Privacy Policy

Introduction

The website and account services are operated under the UniHouse name. For privacy questions or requests, email teamunihouse@gmail.com.

This policy explains the information collected through the website, why it is used, who receives it, and how to contact us about your rights.

Information We Collect

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect includes:

• Account and verification details: Name, email address, phone number, university, user role, account credentials managed through our authentication provider, and a CBU portal number if a CBU agent supplies one for review. Never give us your portal password.
• Listings and activity: Property or marketplace descriptions, images, locations, prices, saved items, messages, reservation and transport details, and reports or support requests you submit.
• Payments: The amount, status, transaction reference, mobile-money number and network needed to initiate or reconcile a payment. The payment provider handles the mobile-money approval; UniHouse does not ask for your PIN.
• Technical data: IP address, browser and device information, security logs, and cookie preferences. Optional analytics and advertising data is processed only when those services are enabled and you accept the relevant cookies.
• Earlier assistant use: If you used Ask UniHouse before it was paused, your question and recent messages were sent through Supabase to Google's Gemini API. A one-way IP hash was used to limit abuse. We did not save the chat transcript in the UniHouse database.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and secure accounts, review provider applications, and show relevant listings
• Arrange messages, reservations, contact unlocks, transport requests, and marketplace activity
• Initiate and reconcile payments and investigate failed or disputed transactions
• Answer support requests, review complaints, and correct inaccurate content
• Measure site use where optional analytics is enabled and consented to
• Detect abuse, meet legal obligations, and enforce our terms

Sharing Your Information

We may share your information in the following situations:

• Other users: Accommodation providers may receive the details needed to respond to a reservation or message; buyers, sellers, or transport providers may see information you choose to share through those features. Public listing content can be viewed by visitors.
• Service providers: Supabase hosts account and application data; payment requests and confirmations pass through our payment provider, Bila; map features may use Mapbox. Their processing is limited to the services they provide.
• Google services: If optional advertising or analytics is enabled and you accept its cookies, Google may receive browser and usage data. Before the public assistant was paused, Gemini received user questions and recent conversation context. On Gemini's unpaid API tier, Google may use prompts and responses to develop its services and human reviewers may inspect them. Do not send personal or sensitive details through that assistant if it becomes available again.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law or in response to valid legal requests.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Storage, Transfers, and Retention

Our current Supabase project is hosted in Stockholm, Sweden. Google, the payment provider, and other vendors may also process information outside Zambia. Cross-border processing is subject to applicable Zambian data protection requirements.

We keep account and transaction records while needed to provide the service, resolve disputes, meet security needs, and comply with legal obligations. Optional browser consent is kept until you change it or clear your browser storage. For a request about a particular record or its retention period, email us at teamunihouse@gmail.com.

Cookies and Tracking

We use browser storage for sign-in and preferences. Optional advertising and analytics may use cookies when enabled. You can also instruct your browser to refuse or delete cookies.

• Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website (e.g., Google Analytics)
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences
• Advertising Cookies: If advertising is approved and enabled, Google and its partners may use these to measure ads and personalize them where permitted.

You can change your choice at any time. Choosing essential cookies after previously accepting optional cookies reloads the page without loading optional advertising or analytics scripts again. You can also clear existing cookies in your browser.

Change cookie settings

Third-Party Advertising

UniHouse has applied for Google AdSense. If approved and enabled, selected content pages may show ads. Google and its advertising partners may use cookies to serve or measure ads.

Our optional Google advertising and analytics scripts are intended to load only after you choose "Accept All" in the cookie banner. If you choose "Essential Only," those optional scripts should not load on pages that follow this setting.

• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet.
• You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings.
• You can also opt out of third-party vendor cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info/choices.

For more information about how Google uses data when you use our site, please visit Google's advertising policies.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access and receive a copy of your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your personal data
• Object to processing of your personal data
• Request restriction of processing
• Withdraw consent at any time

To make a request, email teamunihouse@gmail.com. We may need to verify that the account is yours. Some records may need to be retained for legal or dispute reasons. You may also raise a concern with Zambia's Data Protection Commissioner.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

Changes to This Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.