Privacy Policy
1. Who this policy covers, and two different roles
ZIO.HOMES ("we", "us") provides software that letting agents and portfolio landlords ("agencies", "you" if you run one) use to handle enquiries from their own tenants and landlords ("end customers") by WhatsApp, email, voice and a web portal.
We act in two different capacities, and which one applies changes what this policy means for you:
- As a data controller — for an agency's own account, billing and setup information (business name, principal contact details, subscription plan, payment records). If you're an agency, this policy describes our own handling of that data.
- As a data processor — for the messages, contact details and case history of an agency's own end customers, processed strictly on that agency's instructions to run their desk. The agency is the data controller for that data; we process it under a data processing agreement with them. If you're an end customer who has messaged an agency using ZIO and you have a request about your own data, contact that agency directly — they control it, not us, and can direct us to act on your request.
2. What we collect and why
| Category | Examples | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account & billing | Business name, principal's name/email/mobile, subscription plan, Stripe payment records | Running the account, taking payment, support |
| Connected-service credentials | WhatsApp/mailbox/voice/payroll API tokens an agency enters in its setup wizard | Letting the product actually send and receive on the agency's behalf. Encrypted at rest; never shown again once saved. |
| Conversation data (processed for an agency, not by us for our own purposes) | Message content and contact details from an agency's own tenants/landlords, across WhatsApp, email, voice and the web portal; call recordings where an agency has switched them on | Triage, drafting replies, scheduling, payroll prep, reporting back to the agency — the actual service. May be sent to our AI model provider to generate a reply (see §4); a human at the agency reviews anything the autonomy setting holds back. |
| Usage & technical data | Message/call volumes for billing, error logs, IP address on public endpoints (used only for abuse-rate-limiting, never stored against a message) | Billing accuracy, keeping the service reliable and secure |
3. How we protect it
- Every agency's operational data lives in its own isolated database — nothing is shared between agencies.
- Connected-service credentials (API keys, tokens) are encrypted at rest and never returned by any screen or API once saved.
- Every login credential this product issues — invite links, one-time codes, session cookies, setup links — is stored only as a one-way hash, the same principle as password storage: a database read alone is never enough to sign in as someone.
- Traffic to the service runs over HTTPS; the service also sets standard browser security headers (HSTS, a content security policy, clickjacking protection) on every response.
- Public, unauthenticated endpoints (sign-up, sign-in, link-recovery) are rate-limited against abuse.
4. Who we share data with
We use the following categories of sub-processor. Some are used by ZIO.HOMES for every account (marked platform); others are only engaged when a specific agency connects that channel themselves (marked per-agency, agency's own account) — in the latter case, that provider is processing data under the agency's own agreement with them as much as ours.
- AI model provider (Anthropic) — platform. Message content is sent to generate draft replies and triage decisions.
- Payments (Stripe) — platform, for agencies on a paid plan. Handles card details directly; we never see or store a full card number.
- Error tracking (Sentry) — platform, optional. Configured not to receive request bodies or other personal data by default.
- Outbound email delivery — platform, optional, for account-level emails like a setup link (not an agency's own customer correspondence).
- WhatsApp (Meta) — per-agency, agency's own WhatsApp Business account.
- Mailbox (Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) — per-agency, agency's own mailbox account.
- Voice (Twilio) — per-agency, agency's own account.
- Payroll provider — per-agency, agency's own account; only for agencies using the staff/payroll features.
We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it for advertising.
5. International transfers
Some of the providers above may process data outside the UK/EEA (the AI model provider and some hosting infrastructure, in particular). Where that happens, we rely on the provider's own standard contractual clauses or an equivalent recognised transfer mechanism. FOUNDER TO CONFIRM: the specific transfer mechanism relied on for each sub-processor above, once contracts are in place.
6. How long we keep data
Each agency's own data retention period is configurable (730 days by default) and applies to that agency's conversation and case data. Account and billing records are kept as long as needed for tax and accounting obligations after an account closes. FOUNDER TO CONFIRM: the retention figure has been chosen against a documented lawful-basis/DPIA assessment, not just the technical default.
7. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or receive a copy of your personal data, and to object to some kinds of processing.
- End customer of an agency: contact that agency first — they control your data and can instruct us to act on it.
- Agency account holder: contact us directly at FOUNDER TO CONFIRM: privacy contact email.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk, the UK's independent supervisory authority for data protection.
8. Cookies
The tenant portal sets one functional, strictly-necessary session cookie to keep you signed in — nothing else, no advertising or analytics cookies, no cross-site tracking.
9. Children
This service is directed at businesses and their adult customers, not at children.
10. Changes to this policy
We'll update the date at the top of this page when this policy changes and, for material changes, tell account holders directly.
11. Contact us
FOUNDER TO CONFIRM: registered company name
FOUNDER TO CONFIRM: company number (Companies House)
FOUNDER TO CONFIRM: registered office address
FOUNDER TO CONFIRM: ICO registration number
Email: FOUNDER TO CONFIRM: privacy contact email