Privacy Policy

THE_PROJECT connects Australian renters and buyers with people tied to the same property. This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, and your rights under the Australian Privacy Principles (Privacy Act 1988, Cth).

What we collect

• Email address. Required to create an account. Used for security alerts, account recovery, and takedown notices only.
• Property connection records. The addresses you register a connection to and the connection type (e.g. previous tenant, nearby resident). Stored as hashed identifiers where technically feasible.
• Search history. Addresses you search, retained for 90 days then deleted automatically.
• Session data. A short-lived session token in an httpOnly, Secure cookie. No persistent device fingerprinting.
• IP address (temporary). Logged for rate limiting and abuse detection, dropped within 24 hours.

What we do not collect

• Real names, phone numbers, or government identifiers
• Message content in logs or error reports
• Third-party analytics or advertising data
• Payment information (no paid features in v1)

Where data is stored

We store personal information in Australia. The specific hosting configuration and region confirmation will be published here before any account data is collected. No account creation is available while this section is pending.

How we use your data

• To facilitate anonymous property connections between consenting users
• To send account security alerts (login notifications, password resets)
• To process takedown requests and respond within 48 hours
• To enforce our Terms of Service and prevent abuse

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Error monitoring

We plan to use Sentry for error monitoring. Before any error monitoring is enabled, it will be configured to strip personal information, message content, property addresses, and IP addresses from all reports. Error monitoring will not be activated until that configuration is verified and documented.

Your rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your account and associated data - we respond within 30 days
• Complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) if you believe we have breached the Privacy Act

To exercise any of these rights, email support@housechat.io with subject line "Privacy query".

Changes to this policy

We will notify registered users of material changes by email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For privacy queries, email support@housechat.io. We respond within 5 business days.