Privacy Policy

Last updated: 20 October 2026

This Privacy Policy applies to the Hausen mobile applications for Android and iOS and to thehausen.com (together, “Hausen”, “we”, “us”). It explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

Hausen is a property platform. Depending on how you use the app, you may browse and book short stays, list or manage a property, sign a lease, pay rent or deposits, message other users, or verify your identity.

1. Who we are

Hausen is operated from South Africa. For questions about this policy or your data, contact support@thehausen.com.

Where the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) applies, Hausen is the responsible party for personal information processed through the app and website.

2. Information we collect

We collect information you provide, information created when you use Hausen, and information from service providers who help us run the product.

Account and profile

• Name, email address, and password (or sign-in through Google or Apple)
• Profile photo, bio, languages, short public answers you choose to share, locale, currency, and region
• Notification preferences
• Terms of Service version accepted, Privacy Policy version acknowledged, and the time of your agreement

Identity verification (KYC)

To reduce fraud on listings, leases, and payments, we may ask you to verify your identity with Didit. That process can include:

• Government identity documents (for example an ID card or passport)
• Selfie or video liveness checks
• Camera, microphone, photo library, and (where supported) NFC/passport-chip access on your device
• Verification status (for example approved, declined, or resubmission requested)

Hausen stores verification status and related session identifiers. Didit processes the underlying identity documents and biometric checks on our behalf.

Listings, stays, and leases

• Property details, photos, amenities, house manuals, calendars, and pricing
• Addresses you enter (including autocomplete suggestions from Google Places). We do not collect GPS / precise device location
• Booking and lease dates, guests, requests, offers, signed lease documents, and related messages
• Maintenance tickets, bids, and schedules if you use those features

Payments

• Payment amounts, currency, status, and references for stays, rent, deposits, and fees
• Saved payment-method tokens and owner payout / bank account details processed by Paystack

We do not store full card numbers on Hausen servers. Card and bank data is handled by Paystack.

Support and communications

• In-app chat between guests, hosts, tenants, and service providers
• Help requests, including name, email, and message content (including if you contact us while signed out)
• Emails we send about your account, bookings, payments, leases, and support

Device, app, and security data

• Push notification tokens (Firebase Cloud Messaging)
• App version, platform, and crash / performance diagnostics (Firebase Crashlytics and Performance)
• App Check / device attestation and, on web, reCAPTCHA Enterprise signals to reduce abuse
• Approximate technical logs such as timestamps and error traces needed to operate and secure the service

3. How we use information

• Create and manage your account, profile, and role (guest, host, tenant, or service provider)
• Show listings, process bookings and leases, and enable messaging
• Take and record payments, payouts, refunds, and platform fees
• Verify identity, prevent fraud, and keep the marketplace safe
• Send transactional email and, if you allow it, push notifications
• Provide customer support and investigate issues
• Monitor reliability, security, and abuse (including App Check and crash reports)
• Record your agreement, comply with law, and enforce our Terms of Service

We do not sell your personal information.

4. How we share information

We share information only as needed to operate Hausen:

• Other users: public profile details (name, photo, bio, languages, short answers you choose to share, verification badge) and listing information you publish. Full street addresses are kept private until a stay or lease relationship requires them.
• Google: Firebase (authentication, database, storage, functions, messaging, App Check, Crashlytics, Performance), Google Sign-In, Google Places, and Google Play services.
• Apple: Sign in with Apple, and Maps when you choose to open an address in Maps.
• Didit: identity verification and liveness checks.
• Paystack: payments, saved cards, payouts, and related fraud checks.
• Email delivery providers: transactional mail such as welcome, booking, lease, payout, and support messages.
• Authorities or professional advisers: when required by law, to protect rights and safety, or in connection with a business transfer.

Those parties process data under their own terms and privacy policies when they act as independent controllers (for example Google or Apple sign-in). When they process data for us, they act as operators / processors on our instructions.

5. Permissions the app may request

• Camera and photos: identity documents, profile photos, and listing photos
• Microphone: video liveness during identity verification
• NFC: reading a supported passport chip during verification
• Notifications: alerts for messages, bookings, payments, and support
• Internet: to run the service

You can refuse a permission; some features will then be unavailable.

6. Retention

We keep account, listing, booking, lease, payment, and support records for as long as needed to provide the service, resolve disputes, meet tax and legal duties, and prevent fraud. Crash and security logs are kept for a shorter operational period. Agreement records may be retained after account deletion where needed to establish contractual rights, resolve disputes, or meet legal obligations. Identity-document images are processed by Didit according to that verification flow and are not used by Hausen as a general photo library.

7. Your choices and rights

Depending on applicable law (including POPIA), you may request access, correction, deletion, or restriction of your personal information, or object to certain processing.

• Update profile details in the app
• Turn push or email notifications on or off in Notification settings
• Email support@thehausen.com to access or correct your information
• Request account deletion at thehausen.com/delete-account

Deleting your account removes or de-identifies personal profile data we control, except records we must retain (for example payment, lease, or legal records). The deletion page lists the steps, what is deleted, what is kept, and how long retained records are stored.

8. International processing

We use Google Firebase and other cloud providers. Your information may be processed in South Africa, the European Union, the United States, and other countries where those providers operate. We take steps appropriate under POPIA and other applicable law when information is processed outside South Africa.

9. Children

Hausen is not directed at children. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided information, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Security

We use encryption in transit, access controls, Firebase App Check, and least-privilege rules on user data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

11. Website and cookies

thehausen.com hosts public pages such as this policy. The web app may use reCAPTCHA Enterprise and similar security cookies or signals. We do not use third-party advertising cookies in the Hausen app.

12. Changes

We may update this policy. The “Last updated” date will change, and the current version will always be at https://thehausen.com/privacy. Material changes may also be notified in the app or by email.

13. Contact

Email: support@thehausen.com
Website: https://thehausen.com