Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Hous.io ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform at hous.io.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We collect information that you provide directly to us, including:

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, property address
• Property Information: Home details, photos, documents (utility bills, inspection reports)
• Vehicle Information: VIN numbers for vehicle analysis
• Project Information: Renovation projects, contractor bid requests, expenses
• Communication Data: Messages, support requests, feedback

Automatically Collected Information

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on site
• Device Information: Browser type, device type, IP address, operating system
• Location Data: Approximate location based on IP address, precise location if you grant permission
• Cookies and Tracking: We use cookies and similar technologies (see Section 9)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Provide Services: Create and manage your account, process requests, deliver AI-powered insights
• Solar Analysis: Analyze your property for solar potential and connect you with installers
• Contractor Matching: Connect you with contractors for renovation and repair projects
• AI Features: Provide home insights, utility bill analysis, climate risk assessments
• Communication: Send service updates, respond to inquiries, provide customer support
• Marketing: Send promotional content (with your consent, you can opt-out anytime)
• Analytics: Understand usage patterns, improve our services, develop new features
• Legal Compliance: Comply with laws, prevent fraud, enforce our terms

4. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information in the following situations:

Service Providers

We work with third-party service providers:

• Clerk: Authentication and user management
• Convex: Database and backend services
• Resend: Email delivery
• Google: Maps and location services, and Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics on our public pages
• Advertising partners: Google, and other advertising partners whose tags we run through Google Tag Manager (for example Google Ads or Meta), to measure our marketing on our public pages (see Advertising and Analytics in Section 9)
• OpenAI: AI-powered analysis and insights
• Vercel: Hosting and deployment

Business Partners

• Solar Installers: When you request a solar quote, we share relevant property information
• Contractors: When you request bids, we share project details with matching contractors
• Lenders: When you inquire about financing, we may share relevant financial information

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

5. De-identified Data and AI

We create de-identified and aggregated information from the data we collect, so that it can no longer reasonably be linked to you, your household or your device. We maintain and use it only in de-identified form, will not attempt to re-identify it, and require anyone we share it with to do the same. We may use and share de-identified information for any lawful purpose, including research, benchmarks, reports and data products for third parties.

We may also use your information internally to develop, train and improve our analytics and AI features.

Your choices. You can opt out of having your information used to train AI features at any time from your account settings (Settings, “Use my data to improve AI features”) or by emailing contact@hous.io. Opting out does not affect de-identified information already created.

No sale of personal information. We do not sell your personal information. See Advertising and Analytics in Section 9 for advertising cookies and how to opt out.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: All data transmitted is encrypted using TLS/SSL (HTTPS)
• Database Security: AES-256 encryption at rest, secure access controls
• Authentication: Secure authentication via Clerk with industry best practices
• Security Headers: HSTS, X-Frame-Options, CSP, and other protective headers
• Regular Updates: Security patches and updates applied promptly
• Access Controls: Limited access to personal data, role-based permissions

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

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information ("right to be forgotten")
• Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Opt-Out: Opt out of marketing communications, cookies, and data processing
• Restrict Processing: Request limitation on how we process your data
• Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise these rights, please contact us at contact@hous.io. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request.

8. Data Retention

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

• Provide our services to you
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes
• Enforce our agreements

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required by law to retain it longer.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us improve your experience on our site.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Required for the site to function (authentication, security)
• Analytics and Advertising Cookies: Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics and advertising tags on our public pages (see Advertising and Analytics below)
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings
• Performance Cookies: Monitor site performance and optimize user experience

Advertising and Analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies from advertising and analytics partners (Google, through Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics, and other advertising partners whose tags we run through Google Tag Manager, such as Google Ads or Meta) to measure our marketing and show our ads to people who may be interested in Hous.io. These partners may collect information about your visits, such as pages viewed and actions taken, along with device and browser identifiers. Under some state privacy laws this may be considered “sharing” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not sell personal information, and we never share the content you store in Hous.io (your bills, utility and insurance details, home and property details, documents, photos, vehicle information or projects) with advertising partners.

You can opt out at any time on our Your Privacy Choices page. We also honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signal as an opt-out. Advertising pixels never load on signed-in account pages.

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect site functionality. To opt out of Google Analytics, visit:Google Analytics Opt-out

10. Third-Party Links

Our site may contain links to third-party websites (solar installers, contractors, partners). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are 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 at contact@hous.io, and we will delete it promptly.

12. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know if personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information
• Right to deletion of personal information
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

Note: We do not sell personal information. You can opt out of the “sale or sharing” of your personal information, including advertising cookies, on our Your Privacy Choices page or by turning on the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal in your browser, which we honor as an opt-out.

13. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right of access to your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Rights related to automated decision-making

Our legal basis for processing your data includes: your consent, contractual necessity, legal obligations, and legitimate interests.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by:

• Posting the new policy on this page
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending you an email notification (for material changes)

Your continued use of our services after changes indicates acceptance of the updated policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

16. Data Protection Officer

For privacy-related inquiries, especially those related to GDPR compliance, you may contact our Data Protection Officer at: privacy@hous.io