This policy explains how N epoch Technologies (Pty) Ltd handles personal information in N epoch Estate Management, in line with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
Who's responsible
Each landlord decides what information about their properties, renters and staff goes into N epoch and why; for that information the landlord is the "responsible party" and we process it on their behalf. For landlord accounts themselves, people looking to rent who create a profile, and messages and feedback sent to us, we are the responsible party.
What we collect
- Account details: name, email address, phone number and password (stored only as a secure hash).
- Rental records landlords keep: units, leases, rent, charges, invoices, payments, deposits, maintenance requests, notices, letters, documents and photos, and visitor and gate access records.
- Interest in places to let: the name, contact details and message you send, and the estate office's replies.
- Reviews of an estate that renters leave: their rating, comment, and any pictures or files they add.
- Messages and feedback you send through the contact and feedback pages.
- Free trial checks, for landlords signing up: so each person gets one free trial, we compare the email, cell number, company and VAT numbers and debit order bank account you give, and the browser and internet address you sign up from, with those of earlier accounts. We keep only a scrambled, one-way copy (a keyed hash) of each, which can show the same value again but can't be turned back into it. A landlord's cell number is confirmed with a one-time code sent by WhatsApp.
- Technical information: the session cookie described in our cookie policy, and server logs (such as IP address and pages requested) kept for security and to fix problems.
We don't collect payment card details: our payment provider handles card payments.
How we use it
- To run the service: sign-in, billing, statements, notifications and emails about your account and home.
- To send newsletters: from your landlord if you rent, or from N epoch if you're a landlord. Every one has a link to unsubscribe, and unsubscribing doesn't stop emails about your account or home.
- To pass your interest in a place to let to that landlord's estate office.
- To answer your messages and improve N epoch using your feedback.
- To keep the service secure, prevent misuse and meet legal obligations.
We don't sell personal information or use it for advertising.
Who we share it with
- Your landlord's estate office, for information about your home or your interest in their places.
- Service providers who help us run N epoch, such as hosting, email delivery and payment processing, under agreements to protect it.
- Anyone who looks at that landlord's places to let, if you review your estate. Your review is public, with your rating, comment, pictures and files, your first name and last initial, and the fact that you're a verified renter; never your email, phone number or unit. Pictures have their hidden camera details, like location, taken out. PDFs are published as they are.
- Authorities, where the law requires it.
Each landlord's information is kept separate; other landlords can't see it. If a landlord pays to promote a listing, that listing (not anyone's personal information) is shown on N epoch's Find a place page.
How long we keep it
As long as the account is active, and afterwards only as long as needed for the purpose or as the law requires (for example, financial records for tax purposes), after which it's deleted. If a landlord removes you as a renter, any review you left stays, under the name "Former renter" and without its pictures and files, but the words you wrote in it stay as you wrote them. A review N epoch takes down is no longer public and its pictures and files are deleted; we keep its rating and words, and who took it down and why.
Free trial checks: the hashes of where you signed up from (browser and internet address) are deleted after 90 days. The others are kept while the landlord's account exists and for up to 24 months after it's deleted, so a deleted account can't be used to start a new trial. A match is never decided by a computer alone: the signup goes on without a trial, a person at N epoch looks at it, and you can ask us to look again.
How we protect it
Encrypted connections, hashed passwords, access limited by role, and separation between landlords. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your information, we'll tell you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
Your rights
You can ask to see the personal information held about you, to correct or delete it, or object to how it's used. For your rental records, ask your landlord's estate office first. You can also complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za.
Contact
To ask about your information or this policy, use our contact page or email info@nepoch.co.za.