Privacy Policy

Overview

Rent vs Buy? (“we”, “this site”) is a free calculator at rentvsbuyinca.com that helps California residents compare buying a home to renting and investing. We also offer a Chrome extension (“Rent vs Buy — Zillow Calculator”) that displays the same analysis directly on Zillow listing pages. We do not require an account or collect your name, email, or other personally identifiable information to use the calculator or the extension. This policy applies to all visitors and users of the site and extension, including those in the United States and elsewhere.

Information we collect

• Usage data (if analytics is enabled). We may use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site (e.g., page views, general location, device type). Google collects and processes this data under its own Privacy Policy . We do not receive or store your name, email, or IP address in any database we control.
• Data stored only on your device. The calculator saves your inputs (e.g., home price, rent) and preferences in your browser’s local storage so you can return later. This data never leaves your device and is not sent to our servers or third parties.

Chrome extension

Our Chrome extension ("Rent vs Buy — Zillow Calculator") runs entirely in your browser. It reads listing data (price, rent estimate, HOA, and property tax) from the Zillow page you are viewing, performs the rent-vs-buy calculation locally, and displays the result on the page. No data is sent to our servers or any third party. The extension does not track your browsing, does not collect analytics, and does not store any data between sessions.

How we use information

We use analytics only to improve the site (e.g., which pages are used, how traffic arrives). We do not sell, rent, or share your information with brokers, advertisers, or real estate companies. We are not affiliated with any brokerage or real estate firm.

Cookies and similar technologies

Google Analytics may set cookies. Your browser’s local storage is used to remember your calculator inputs. You can clear cookies and local storage in your browser settings at any time; the calculator will continue to work with default values.

Your choices

• You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on .
• You can disable or clear local storage in your browser to remove saved calculator data.

California privacy rights (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, to request deletion of personal information we hold, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your information. We do not sell or share your personal information. The only data we may receive is aggregated analytics from Google (e.g., how many people visited the site); we do not maintain a database of identifiable users. To request deletion of any data or ask questions about this policy, contact us at the email below.

Children

This site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will be revised when we do. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at privacy@rentvsbuyinca.com . (Replace with your preferred contact email if different.)