The short version

CertAlert stores your properties, certificates and evidence photos on your device. You do not need an account to use it.
If you subscribe to Pro and turn on cloud backup, a copy of that data is stored on our servers so you can restore it on another phone. The copy is encrypted in transit and at rest by Cloudflare. We can access it to run the service. You sign in with a magic link sent to your email address.
Certificate scanning (OCR) runs on your device. Photos are not uploaded for text recognition.
We do not run advertising or third-party analytics SDKs in the app.
Subscriptions are processed by Apple or Google. We never see your card details.
You can delete all of your data from the app: open Settings → Delete account. That wipes this phone and, if you use cloud backup, everything stored on our servers. A Pro subscription is cancelled separately in the App Store or Play Store.

Who we are

CertAlert is built and run by one person: Joshua Mason, an independent developer based in the United Kingdom, trading as CertAlert (“I”, “we”, “us”). I am the data controller for the personal data described here.

Contact address: Unit 82701, PO Box 92, Cardiff, CF11 1NB, United Kingdom.

Contact: support@certalert.uk.

What data the app handles

Data	Where it lives	Purpose
Property details (address or nickname, tracked certificate types, optional tenant name or email)	Your device; our servers if cloud backup is on	Building your compliance checklist and proof packs
Certificate records (type, issuer, reference, issue and expiry dates, tenant-served flag)	Your device; our servers if cloud backup is on	Status, reminders and proof packs
Evidence photos and documents	Your device; our servers if cloud backup is on	Keeping proof alongside each certificate
Email address	Our servers, only if you sign in for cloud backup	Sending magic-link sign-in emails and identifying your backup
Reminder settings and notification schedule	Your device only	Local expiry reminders (Pro)
Subscription status	RevenueCat and the app store you use	Unlocking Pro features

Tenant name and email are optional. They are stored only if you enter them, and they sync with cloud backup when that is on. Please do not add personal information about other people unless you have a lawful basis to do so.

Cloud backup (Pro)

Cloud backup is optional and off by default. When you switch it on:

We send a one-time sign-in link to the email address you enter. The link expires and can only be used once. We store a hashed version of the sign-in token and a session token so the app stays signed in.
Your properties, certificates and evidence files are uploaded to our servers so they can be restored on any device where you sign in with the same email.
Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest by Cloudflare. This is platform encryption, not a lock only you can open: we can access backed-up records to operate the service. Our infrastructure is provided by Cloudflare, Inc. (Workers, D1 database and R2 object storage). Cloudflare processes data on our behalf under its data processing terms. Backed-up data is stored in the European Union.
Sign-in emails are sent via Cloudflare’s email sending service from login@certalert.uk.

You can turn cloud backup off at any time in Settings. To delete your account, cloud backup, and everything on this phone, use Settings → Delete account. See Your rights.

Scanning certificates

The camera and OCR features use on-device text recognition (Google ML Kit, running locally). Images are processed on your phone and are only stored where you choose, on device or in your cloud backup. Nothing is sent to Google for recognition.

Purchases

Pro subscriptions are sold through the Apple App Store and Google Play. Apple or Google handle payment and hold your billing details. We use RevenueCat to check whether your subscription is active. RevenueCat receives an anonymous app user ID and purchase receipt data from the store; it does not receive your name, email or certificate data from us. See RevenueCat’s privacy policy for details.

Notifications

Expiry reminders are scheduled locally on your device. We do not use a push notification server, so we cannot see when or whether a reminder was delivered.

Analytics and tracking

The app does not include third-party analytics, advertising or crash-reporting SDKs. Our servers keep short-lived technical logs (request paths, timestamps, status codes) to operate the service and investigate faults.

This website does not use cookies or analytics.

Legal bases

Where UK GDPR applies, we rely on:

Contract — providing cloud backup and Pro features you have asked for.
Legitimate interests — keeping the service secure, preventing abuse, and responding to support requests.
Consent — where you choose to enable optional features such as cloud backup or notifications.

Retention

Data on your device stays until you delete a property, use Settings → Delete account, or uninstall the app.
Backed-up data is kept while your account exists. Settings → Delete account deletes live database rows and evidence files. Cloudflare D1 may keep a restore point of the database for up to 30 days. If you cannot use the app, email support@certalert.uk and we will action a deletion request within 30 days.
Sign-in links expire shortly after they are sent; sessions expire after a period of inactivity.
Server logs are held in Cloudflare’s Workers Logs for a short rolling window (currently no more than 7 days) and are not exported elsewhere.

Your rights

You can access, correct, export or delete your data. On-device data can be edited or deleted directly in the app.

To delete everything — properties, certificates, evidence photos on this phone, your cloud backup, and the email account we use for sign-in — go to Settings, scroll to Delete account, confirm you understand it cannot be undone, and tap Delete everything. The app then returns you to the first-run screen with an empty device.

If you cannot open the app, email support@certalert.uk from the address you signed in with and we will action a deletion request within 30 days.

A Pro subscription is billed by Apple or Google. Deleting your CertAlert data does not cancel that subscription; manage or cancel it in your store account.

You also have the right to object to processing, to restrict processing, and to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

Children

CertAlert is a tool for landlords and letting professionals and is not intended for anyone under 18.

International transfers

Backed-up records and evidence files are stored in the European Union. Cloudflare may still process requests from other regions to serve the API. Where data is processed outside the UK, transfers are protected by UK-approved safeguards such as the International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum.

Changes

We will update this page when our practices change and update the date at the top. Material changes will be flagged in the app.