Privacy Policy

HouseSync (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our household management platform and related services (collectively, the “Service”).

By using HouseSync, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Service.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Information: Name, email address, password, and phone number when you register
• Profile Information: Profile picture, household role, and preferences
• Property Information: Property names, addresses, and property types
• Content: Tasks, to-do lists, budgets, inventory items, maintenance records, and notes you create
• Communications: Messages you send to other household members, support requests
• Payment Information: Billing details processed through Stripe (we do not store full payment card numbers)

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device Information: Device type, operating system, browser type, unique device identifiers
• Usage Data: Features used, pages viewed, time spent, actions taken
• Log Data: IP address, access times, referring URLs, error logs
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Session cookies, preferences, and analytics data

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Google Services: Calendar events and data if you connect Google Calendar integration
• Apple Services: Calendar and reminder data if you connect Apple Reminders integration
• Payment Processors: Transaction confirmations and billing details from Stripe
• Financial Services: Bank account information if you use Plaid for account linking
• Invited Users: Email addresses or phone numbers of people you invite to your household

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide the Service: Create accounts, manage properties, sync data across devices
• Send Communications: Service notifications, task reminders, household alerts via email and SMS
• Process Payments: Handle subscriptions, billing, and refunds
• Improve the Service: Analyze usage patterns, fix bugs, develop new features
• Provide Support: Respond to your requests and troubleshoot issues
• Ensure Security: Detect fraud, prevent abuse, protect user safety
• Legal Compliance: Meet legal obligations and enforce our terms

3. Information Sharing

We share your information only in these limited circumstances:

3.1 With Your Consent

With other household members you invite, and with third-party services you choose to connect.

3.2 Service Providers

We share data with trusted providers who help us operate:

• Twilio: SMS notifications and phone verification
• SendGrid: Email delivery and notifications
• Stripe: Payment processing
• Cloud hosting providers: Data storage and processing

These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only as directed.

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of HouseSync, our users, or others.

3.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

4. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as:

• Your account is active
• Needed to provide you the Service
• Required by law (e.g., tax records, consent logs)
• Necessary to resolve disputes and enforce agreements

After account deletion, we may retain anonymized/aggregated data for analytics. SMS consent records are retained for a minimum of 4 years per TCPA requirements.

5. Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and data
• Portability: Export your data in a machine-readable format
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails, disable SMS notifications
• Withdraw Consent: Revoke previously given consent

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@housesync.net or use the settings in your account.

6. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
• Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
• Regular security audits and vulnerability testing
• Access controls and authentication
• Employee training on data protection

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. SMS/Text Messaging

If you opt-in to receive SMS notifications:

• Message Types: Household invitations, task reminders, maintenance alerts, budget notifications
• Frequency: Variable based on your household activity (typically 0-10 messages per week)
• Opt-Out: Reply STOP to any message to cancel. Text HELP for assistance.
• Costs: Message and data rates may apply based on your carrier plan

Your consent to receive SMS is not a condition of purchase. See our SMS Terms for full details.

8. Third-Party Services

Our Service integrates with and relies upon third-party services. Below we describe what data we share and why. Each provider is bound by their own privacy policies and data protection agreements with us.

8.1 Stripe (Payment Processing)

We use Stripe for payments, analytics, and subscription billing. Stripe may collect personal data including via cookies and similar technologies. The personal data Stripe collects may include transactional data and identifying information about devices that connect to its services. Stripe uses this information to operate and improve the services it provides to us, including for fraud detection, loss prevention, authentication, and analytics related to the performance of its services.

Data shared: Name, email, billing address, payment card details (tokenized), transaction amounts.

8.2 Twilio (SMS Communications)

SMS notifications are delivered via Twilio. Phone numbers and message content are processed to deliver your notifications.

Data shared: Phone numbers, SMS message content and metadata.

8.3 SendGrid (Email Delivery)

Transactional and notification emails are sent via SendGrid (a Twilio company). Email addresses and message content are processed for delivery and analytics.

Data shared: Email addresses, message content, delivery metadata.

Key third-party privacy policies:

• Stripe Privacy Policy
• Twilio Privacy Policy
• SendGrid Privacy Policy
• OpenAI Privacy Policy
• Google Privacy Policy

9. AI & Receipt Processing (OpenAI)

HouseSync offers an optional receipt scanning feature powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 Vision API. When you use this feature:

• What we send: Receipt images you upload are sent to OpenAI's API for processing
• Purpose: To extract expense details (merchant, amount, date, items) automatically
• Data retention by OpenAI: Per OpenAI's API Data Usage Policy, API inputs and outputs are not used to train models by default. Data may be retained for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring, then deleted.
• Your control: Receipt scanning is entirely optional. You can manually enter expense information instead.

10. Google Calendar Integration

If you choose to connect Google Calendar, we access your Google account data in compliance with the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

What We Access

• Calendar list: To let you select which calendar to sync with
• Calendar events: To create and manage household events (tasks, maintenance reminders)

How We Use This Data

• Creating calendar events for household tasks and reminders you set in HouseSync
• Displaying your selected calendar within the HouseSync interface
• Syncing maintenance schedules and due dates

What We Do NOT Do

• We do not sell, share, or transfer your Google data to third parties (except as needed to provide the service)
• We do not use your Google data for advertising purposes
• We do not access more calendar data than necessary for the features you use
• We do not retain Google data if you disconnect the integration

Revoking Access

You can disconnect Google Calendar at any time from your HouseSync settings or from your Google Account permissions page. Upon disconnection, we stop accessing your Google data and delete any cached tokens.

11. Subprocessors & Data Processing

To deliver our Service, we use carefully selected third-party service providers ("subprocessors") who process limited personal data on our behalf and under our instructions. These providers are bound by data protection agreements and may only use your data to provide their services to us.

Key subprocessors currently include:

• Stripe, Inc.: Payment processing, subscription billing, and fraud prevention (billing details, transaction data, and limited account identifiers).
• Twilio Inc.: Delivery of SMS/text messages (phone numbers and message metadata).
• SendGrid (Twilio SendGrid): Transactional and account-related email delivery (email addresses and message metadata).
• OpenAI, Inc.: AI-powered receipt scanning and expense extraction (receipt images sent for processing, not used for model training).
• Google LLC: Calendar integration for event syncing (calendar data accessed with user consent).
• Plaid Inc.: Financial account linking for bank connections (bank account details when enabled by user).
• Cloud infrastructure providers: Hosting of our application, databases, and backups.

If you are located in the EU/EEA or UK, these subprocessors may be located outside your home jurisdiction. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent mechanisms for international transfers, as described in the International Transfers section below.

12. Children's Privacy

HouseSync is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at support@housesync.net.

Users between 13-18 should have parental consent before using the Service.

13. International Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States. These countries may have different data protection laws.

For EU/EEA users: We ensure appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) are in place for international transfers. You may request a copy of these safeguards by contacting us.

14. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

California residents have additional rights under the CCPA:

• Right to Know: What personal information we collect, use, and share
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
• Right to Opt-Out: We do not sell personal information
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights

To submit a request, email support@housesync.net with subject “CCPA Request”.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the new policy on this page with a new “Last Updated” date
• Sending you an email notification (for material changes)
• Displaying a notice in the app

Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.