Plain-language summary: CalcHomeRate does not collect, store, or transmit any mortgage figures you enter into the calculators. All calculations happen entirely in your browser. We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used, and Google AdSense to display relevant advertisements. Both services use cookies, which is explained in detail below.
1. Who we are
CalcHomeRate (calchomerate.com) is a free online mortgage calculation service providing affordability, payment, refinance, and rent-versus-buy calculators for home buyers and homeowners in the United States and Canada. References to "we," "us," or "our" in this policy refer to CalcHomeRate.
This Privacy Policy describes how we handle information in connection with your use of calchomerate.com and all pages at subpaths of that domain (the "Site").
2. Information we collect
Information collected automatically
When you visit the Site, our analytics service (Google Analytics) automatically collects certain information, including:
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- The calculator tool selected (Affordability, Payment, Refinance, or Rent vs Buy)
- Country toggle state (US or Canada)
- Browser type, operating system, and screen resolution
- Referring website (how you arrived at the Site)
- Anonymised IP address (your full IP address is truncated before storage)
- Date and time of visit
This information is collected in aggregate and is used solely to understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it. It is not linked to any personally identifiable information.
Information you provide voluntarily
We do not offer account registration, email sign-up, contact forms, or any other mechanism that solicits personally identifiable information on the Site. If you contact us by email, we will receive your email address and the contents of your message solely to respond to your inquiry.
3. Calculator data — what we do NOT collect
Your financial figures stay in your browser. All mortgage calculations — including home price, income, down payment, interest rate, and debt figures — are processed entirely in your browser using JavaScript. No calculation inputs or outputs are transmitted to, stored on, or processed by any server. We have no visibility into the numbers you enter.
This is by design. Financial figures are sensitive personal data. Because our calculators run as client-side applications, there is nothing to collect, breach, or misuse on our end.
4. Cookies and tracking technologies
The Site uses cookies — small text files stored in your browser — placed by two third-party services: Google Analytics and Google AdSense. We do not set any first-party cookies directly.
What cookies are used
How to manage cookies
You can control and/or delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse new cookies, accept or refuse specific cookies, or delete cookies already stored. Note that disabling cookies may affect the display of advertisements on the Site.
- Google Chrome — Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies
- Mozilla Firefox — Options → Privacy & Security
- Apple Safari — Preferences → Privacy
- Microsoft Edge — Settings → Cookies and site permissions
5. Google AdSense and advertising
The Site uses Google AdSense, operated by Google LLC, to display advertisements. Google AdSense uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites across the internet.
Personalised vs non-personalised advertising
By default, Google AdSense may serve personalised ads — ads chosen based on your browsing history across Google's advertising network. If you prefer not to receive personalised ads:
- Visit Google's Ad Settings to opt out of personalised advertising across Google services.
- Visit aboutads.info (Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out) or youradchoices.ca (Canada) to manage preferences across participating advertisers.
- Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics.
Google's use of advertising cookies is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. For more information about how Google uses data when you use our site, see How Google uses data from sites that use Google services.
EU, UK, and EEA visitors (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Union, United Kingdom, or European Economic Area, Google AdSense will request your consent before serving personalised advertisements, in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable national implementing laws. You may withdraw your consent at any time using the consent management tool displayed on the Site, or through your browser settings.
6. Google Analytics
The Site uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymised information about how visitors use the Site. This information is used to compile reports and help us improve the Site.
Google Analytics collects information including your anonymised IP address, browser type, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamp. This information is transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf.
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. We have enabled IP anonymisation in Google Analytics, which means your IP address is truncated before storage.
Google Analytics data is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
7. Third-party links and services
The Site may contain links to external websites, mortgage brokers, lenders, or financial service providers. These links are provided for informational convenience only. We have no control over the content, privacy practices, or data collection policies of third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any external site you visit.
Third-party services used by the Site include:
- Google Fonts — Loads the Outfit and JetBrains Mono typefaces from Google's servers. Google may collect your IP address as part of this request. See Google's Privacy Policy.
- Chart.js (jsDelivr CDN) — Loads the charting library from jsDelivr's servers. jsDelivr may log your IP address. See jsDelivr's Privacy Policy.
8. Your privacy rights
Canadian residents — PIPEDA
If you are a resident of Canada, you have rights under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation. Because CalcHomeRate does not collect personally identifiable information directly, and does not share such information with third parties (beyond the anonymised analytics and advertising data described above), most PIPEDA access and correction rights are satisfied by the fact that we hold no personal data to correct or disclose. For any privacy inquiries, contact us at the address below.
US residents — CCPA / CPRA (California)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) gives you the right to know what personal information is collected about you, to delete personal information, and to opt out of the sale of personal information. CalcHomeRate does not sell personal information. The personal data collected through Google Analytics and Google AdSense is subject to Google's own CCPA compliance. You may exercise your rights by contacting us at the address below or by using Google's opt-out tools described in Section 5.
EEA, UK, and Switzerland residents — GDPR
If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) including the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing of, and port your personal data, as well as the right to object to processing. Requests can be directed to us at the contact details below. Where data is processed by Google, requests should be directed to Google directly.
9. Children's privacy
The Site is not directed to children under the age of 13 in the United States (under applicable COPPA requirements) or under the age of 16 in the European Union (under GDPR). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
10. Data security
The Site is served over HTTPS, encrypting all data in transit between your browser and our web servers. Because CalcHomeRate does not maintain databases of user-submitted data, there is no stored repository of financial or personally identifiable information to secure. The Site's static HTML files reside on servers operated by Hostinger International Ltd. under their security infrastructure.
No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we implement appropriate technical measures, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
12. Contact us
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, you can reach us at:
CalcHomeRate
Website: calchomerate.com
Email: privacy@calchomerate.com
We will respond to privacy inquiries within 30 days.