff or third-party advertising cookies. Our business model is designing buildings, not selling your data.

We don't hoard information forever, but there are some practical and legal reasons we keep things around:

• Active Projects: All project data is retained throughout the design, approval, and construction phases. That's obvious.
• Completed Projects: We're required by professional regulations to keep architectural records for at least 10 years after project completion. This protects both you and us if questions come up down the road.
• Inquiries That Don't Move Forward: If you contact us but don't proceed with a project, we'll keep your initial inquiry info for about 2 years in case you change your mind or come back later.
• Marketing Contacts: If you've subscribed to updates, we keep your email until you unsubscribe. There's always an unsubscribe link at the bottom of any newsletter.
• Website Analytics: Usually anonymized after 26 months automatically through our analytics platform.

After the retention period, we securely delete or anonymize the information. No point in keeping stuff we don't need.

It's your information, and you've got rights. Here's what you can do:

• Access: You can ask to see what personal information we have about you. We'll provide it in a reasonable format within 30 days.
• Correction: If something we have on file is wrong or outdated, let us know and we'll fix it.
• Deletion: Want us to delete your information? We'll do it unless we're legally required to keep it (like completed project records).
• Opt-Out: Don't want marketing emails? Unsubscribe anytime. We won't take it personally.
• Data Portability: Need your data in a format you can take elsewhere? We can provide that for most information.
• Restrict Processing: In some situations, you can ask us to limit how we use your information.

To exercise any of these rights, just shoot us an email at contact@raventhalonquinth.info or give us a call. We'll verify your identity (to make sure we're not giving your info to someone else) and get it sorted out.

Our website might link to other sites - maybe a supplier we work with, a sustainability certification body, or architectural organizations we're members of. Once you click those links, you're on their turf and their privacy policies apply.

We try to link to reputable organizations, but we can't control what they do with your data. It's worth reading their privacy policies too if you're concerned.

We're based in Vancouver, Canada, and most of our work happens here in BC. Your data is primarily stored on Canadian servers, which means it's protected under Canadian privacy laws (PIPEDA and BC's privacy legislation).

Some of our service providers (like our web hosting or email services) might have servers in the United States. When that happens, your data might be subject to US laws and could potentially be accessed by US authorities under their legal processes.

We only work with service providers who have strong privacy protections in place, but it's something to be aware of.

Privacy laws evolve, our business practices change, and sometimes we just realize we could explain things better. When we update this policy, we'll change the "Last Updated" date at the top.

For minor tweaks, we'll just post the updated version here. If we make any major changes that affect how we handle your information, we'll send an email to clients we're actively working with and post a notice on our homepage.

It's worth checking back here once in a while if you're curious. We promise to keep it readable and not turn it into dense legal jargon.

Got questions about how we handle your information? Notice something off? Just want to chat about privacy stuff? We're here for it.

Reach out to us:

• Phone: (604) 555-7834
• Email: contact@raventhalonquinth.info
• Mail: 1425 Burrard Street, Suite 302, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Z2

We'll get back to you as soon as we can - usually within a couple business days. If you've got a formal privacy complaint and feel we haven't addressed it properly, you also have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

But honestly? Just talk to us first. We're reasonable people who care about doing the right thing.