Privacy Policy

HostelPulse is a Nigerian property technology (PropTech) platform headquartered in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. We operate a verified marketplace connecting students, renters, buyers, agents, and landlords for residential accommodation, shortlet apartments, commercial spaces, and land in Ogbomoso and surrounding areas.

Account Information: When you sign up, we collect your full name, email address, phone number, and account type (Student, Buyer/Renter, Agent, or Landlord).

Student Verification: For student accounts, we may request a student identification document such as a LAUTECH matric number, student ID card, or portal screenshot. This is used solely to verify your student status.

Agent & Landlord KYC: For agent and landlord accounts, we collect identity verification documents including National Identification Number (NIN), a government-issued ID, a business address in Ogbomoso, and optionally a CAC registration certificate. This data is required for provider verification.

Profile Information: You may optionally provide your date of birth, a profile photo or business logo, social media links, and a short bio or organisation description.

Property & Listing Data: When providers create listings, we store property details including location, price, images, video walkthroughs, room type, and availability.

Financial Data: All payment transactions are processed by third-party payment gateways (Flutterwave, OPay, and similar providers). We do not store raw card numbers or banking credentials. We retain transaction IDs, amounts, timestamps, payer and payee identifiers, and escrow status for dispute resolution and audit purposes.

Communications: Messages sent between users on our in-app messaging system are stored to enable conversation history and dispute evidence. We may review flagged messages to investigate reports of abuse or fraud.

Device & Usage Data: We may automatically collect browser type, device information, IP address, and anonymised usage analytics (pages visited, search queries, clicks) to improve platform performance.

Newsletter Subscriptions: If you subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address to send you updates about LAUTECH housing and platform news.

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and maintain your HostelPulse account
• Verify your identity and prevent fraudulent accounts
• Process and track escrow payments securely
• Display your listings and profile to other platform users
• Enable in-app messaging between renters and providers
• Handle disputes between buyers and sellers
• Send you notifications about bookings, payments, and platform updates
• Send newsletter emails if you have opted in
• Comply with applicable Nigerian law and regulatory requirements
• Improve our platform features and fix technical issues

We process your data on the following grounds under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and, where applicable, the GDPR:

• Contractual necessity: Processing required to deliver the platform services you have agreed to.
• Legitimate interest: Fraud prevention, platform security, and analytics.
• Consent: For optional data such as newsletter subscriptions or optional profile fields.
• Legal obligation: Reporting to law enforcement when required by Nigerian law.

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

• Between platform users: Your name, profile photo, and listing information are visible to other users as part of normal platform use. Your phone number or WhatsApp number is only shared if you have enabled it in your profile settings.
• Payment processors: We share necessary transaction data with Flutterwave, OPay, and similar processors to execute payments.
• Cloud infrastructure: We use Supabase (a PostgreSQL cloud database) and Cloudflare for hosting and content delivery. Your data is stored on their servers in compliance with applicable data protection standards.
• Law enforcement: If a user is reported for fraud, scamming, or criminal activity, we will cooperate fully with the Nigerian Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and LAUTECH security as required by law. KYC data may be provided as evidence of identity.
• Legal proceedings: We may disclose your information where required by court order or other legal process.

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete your personal profile data within 30 days, subject to the following exceptions:

• Transaction and escrow records are retained for a minimum of 5 years for financial audit and legal compliance purposes.
• KYC documents for verified agents and landlords are retained for 3 years after account closure.
• Data subject to an active dispute or legal investigation will be retained until the matter is resolved.

Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate data (you can update most information directly in your profile).
• Erasure: Request deletion of your account and associated data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Objection: Object to processing for purposes not necessary for the service.
• Data portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at privacy@hostelpulse.app. We will respond within 30 days.

HostelPulse uses browser local storage and session cookies to maintain your login session, remember your theme preference (light/dark mode), and track which platform notifications you have already seen. These are strictly functional and do not track you across other websites.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies or tracking pixels.

We take data security seriously. All data is encrypted in transit using TLS/HTTPS. Our database is hosted on Supabase with row-level security policies. We enforce strict authentication and role-based access controls across all platform portals. However, no internet service can guarantee 100% security, and you use the platform at your own risk.

HostelPulse is not intended for persons under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us at privacy@hostelpulse.app and we will remove the account promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will notify users via an in-app notification and update the “Last updated” date above. Your continued use of the platform after any change constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

For privacy-related queries, data access requests, or complaints, contact:

HostelPulse Technologies
Email: privacy@hostelpulse.app
Support: info@hostelpulse.app
Location: Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria