Privacy Policy
Properties Haven Ltd ("Haven", "we", "us") operates the Haven platform at propertieshaven.com. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why and on what legal basis we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights you have under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. The short version: we collect what we need to run a property marketplace, we verify people (never listings), we don't sell your data, and everything optional is your choice.
1. Who we are
Properties Haven Ltd, a company registered in Nigeria with its place of business in Port Harcourt, Nigeria ("Haven", "we", "us"), is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. You can reach us at support@propertieshaven.com, or hi@propertieshaven.com for general questions. This policy covers the Haven platform — the website at propertieshaven.com, our email, SMS, and WhatsApp communications, and our WhatsApp listing service. It applies to everyone who uses Haven: buyers and renters, property owners, agents, and companies. We process personal data under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission's General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025.
2. The data we collect
Account and profile data — your name, email address, phone number, password (stored only as a secure hash), profile photo, account type, and for professionals your bio, service areas, and experience. Verification data (agents, companies, and owners) — your National Identification Number (NIN), CAC registration number for companies, state licence details, and verification documents you upload. Where our licensed verification partner matches your NIN against your identity record, that check can involve biometric matching, which is sensitive personal data under the NDPA — we request it only with your consent and only to verify you. Listings and content — the photos, videos, descriptions, prices, and property locations you publish, plus reviews and reports you submit. Communications — inquiries and messages sent through the platform, inspection bookings, reservation interests, messages you exchange with our WhatsApp listing service, and correspondence with our support team. Preferences — saved searches and your search brief, favourites, follows, and notification settings. Usage and technical data — pages and listings you view, searches you run, contact-detail reveals, an anonymous session identifier, device and browser information, IP address, and your approximate location (country, region, city) derived from network headers when events are recorded. We use browser storage and similar technologies to collect some of this — see our Cookie Policy for the full list.
3. Where your data comes from
Most data comes directly from you — when you register, verify, publish a listing, send an inquiry, or message us on WhatsApp. Some comes from third parties: if you sign in with Google, Google sends us your name, email address, and profile picture; if you import a listing from Instagram, we receive the content of the post you point us to; our verification partner returns the result of NIN and CAC checks; and our infrastructure providers supply technical data such as approximate location. Some data is generated by your use of the platform — for example view and search events, and the personalisation signals described in section 5. If you include another person's details in content you submit (for example a landlord's contact in a listing), you must have their permission, and this policy applies to that data too.
4. How we use your data — and our lawful bases
To provide the platform (lawful basis: performance of a contract) — creating and running your account, publishing listings, delivering inquiries and messages between you and other users, inspection bookings, saved searches, favourites, follows, and transactional notifications such as inquiry replies and alert emails you have subscribed to. To verify professionals and meet legal duties (lawful bases: legal obligation and consent for sensitive checks) — verifying the identity of agents, companies, and owners through licensed partners, keeping verification records, and cooperating with regulators and law enforcement, including under Nigeria's Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022. To keep Haven safe and improve it (lawful basis: legitimate interests, assessed so they never override your rights) — detecting and preventing fraud and spam, moderating content, securing accounts, measuring which features and listings are used (including through a product-analytics service configured conservatively: no automatic click-tracking, personal fields stripped from events before they are sent, and you can block or clear it at any time — see our Cookie Policy), fixing problems, and producing aggregated, non-identifying statistics for listers (for example how many people viewed a listing and from which state — never who). With your consent (lawful basis: consent, withdrawable at any time) — marketing communications and sensitive verification checks. Where we rely on consent, refusing it never blocks you from browsing or inquiring. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use your data to let third parties profile you for advertising.
5. AI, personalisation & automated decisions
Haven uses automated systems in three ways. First, AI helps listers create listings — extracting details from text and photos sent on WhatsApp or imported from Instagram; the lister must review and confirm the output before publishing. Second, we personalise what you see — your views, searches, and saves shape your For You feed, recommendations, and match alerts. Third, automated checks help us screen content and detect fraud. No decision with legal or similarly significant effect on you is made solely by a machine: verification outcomes and enforcement actions involve human review. If you believe an automated system has affected you significantly — for example a listing removed by automated moderation — you can ask us to have a human review it, express your point of view, and contest the decision. You can also object to profiling for personalisation by adjusting your notification and preference settings or contacting us.
7. International transfers
Some of the providers in section 6 store or process data outside Nigeria — for example our analytics provider processes data in the United States, and our hosting, media, and AI providers operate infrastructure in the United States and Europe. When personal data leaves Nigeria we rely on the safeguards permitted by sections 41–43 of the NDPA: contractual data-protection clauses with the recipient, transfers to jurisdictions offering adequate protection, or — where neither applies — your informed consent after being told of any risks. We keep a record of the basis for each transfer, as the NDPA requires.
8. How long we keep your data
Account, profile, and preference data — for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymise this data within 6 months, except where the law requires longer. Verification and KYC records — kept for the period required by anti-money-laundering and identity-verification law, generally up to 5 years after the relationship ends. Listings and public content — while published, and afterwards in backups and records for fraud prevention and legal compliance. Messages and inquiries are retained while your account is active because they document dealings between users, and afterwards only as needed for disputes, fraud prevention, and legal claims. Usage events and analytics — kept in identifiable form only as long as needed for the statistics they power, then deleted or aggregated. Where no specific legal period applies, our rule follows the GAID: storage lapses no later than 6 months after the purpose is accomplished, unless the data is needed for legal claims or due diligence.
9. How we protect your data
We encrypt data in transit (HTTPS), store passwords only as secure hashes, sign authentication tokens, restrict staff and administrative access to what each role needs, and log administrative actions. Verification documents and identity data are held with stricter access controls than ordinary profile data. No platform can promise perfect security, so if we suffer a breach likely to risk your rights, we will notify the Nigeria Data Protection Commission within 72 hours as the NDPA requires, and tell you directly and promptly if the risk to you is high. Do your part: use a strong password, never share one-time codes, and tell us immediately at support@propertieshaven.com if you suspect your account is compromised.
10. Your rights
Under Part VI of the NDPA you have the right to: • confirm whether we process your data and access a copy in a commonly used electronic format; • correct inaccurate or incomplete data; • delete your data (the "right to be forgotten"); • restrict processing while a dispute or objection is resolved; • withdraw consent at any time, as easily as you gave it, without affecting past processing; • object to processing — including an absolute right to object to direct marketing; • not be subject to solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effect, and to obtain human review of automated decisions; • data portability — receive your data and have it transmitted to another controller where technically feasible; • lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (section 16). Exercising these rights is free. Email support@propertieshaven.com with the subject "Data request"; we will verify your identity and respond without unreasonable delay — within 30 days at the latest. You can also delete your account directly from your account settings, and correct most profile data yourself.
11. Marketing & communication choices
Transactional messages — inquiry replies, security codes, and account notices — are part of the service and are sent as long as you have an account. Everything else is your choice: new-match and price-drop alerts follow the search brief and notification settings you control in your dashboard; follow alerts are sent only for agents and companies you chose to follow; and you can turn each notification type off in settings or via the unsubscribe link in the email. We will not send you third-party marketing, and if you object to direct marketing we stop — no exceptions, as the NDPA requires.
13. Children
Haven is for adults: you must be at least 18 to create an account, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account or that we hold a child's data, contact support@propertieshaven.com and we will delete it.
14. Identity verification & anti-money-laundering
Real-estate agents, brokers, and developers are designated non-financial businesses under Nigeria's Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, and Haven verifies the identity of the agents and companies on the platform through licensed verification partners before granting a verified badge. This processing rests on our legal obligations and, for sensitive checks such as biometric NIN matching, on your consent. We keep verification records for the legally required period, and we report and disclose to SCUML, the NFIU, the EFCC, and other authorities where the law requires. Haven does not process payments, so we do not hold transaction records between buyers and sellers — but we cooperate fully with lawful investigations into activity conducted through the platform.
15. Changes to this policy
We review this policy as the platform and the law evolve, and update the "Last updated" date whenever it changes. For material changes — new categories of data, new purposes, or new recipients — we will give you clear advance notice on the platform or by email before the change takes effect.
16. Contact, DPO & complaints
Data requests, privacy questions, and grievances: support@propertieshaven.com (subject "Data request" or "Privacy"), marked for the attention of the Data Protection Officer. We aim to acknowledge grievances promptly and resolve them through our internal remediation process before you need to go further. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) at ndpc.gov.ng. Properties Haven Ltd · Port Harcourt, Nigeria · support@propertieshaven.com