Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Vellore Property Bazaar ("we", "us", "our"). We provide a real estate marketplace and local property services platform designed specifically for users in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, and surrounding regions. Our application enables users to browse, post, buy, sell, and rent residential and commercial properties, plots, and access local construction/renovation services.

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal data you share with us. This Privacy Policy details how we collect, use, store, retain, share, and delete your information when you use our mobile application (Android AAB/APK) and website services.

2. Information We Collect

To provide our real estate marketplace services, we collect information that you directly provide to us as well as data generated automatically during your use of the application:

A. Personal Account Information

• Full Name: Required for user profile creation and identity verification.
• Phone Number: Required for OTP (One-Time Password) account registration, login verification, and connecting property buyers/sellers via direct call or WhatsApp.
• Email Address: Used for account recovery, notifications, and customer support communications.
• Profile Credentials: Encrypted authentication tokens managed via Google Firebase / JWT.

B. Property Listings & Service Data

• Property Details: Titles, descriptions, property types (Apartments, Plots, Villas, Commercial, Farmland), price, location/locality details, and property features.
• Photos & Videos: Property images uploaded voluntarily by sellers or service providers to illustrate listing posts.

C. Location Information

• Locality & Geographic Data: Selected city/area (e.g., Katpadi, Sathuvachari, Gandhinagar) or device location data (if granted) to display nearby property listings and map coordinates.

D. Financial & Transaction Data

• Membership & Subscription Payments: When purchasing Gold Seller membership or featured listing upgrades, payment processing is handled securely via Razorpay. We store order IDs, transaction statuses, and amount paid. We do NOT store or process raw credit/debit card numbers, CVVs, or banking PINs on our servers.

E. Technical & Device Information

• Device Identifiers: Operating system version, app version, unique device tokens for push notifications, and IP address for security logging.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process user data exclusively for legitimate business and service purposes, including:

• Account Verification & Security: Authenticating users via 2Factor SMS OTP and Google OAuth to ensure genuine accounts and prevent fraudulent listings.
• Facilitating Real Estate Connections: Allowing buyers/tenants to directly contact property sellers, agents, or builders via Phone call, WhatsApp, or in-app chat.
• Publishing Listings: Displaying property posts and service ads on our public marketplace catalog.
• Processing Payments: Completing transactions for listing subscriptions via Razorpay.
• App Performance & Improvements: Troubleshooting technical bugs, improving search features, and personalizing local content.

4. Data Sharing & Third-Party Service Providers

We may share necessary data with trusted third-party service providers solely to perform essential infrastructure services:

• Google Cloud / Firebase: Account authentication, database hosting, and infrastructure security.
• Razorpay Software Private Limited: Secure payment gateway processing for listing fees and seller subscriptions.
• 2Factor.in API: Delivering SMS One-Time Passwords (OTPs) for phone number verification.
• Legal & Regulatory Authorities: We may disclose data if explicitly required by law, subpoena, or government regulation.

5. Data Retention Policy

We strictly adhere to data minimization and explicit retention practices. Personal data is stored only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, or as required by applicable laws and regulations:

A. Specific Data Retention Periods

• Account Profile Information (Name, Phone Number, Email): Retained while your account remains active. Upon receipt of an account deletion request or account closure, all profile data is permanently deleted from our active database within 30 calendar days.
• Property Listings & Uploaded Media (Photos, Video Files): Retained while the property listing is active on our marketplace. When a user deletes a listing or closes their account, all associated photos and property details are removed immediately from the public catalog and permanently deleted from storage within 30 calendar days.
• Financial & Payment Transaction Records: Order IDs, payment transaction references, and invoices are retained for up to 7 years solely to comply with statutory taxation, accounting, and legal requirements under Indian tax regulations. No payment card numbers or banking PINs are retained.
• System & Access Logs (IP Addresses, Device Specs): System logs and security access logs are retained for up to 90 days for cybersecurity analysis, fraud prevention, and debugging, after which they are automatically overwritten or anonymized.

B. Data Purging & Anonymization

When data reaches the end of its specified retention period or when an account deletion request is processed, the data is either permanently overwritten, securely erased from servers, or irreversibly anonymized so that it can no longer be associated with any identifiable individual.

6. User Data Rights & Data Deletion Process

Under Google Play Developer Policies and applicable data privacy regulations, users have full ownership and control over their personal data. You have the right to request access, correction, or complete deletion of your account and personal information at any time.

A. How to Request Account & Data Deletion

We provide two clear methods for users to submit a data deletion request:

B. Scope of Deletion & Processing Timeline

Upon submitting an account deletion request:

• Your account profile (Name, Phone Number, Email, Profile Picture) is deactivated immediately and permanently erased within 30 days.
• All your published and draft property listings, photos, and saved favorites are removed from the public marketplace.
• All in-app chat history and user preferences are permanently cleared.
• You will receive a email/SMS confirmation once the deletion process is completed.

7. Security Practices

We prioritize the security of your personal information:

• Encryption in Transit: All communications between your mobile application and our servers are encrypted using standard SSL/TLS (HTTPS) protocols.
• Access Control: Access to user data is strictly restricted to authorized system operations with mandatory authentication.

8. Children's Privacy Notice

Vellore Property Bazaar is strictly intended for individuals aged 18 years and older. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under 18. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child, we will delete it immediately.

9. Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect service updates or regulatory requirements. Updated versions will be published directly on this page with a revised "Effective Date".

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, our data retention practices, or data deletion, please contact us at: