1. Who we are
Christian Brown, a sole trader trading as Solara, is the controller of the personal data described in this notice. You can contact us at hello@usesolara.uk, through our contact form, or by post at Suite Ra01, 195-197 Wood Street, London E17 3NU, United Kingdom.
2. What we collect
- Contact details for the people we deal with at your company.
- Company information and documents you send us, including pitch decks, forecasts and constitutional documents.
- Details of directors, shareholders and investors needed for HMRC applications and compliance statements, such as names, addresses and amounts invested.
- Order information and payment-confirmation details. Payments are processed by Stripe; we never receive or store your card number, security code or expiry date.
- Messages you send through our contact form, and the details and documents you submit when placing an order.
3. The eligibility checker
The website’s preliminary eligibility checker runs in your browser. It applies rules to the answers you provide and, if you choose to add a readable PDF, looks for a limited list of terms in that PDF. Your PDF is not uploaded to Solara or sent to an AI provider by this checker. The result is not tax or legal advice, a professional eligibility review, or a decision from HMRC.
4. How we use your information and why
- To answer enquiries and take steps you ask us to take before entering a contract.
- To provide the services you buy, including preparing and submitting applications and statements to HMRC (performance of a contract).
- To retain records required for tax, accounting and HMRC enquiries (legal obligation).
- To run and protect our business, prevent fraud and keep secure records (legitimate interests).
- To send updates where you have specifically asked us to do so (consent, which you can withdraw at any time).
5. Who we share it with
We share relevant information with HMRC where needed to deliver our services; Stripe, which processes payment; Manus, which provides website hosting, database and document-storage infrastructure; and Google, which provides our Gmail email service. We may also share data with professional advisers or authorities where the law requires. We do not sell personal data.
6. International transfers
Our suppliers may process information in the UK, the EEA or other countries. Where information is transferred outside the UK, we use safeguards recognised under UK data-protection law, such as an adequacy regulation or the International Data Transfer Agreement.
7. How long we keep it
We retain client records for six years after our work ends so that we can deal with HMRC enquiries and legal claims. We retain enquiries that do not become client engagements for up to 12 months. We may keep data for longer where the law requires or a dispute is ongoing.
8. Your rights
You can ask to access, correct or delete your personal data; restrict or object to our use of it; or receive a portable copy where applicable. Email hello@usesolara.uk. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
9. Cookies
This website does not currently use advertising or analytics cookies. If that changes, we will update this notice and obtain consent before placing any non-essential cookies.