Kip Haus helps people find and list verified rooms across Australia. This policy explains what we collect, why, and the choices you have. By using the Kip Haus app or kip.haus, you agree to this policy.
Who we are
Kip Haus (“we”, “us”, “our”). You can reach us at hello@kip.haus.
What we collect
- Account info — your email address (for passwordless one-time-code sign-in) and a display name.
- Listing content (hosts) — room details, price, availability, description and the photos you upload.
- Messages — inquiries and messages you exchange with hosts or renters.
- Approximate location (optional) — only if you grant permission, to show rooms near you. You can decline and search manually instead.
- Usage & device data — basic interactions and technical data needed to run and secure the service.
- IP address — we record the IP address that requests a sign-in code or files a report, and keep a short-lived count of requests per address, to stop spam and abuse. Rate-limiting records are deleted after 24 hours.
We do not collect payment details in the app (Kip Haus is currently free), and we do not sell your data.
Why we use it
- To provide the service — browsing, listing, and connecting renters with hosts.
- To verify accounts and to detect and reduce scams.
- To send one-time sign-in codes and essential service messages.
- To improve reliability, safety and support.
- To review reported content. When you report a listing, a person or a message, our moderators may read the messages in that specific conversation in order to act on the report. Every such access is written to an internal audit log. We do not read conversations that have not been reported.
Who we share it with
We use trusted providers to operate Kip Haus, and share only what’s needed for them to work:
- Nobody, for your listings and messages. Kip Haus runs on our own servers — accounts, listings, photos and conversations are stored by us, not handed to a third-party backend.
- Resend — delivers the sign-in code email. They receive your email address and the code, nothing else.
- Apple — app distribution through the App Store.
- Our hosting provider, which operates the server the data sits on.
We may disclose information if required by law, or to prevent fraud or harm.
Storage & security
Your data is stored in our own database on a server we control, encrypted in transit (HTTPS). Sign-in codes and session tokens are stored only as one-way hashes, so a copy of the database cannot be used to sign in as you. Photos are stripped of embedded camera metadata, including GPS coordinates, before they are published. Access to the moderation console requires a password and a second factor, and every action taken there is logged. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.
Your choices & rights
- Delete your account anytime in the app: Profile → Delete account. This permanently removes your account, listings, photos and messages from our database immediately — it is a deletion, not a deactivation. Reports filed about content are kept for safety, with the reporter's identity removed.
- Request access to, correction of, or a copy of your data — email hello@kip.haus.
- Turn location off anytime in your device settings.
Under the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and, where applicable, the GDPR, you have rights to access, correct and delete your personal information.
Children
Kip Haus is intended for people aged 16 and over. We don’t knowingly collect information from children under 16.
International transfers
Your data may be processed on servers outside your country (for example, our backend region). We take steps to protect it wherever it is handled.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We’ll post the updated version here with a new “last updated” date.
Contact
Questions about your privacy? Email hello@kip.haus.