Privacy notice

HatBench is operated by Insureaze Insurance Solutions, LLC ("Insureaze", "we", "us"), a licensed California insurance agency (CA Lic. #0M82333). This notice explains what we collect through hatbench.com and how we use it.

What we collect

From general contractors

• What you type into the request form: trade, job location, start date, size, requirements, scope, your name, company, email, phone, and CSLB license number if you give it.
• Basic technical information used to keep out spam, such as how long the form was open, and standard server logs (like IP address and browser type) kept by our hosting provider.
• If you reached HatBench through a link with a campaign tag (for example from a newsletter or a post), the name of that tag is sent with your request so we know which outreach works. It isn't linked to anything else about you.

From subcontractors

• If you opt in, the profile choices you make (counties, what you want to share, a short description), along with your CSLB license status and the coverage dates we already have as your insurance agency.
• A record of when you opted in and the wording you agreed to.

When you use Sub Check

• The license number you type. We use it only to look up the public CSLB record and show you the result. We don't save it, and we don't keep a record of which licenses you or anyone else looked up.
• A random browser ID. The Sub Check page stores a random number in your browser (in local storage, not a cookie). It isn't linked to your name, email or the licenses you check. We use it to count how many different people use Sub Check, together with whether each check found a license and how long it took. We keep those counts for up to 13 months.
• A scrambled version of your IP address, for about a day. To stop people from overloading Sub Check or copying CSLB's data in bulk, we count checks per IP address. Our Sub Check records store only a salted, one-way hash of the address, not the address itself, and those counts are deleted within 24 hours. (Our hosting provider's standard request logs, described above, may still record IP addresses.)

You can clear the browser ID at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser. Sub Check still works if you do.

How we use it

• To match a GC's request with subs, contact both sides, and make introductions.
• To check a GC's or sub's CSLB license status.
• To run and protect the site, including stopping spam and abuse.
• To show public CSLB license facts in Sub Check, count how it's used, and protect it from abuse.

If you're an Insureaze client, the information is also part of your client record with us and is handled under our normal agency privacy practices.

Who we share it with

• GC requests are shared with the subs we're considering for an introduction.
• Sub profiles are shared only with a GC whose request matches, and only if the sub has opted in. There is no public directory.
• Service providers that run the site for us, such as Google Firebase (hosting and data storage). They process data on our behalf.
• When required by law.

We don't sell your personal information, and we don't share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Private match links

After you submit a request, you may get a private link to your matches. Anyone with that link can see that page, so keep it to yourself. The page is hidden from search engines.

Public CSLB data

Sub Check shows information the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) publishes for every California license: business name, license status, classifications, expiration date, workers' comp carrier and dates or an exemption, and bond. We don't show addresses, phone numbers, or policy and bond numbers. If you're a contractor and something about your license looks wrong, the CSLB record needs to be corrected. Contact CSLB at cslb.ca.gov or (800) 321-2752. Our copy updates after CSLB's does.

How long we keep it

We keep request and profile information as long as needed to make introductions, keep business records, and meet legal obligations, then delete or de-identify it. Sub Check is different: the license number you look up isn't kept at all, the IP hash used for rate limits is deleted within 24 hours, and usage counts tied to the random browser ID are kept for up to 13 months.

Your choices and California rights

Subs can turn their HatBench profile off at any time. California residents can ask to know, correct or delete the personal information we hold about them, and won't be treated differently for asking. To make a request, call (800) 897-8221. We'll verify your identity before acting on it.

Cookies and similar technology

HatBench doesn't use advertising or analytics cookies, and no third-party tracking services are loaded. The Sub Check page stores one random browser ID in your browser's local storage so we can count how many different people use it (see "When you use Sub Check"). Fonts and images are served from HatBench itself.

Changes and contact

We'll post changes on this page and update the date above. Questions: Insureaze Insurance Solutions, LLC, (800) 897-8221.