Privacy Policy

House24 ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website, mobile applications, and services (collectively, the "Platform").

This Privacy Policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable South African data protection laws.

By using our Platform, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

We collect information you voluntarily provide when you:

• Create an account: Name, email address, phone number, password
• List a property: Property details, photos, contact information, agent/seller details
• Contact us: Name, email, phone number, message content
• Apply as an agent: Professional credentials, business information, identification documents
• Use our services: Search preferences, saved properties, property alerts, viewing history
• Make payments: Billing information (processed securely by third-party payment providers)

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use our Platform, we automatically collect:

• Device information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers
• Usage data: Pages viewed, time spent on pages, links clicked, search queries
• Location data: General location based on IP address (with your consent, precise location for property searches)
• Cookies and tracking: Information collected through cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information from:

• Social media platforms (if you connect your account)
• Public databases and property records
• Marketing partners and analytics providers
• Real estate agents and property sellers

We use your information to:

• Provide services: Create and manage your account, process listings, facilitate property searches
• Communication: Send property alerts, respond to inquiries, provide customer support
• Personalization: Customize your experience, recommend properties, save preferences
• Marketing: Send promotional emails, newsletters, and targeted advertisements (with your consent)
• Analytics: Analyze usage patterns, improve our Platform, develop new features
• Security: Detect fraud, prevent abuse, protect user safety
• Legal compliance: Comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms, resolve disputes
• AI services: Provide AI-powered property search, market analysis, and recommendations

Under POPIA, we process your personal information based on:

• Consent: You have given explicit consent for specific purposes
• Contract performance: Processing is necessary to provide our services
• Legal obligation: We must process your data to comply with the law
• Legitimate interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, balanced against your rights

We may share your information with:

5.1 Property Sellers and Agents

When you express interest in a property, we share your contact information with the relevant agent or seller to facilitate communication.

5.2 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who help us operate our Platform:

• Cloud hosting providers (e.g., Vercel, AWS)
• Email service providers (e.g., Brevo)
• Payment processors
• Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics)
• AI service providers (e.g., Google Gemini)
• Customer support tools

5.3 Business Transfers

If House24 is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

5.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by law or to:

• Comply with legal processes or government requests
• Enforce our Terms and Conditions
• Protect our rights, property, or safety
• Prevent fraud or illegal activities

5.5 With Your Consent

We may share your information with other parties when you give us explicit consent to do so.

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Remember your preferences and settings
• Authenticate your account
• Analyze site traffic and usage patterns
• Deliver targeted advertisements
• Improve site performance and user experience

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain features of our Platform.

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest (SSL/TLS)
• Secure authentication and password hashing
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Access controls and employee training
• Secure cloud infrastructure

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

• Provide our services to you
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce agreements
• Maintain business records

When your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it. You can request deletion of your account at any time.

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal information we hold
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal obligations)
• Objection: Object to processing of your information for certain purposes
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Data portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for processing at any time
• Lodge a complaint: File a complaint with the Information Regulator

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@house24.co.za. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Our Platform is not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately, and we will delete it.

Our Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside South Africa, including countries that may not have the same data protection laws. When we transfer your data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• Standard contractual clauses
• Data processing agreements with service providers
• Compliance with POPIA's cross-border transfer requirements

With your consent, we may send you marketing emails about properties, services, and promotions. You can opt out at any time by:

• Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in our emails
• Updating your preferences in your account settings
• Contacting us at privacy@house24.co.za

Even if you opt out of marketing emails, we may still send you transactional emails related to your account and services.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our Platform
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending you an email notification (for significant changes)

Your continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator: