Privacy Policy

1. What we collect

• Account details — your name, email address, phone number, and an avatar image if you upload one.
• Inquiries and messages — the enquiries you send owners and the messages exchanged on the platform, so both sides have a record of the conversation.
• Saved listings — the properties you shortlist.
• Call metadata — if you use in-app calling, we store who called whom, when, how long it lasted, and how it ended. We do not record call audio.
• Owner information — if you register as an owner: your business name, contact number, listing content and photos, and KYC documents you submit for verification (identity and property documents).
• Reports and support messages — anything you send us through the contact form or a report on a listing.

We do not collect card or bank details. Paid plans are not live on this platform yet; when they are, payment details will be handled by a licensed payment gateway and this policy will be updated to name it before that goes live.

2. Why we use it

To create and secure your account, show you relevant listings, deliver your enquiries and messages to the right owner, connect calls, verify owners before a listing goes live, investigate reports and fraud, and keep the service running. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not run advertising on it.

3. Who processes it

Two service providers, and only these two, handle your data on our behalf today:

• Supabase — our database, login system, and file storage. Your account, messages, listings, uploaded photos and KYC documents live here.
• Vercel — hosting, plus privacy-friendly usage analytics and performance measurement. These record page views and load times, not the contents of your account.

If you place a call through the platform, your browser also contacts Google's public STUN servers — a standard step for setting up a direct connection between two devices. They see your network address to route the call; the audio itself flows between you and the other person.

Other users see only what your profile and listings show them. An owner you contact receives your enquiry and the contact details you chose to share. Beyond that, we disclose personal data only when Indian law requires it of us.

4. How long we keep it

Account data is kept while your account is open. Ask us to delete it and we remove it, except where we are legally required to retain a record (for example a transaction or a fraud report). KYC documents are retained for as long as an owner listing is active and deleted when the owner leaves the platform.

5. Your rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 you can ask us for a copy of your data, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete your account, and withdraw consent you have given. You can update most of it yourself in your profile at any time.

To make a request, email support@hostelpups.com with "Data request" in the subject line. We acknowledge within 24 hours and complete the request within 15days. If you are unhappy with how we handle it, the full complaints process — including the designated Grievance Officer's details and how to escalate outside HostelPups — is at Grievance Redressal.

6. Cookies

We set cookies to keep you logged in and to keep your session secure. That is what they are for — we do not set advertising or cross-site tracking cookies, and there is no third-party ad network on this site. Blocking cookies will stop you being able to log in.

7. Security

Data is transmitted over HTTPS and access is restricted at the database level, so an account can only read the records that belong to it. KYC documents and verification videos are held in private storage that is not publicly readable. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your data we will notify you and the relevant authority as required by law.

8. Children

HostelPups is for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data about anyone under 18. If you believe we have, tell us and we will delete it.

9. Changes

When we add a service that touches your data — payments, SMS, or email delivery, for instance — we will name it in section 3 before it goes live, and update the date at the top of this page. Material changes will be notified to you.