What information we collect
The HVAC Pro List is a public directory of HVAC contractor businesses. We collect and display publicly available business information including business names, phone numbers, website addresses, service areas, and service offerings.
When a business creates an account or claims a listing, we collect account and contact details such as business and contact names, email address, an optional phone number, password hash, email-verification state, session records, claim details, DNS or website challenge results, and listing-change requests. Challenge tokens are stored only as one-way hashes. Passwords are also stored as one-way hashes; we do not store submitted password text.
For authentication, security, and abuse prevention, we keep limited technical records such as IP addresses, login attempts, rate-limit events, timestamps, and audit history. Queued message payloads are encrypted with a dedicated key and redacted after successful delivery or permanent failure. Messages are delivered through our configured email provider, which receives the recipient address and message content needed to deliver them.
How we use information
- Directory listings: Business contact information is displayed to help consumers find HVAC services.
- Claim verification: Verified email, authoritative website evidence, DNS or website challenge results, and optional proof notes are used to verify authority. Phone does not grant ownership.
- Accounts and security: Authentication, session, IP, and abuse-prevention records are used to secure accounts, investigate misuse, and enforce request limits.
- Ownership proof: Verified account email and evidence-backed official domains may be compared automatically. Shared, hosted, directory, social, free-mail, stale, or conflicting domains cannot grant listing access by mailbox matching alone.
- Corrections and removals: Submitted details are validated for supported listing updates and used for abuse or security reports.
- Analytics: We use Google Analytics to understand aggregate site usage and improve the directory.
Business owner rights
Business owners may request corrections to listing data, account assistance, or removal of a listing, subject to verification of ownership or authority. Private evidence is retained for the configured evidence-retention period, currently up to 730 days unless it must be kept longer for a dispute, security incident, or legal obligation. Claim decisions and audit history may be retained longer to document access decisions, prevent repeated abuse, and preserve directory integrity. Session, token, mail-delivery, login, and abuse-prevention records are retained only as operationally or legally necessary.
Correction and removal requests
Machine-verified owners can update supported fields through their business account. Use the contact page to report abuse or a factual problem; reports are inputs to automated source retrieval and do not bypass evidence gates.
Contact
For privacy questions, correction requests, removal requests, or abuse reports: Contact us.