POPIA / POPI Act Policy

1. Purpose of This Policy

The purpose of this policy is to explain:

• what personal information HomeMapr processes;
• why we process it;
• how we protect it;
• when we share it;
• how users can exercise their POPIA rights;
• how HomeMapr manages privacy and data protection obligations.

2. Categories of Data Subjects

HomeMapr may process personal information relating to:

• website visitors;
• registered users;
• property sellers;
• property buyers;
• landlords;
• tenants;
• estate agents;
• developers;
• service providers;
• payment customers;
• marketing subscribers;
• employees, contractors, and business contacts;
• representatives of companies or agencies.

3. Personal Information We Process

HomeMapr may process the following categories of personal information:

• identity information — full name, ID number (where required);
• contact information — email address, telephone number, physical address;
• account credentials — username, password (stored in encrypted form);
• property information — listing details, property addresses, photographs;
• financial information — billing details, payment transaction references;
• professional information — FFC numbers for estate agents, company registration details;
• usage data — IP address, browser type, pages visited, device information;
• communication records — enquiries submitted, messages sent via the platform;
• marketing preferences — newsletter subscriptions, alert settings.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under POPIA, HomeMapr processes personal information on the following lawful bases:

• consent — where you have given express consent (e.g. marketing communications, cookie preferences);
• contract — where processing is necessary to provide our services to you (e.g. managing your account or property listing);
• legal obligation — where we are required to process information to comply with South African law;
• legitimate interest — where processing is necessary for HomeMapr's legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.

5. Special Personal Information

HomeMapr does not intentionally collect special personal information as defined under POPIA (e.g. race, health, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, criminal history). If such information is inadvertently submitted, we will delete it promptly.

Where processing of special personal information is unavoidable (e.g. for employment purposes), we will seek explicit consent and apply additional safeguards.

6. How We Use Personal Information

Personal information collected by HomeMapr is used to:

• create and manage user accounts;
• publish and manage property listings;
• facilitate enquiries between buyers, sellers, tenants, and agents;
• process payments and subscriptions;
• send service-related notifications (e.g. listing approvals, enquiry responses);
• send marketing communications where consent has been given;
• comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
• detect, prevent, and respond to fraud or security threats;
• improve platform performance through analytics.

7. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Information

HomeMapr does not sell personal information. We may share information in the following circumstances:

• with agents, sellers, or landlords when an enquiry is submitted;
• with third-party service providers (e.g. payment processors, cloud hosting, email services) who are contractually bound to handle information securely;
• with advertising partners on the platform, only to the extent a user interacts with their content;
• with regulatory authorities or law enforcement where required by law;
• in the event of a corporate merger, acquisition, or restructuring, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections.

8. Cross-Border Transfers

HomeMapr may use service providers located outside of South Africa (e.g. cloud infrastructure, analytics tools). Where personal information is transferred cross-border, we ensure that:

• the recipient country provides an adequate level of protection; or
• the recipient is bound by a binding agreement that imposes POPIA-equivalent obligations; or
• you have consented to the transfer.

9. Information Security Safeguards

HomeMapr implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access, disclosure, interference, or destruction. These include:

• encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS);
• password hashing and secure credential storage;
• role-based access controls for staff;
• regular security assessments;
• secure cloud infrastructure with access logging.

10. Retention of Personal Information

HomeMapr retains personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information:

• account information — retained for the duration of the account and up to 5 years after closure;
• transaction records — retained for a minimum of 5 years for tax and regulatory purposes;
• enquiry and communication records — retained for up to 3 years;
• marketing preferences — retained until consent is withdrawn.

11. Rights of Data Subjects

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• be informed that your personal information is being collected and processed;
• access the personal information we hold about you;
• request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information;
• request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention obligations;
• object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds;
• withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent;
• lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

12. Information Officer

HomeMapr has appointed an Information Officer as required by POPIA. The Information Officer is responsible for ensuring compliance with POPIA and handling data subject requests and complaints.

13. Complaints to the Information Regulator

If you believe HomeMapr has not handled your personal information in accordance with POPIA, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:

14. Changes to This Policy

HomeMapr may update this POPIA Policy periodically to reflect changes in law, regulation, or our business practices. The updated policy will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy regularly.