HABITAT POLICIES

Privacy notice

Draft updated: 29 October 2026

Who operates Habitat

Habitat is operated by William John Versfeld, a sole proprietor trading as HabitatZA, 12 Parkmore Place, Monument, Gauteng, South Africa.

Privacy, support and billing enquiries: jannie@volton.co.za.

1. Scope and purpose

This notice explains how the operator handles personal information when you visit Habitat, create an account, build campaigns, use paid services or contact us. We handle information for the purposes described below and seek to respect South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). This notice does not replace the separate notices of Google, property portals or other sites you visit.

2. Information we collect

Account and sign-in information: your name, email address, account identifiers and authentication or session information needed to secure your workspace.
Brand information: contact phone, agency or trading name, website, logo, portrait and selected colours for your branded creatives.
Campaign material: listing URLs, descriptions, property facts, location notes, photographs, generated text and images, and your campaign choices.
Billing information: selected plans, checkout references, payment status, subscription identifiers, credit transactions and cancellation records. Habitat does not receive or store your full payment-card details.
Technical and support information: request, device or browser information, error and security logs, and details you provide when asking for help.

Supply only material you are entitled to use. Avoid including occupants' private details, confidential instructions or unnecessary personal information in property descriptions or photographs.

3. How and why we use it

We use this information to authenticate users, provide and secure private workspaces, import requested listings, generate and polish marketing copy, store campaign packs, apply branding, process billing, prevent abuse and answer enquiries. Processing may be necessary to provide the service you request, comply with legal duties, pursue legitimate operational interests where lawful, or act on consent where required.

When you download or share a creative, its agent name, contact details, branding and property information are intended to be visible to its recipients. You decide where to publish or send the pack. Habitat does not automatically send campaigns to your client list.

4. Google sign-in and other providers

Clerk: account authentication, sessions and identity management. If you choose Google sign-in, Google also processes that sign-in and shares the permitted basic account information. Habitat does not receive your Google password.
OpenAI: processes property facts and text sent for requested AI copy generation or polishing. Do not put confidential or unnecessary personal information into text that you submit for AI processing.
PayFast: processes checkout, payments and recurring billing, and supplies payment confirmations and related references to Habitat.
Replit hosting, database and App Storage: host the application, store workspace records and uploaded or generated files, and support operation and security.
Listing and image sources: when you request an import or remote image, the relevant website or image host receives the request needed to retrieve that material.

These services handle information under their applicable terms and privacy notices. Their processing, retention and deletion practices also apply to copies they hold. We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect rights and security, or respond to a lawful request.

5. Storage outside South Africa and security

Hosting, authentication, AI and other providers may process or store information outside South Africa. Applicable safeguards and legal requirements for cross-border transfers must be considered when providing the service. Using Habitat is not a blanket waiver of your privacy rights.

We use authentication, access controls and secure connections to help protect information. No system is completely secure. Keep your own account secure and contact us promptly if you suspect an incident. Any legally required security-incident notices will be handled under applicable law.

6. Cookies and optional tracking

Essential authentication and browser storage support sessions, security and workspace functionality. Optional analytics or advertising tags, such as configured Google or Meta tags, load only on public marketing pages after opt-in consent. They are not intended to run in the signed-in workspace, admin, sign-in or billing pages.

These providers may receive browser, device and interaction information when their optional tags are enabled. Declining optional tracking does not prevent use of the core service. You can reopen to change your choice; withdrawal does not undo processing already lawfully performed.

7. Retention and account closure

Workspace information is generally kept while your account exists so you can use the service. An expired or cancelled subscription locks paid campaign access; it does not itself delete your account or campaigns.

To request account closure or deletion, contact jannie@volton.co.za. We will consider the request, verify identity where reasonably necessary, and delete or de-identify information no longer needed and which we are not required or permitted to retain. Billing, fraud-prevention, dispute and legally required records may need to be retained separately for the relevant purpose or statutory period.

Backups and independent provider records may follow different retention and deletion cycles. We do not promise instant deletion from every backup or third-party system. Where information must be retained, we will explain the reason where legally permitted.

8. Your rights and privacy enquiries

Subject to applicable law, you may request access to or a copy of your personal information, correction of inaccurate information, deletion where appropriate, or object to or seek restriction of certain processing. Where processing depends on consent, you may withdraw it without affecting earlier lawful processing. Some requests may affect our ability to provide the service.

Send requests or privacy complaints to jannie@volton.co.za. We may need information to verify the request, but will not ask for your account password or full card details. You may also complain to South Africa's Information Regulator.

9. Children and updates

Habitat is a professional property-marketing service intended for adults aged 18 or older. It is not designed for children. Contact us if you believe a child's information has been supplied inappropriately.

We may update this notice when our practices or providers change. Material changes will be brought to users' attention through an appropriate notice where required. The update date above identifies this draft.