Privacy Policy

Effective date: June 11, 2026

HelocPilot (helocpilot.com) is an editorial publisher operated from California. This policy explains what information we collect when you use the site, how we use it, who processes it on our behalf, and the rights you have — including specific rights for California residents.

If anything here is unclear, ask us at hello@helocpilot.com.

What we collect, and how

Analytics (Google Analytics 4). We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the site is used — pages visited, approximate location derived from your IP address, device and browser type, and how you arrived here. GA4 sets cookies and similar identifiers to do this. We use this data in aggregate; we do not use it to identify you personally.

Email addresses for rate alerts. If you sign up for rate alerts or our email updates, we collect your email address and any preferences you choose. That data is stored with our email service provider, which processes it on our behalf to deliver the emails you asked for. Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and unsubscribing works the first time.

Forms (Netlify Forms). Contact and signup forms on this site are handled via Netlify Forms. When you submit a form, the contents of your submission are processed and stored by Netlify as our service provider. Don’t put sensitive financial details in a form — we never ask for them, and we don’t want them.

Affiliate link cookies. Some links on this site are affiliate links. When you click one, the partner or its affiliate network may set cookies to attribute your visit so we can be compensated, as described on our How We Make Money page. Those cookies are governed by the partner’s own privacy policy once you leave our site.

What we do not collect

HelocPilot is not a lender, broker, or loan originator. We do not take loan applications, and we do not collect Social Security numbers, credit reports, income documents, account numbers, or any other financial application data. If you apply for a product with a lender after clicking through from our site, everything you provide goes to that lender under their privacy policy — we never see it.

How we use information

• To operate, maintain, and improve the site and its content.
• To send rate alerts and updates you’ve asked for.
• To respond when you contact us.
• To measure traffic and content performance in aggregate.
• To receive affiliate compensation attribution, as disclosed above.

We don’t use your information for automated decision-making or build advertising profiles of individual readers.

Who we share information with

We share information only with service providers who process it for us: Google (analytics), our email service provider (rate alerts), and Netlify (form handling and site hosting infrastructure). Each processes data under its own terms as our provider.

We do not sell your personal information for money. However, under California law, the cookies set through analytics and affiliate links may qualify as “sharing” of personal information for cross-context purposes as the CCPA/CPRA defines those terms. You can opt out — see your California rights below, or use the cookie controls described next.

Cookies and your choices

• Browser controls. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site’s articles and calculators work fine without them.
• Analytics opt-out. Google offers a browser add-on that blocks Google Analytics measurement, and you can decline analytics cookies via your browser.
• Global Privacy Control. Where required by law, we honor opt-out preference signals such as Global Privacy Control sent by your browser.

Your California privacy rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the CPRA, gives you the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose about you.
• Delete personal information we hold about you, subject to legal exceptions.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information.
• Not be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@helocpilot.com with the subject line “Privacy Request.” We will verify your request (typically by confirming control of the relevant email address) and respond within the timeframe the CCPA requires — generally 45 days. You may also use an authorized agent.

In practice, the data we hold on most readers is minimal — an email address, maybe a form submission — so requests are usually simple, and we treat them that way.

How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as the purpose it was collected for requires, and the retention period depends on the category:

• Analytics data. GA4 data is retained according to Google’s data-retention settings configured for our property; aggregated reporting may persist beyond the event-level retention window. We do not maintain a separate copy of analytics data.
• Email list. Your email address is retained until you unsubscribe, plus a short administrative period needed to process the removal and maintain suppression records so we don’t email you again by mistake.
• Form submissions. Contact and signup form submissions are retained as long as needed to respond to you, and afterward for reasonable record-keeping — for example, documenting how a correction or privacy request was handled.

If you want data about you deleted sooner, email privacy@helocpilot.com with the subject line “Privacy Request” and we will delete it, subject to the legal exceptions described in the California rights section above. Our retention practices are under periodic review with counsel and this section will be updated if they change.

Audience and scope

This site is operated from California for a United States audience. We don’t target the site to residents of the European Union and make no claims of GDPR compliance. If other jurisdictions’ laws grant you rights in data we hold, contact us and we’ll deal with it in good faith.

Children

This site is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, contact us and we’ll delete it.

Changes to this policy

When we change this policy, we’ll update the effective date above and the page’s modified date. Material changes will be noted plainly rather than slipped in silently.

Contact

Privacy requests (access, deletion, correction, opt-out): privacy@helocpilot.com

General questions about this policy: hello@helocpilot.com