Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how HomeGo (“we”, “us”) collects, uses, stores, and shares personal data when you use our peer-to-peer house-exchange Platform. It also includes our Cookie Policy in Section 10.

HomeGo is built around a simple principle stated on our About page: we do not sell your name, address, or travel history. The Platform earns from the 10% fee on the €50 exchange deposit — that is the revenue line, not advertising or data brokerage.

By creating an account or using the Platform, you acknowledge this Policy. For how membership and exchanges work contractually, see our Terms of Service.

HomeGo is the controller of personal data processed through the Platform for account, listing, messaging, exchange, and moderation purposes. For privacy requests, contact privacy@homego.app.

Where we use processors (for example hosting, authentication, or payment providers), they process data on our instructions under appropriate agreements. They are not permitted to sell your data for their own advertising.

Account data: email address, password (stored in hashed or provider-managed form), display name, chosen role (host), and optional profile fields such as bio and location.

Verification data: when required before a first exchange, identity documents or checks needed to confirm you are a real adult member. We retain verification status and only what is necessary to complete the check.

Listing data: property title, description, city, country, bedrooms, guest capacity, amenities, photos you upload, availability dates, and whether the listing is active.

Exchange and messaging data: exchange requests (parties, properties, proposed dates, status), message thread contents, deposit and fee status, completion marks, cancellations, blocks, and reports you file about users or listings.

Technical and session data: device/browser type, approximate logs needed for security, and session identifiers so you stay signed in. In the current product, session and demo store state may be kept in browser local storage; see Section 10 for cookies and similar technologies.

We do not require payment-card numbers to be typed into HomeGo itself when a third-party processor collects them; those details are handled by the processor under their privacy notice.

Most data comes directly from you: signup forms, listings, messages, and dispute evidence you upload.

Some data is generated by your use of the Platform (request status changes, timestamps, moderator case notes).

If another member mentions you in a report or message, we may process that information to investigate safety or Terms issues.

To create and secure your account, authenticate you, and show the correct host or admin views.

To publish and search listings, match exchange requests, deliver messages, and record deposits, fees, and refunds.

To run identity checks, prevent fraud and abuse, enforce the Terms, and operate regional moderation and dispute resolution (including reviewing messages when a report is filed).

To send service communications (account, exchange status, security alerts). We do not sell personal data or share it with advertisers for targeted ads.

To improve reliability and understand aggregate usage (for example which cities are popular) in forms that do not require selling individual profiles.

To comply with law, respond to lawful requests, and protect the rights and safety of members and HomeGo.

Where GDPR or equivalent rules apply, we rely on: (a) performance of a contract — providing exchange tools you request; (b) legitimate interests — securing the Platform, moderating abuse, improving features in a privacy-respecting way; (c) consent — where we ask for it (for example non-essential cookies, if introduced); and (d) legal obligation — where we must retain or disclose data.

You may withdraw consent where processing is consent-based, without affecting prior lawful processing. You may object to legitimate-interest processing in certain cases; see Section 9.

Other members see information you choose to make public on listings and profiles (display name, listing details, photos). Participants in an exchange see relevant request details and messages in that thread.

Moderators and admins may access reports, related messages, and listing data when investigating disputes or safety issues.

Service providers (hosting, auth, email, payments) process data as needed to run HomeGo. We do not sell personal data.

We may disclose information if required by law, to protect rights and safety, or in connection with a merger or restructuring — with notice where legally required.

We keep account and listing data while your account is active. After deletion requests, we remove or anonymize personal data within a reasonable period, except records we must keep longer for disputes, fees, fraud prevention, or legal compliance (for example exchange and deposit history).

Message and report content tied to open or recent disputes may be retained until the case is closed and any appeal window has passed.

We use industry-standard measures appropriate to a small cooperative platform (access controls, encrypted transport, limited admin access). No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure; use a strong unique password and contact us if you suspect unauthorized access.

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data; to restrict or object to certain processing; and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

You may update profile and listing information in your account. For export or deletion beyond self-serve controls, email privacy@homego.app from the address on your account. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling the request.

Deleting your account may be delayed while an accepted exchange or open dispute is unresolved. Public listing content will be taken down when deletion completes.

You can block users and control who messages you. You cannot use privacy settings to erase another member’s legitimate copy of messages already delivered to them, except through lawful deletion processes we operate.

This section is HomeGo’s Cookie Policy. It covers cookies and similar technologies (local storage, session storage, pixels) used on the Platform.

What we use today: HomeGo relies primarily on essential storage to keep you signed in and to remember application state needed for the service to function (for example session identifiers and client-side store data in local storage). These technologies are required for login, browsing your host dashboard, messaging, and completing exchanges. Without them, core features would not work.

Cookies that may appear: essential cookies or cookie-like identifiers may be set by us or by infrastructure/auth providers to maintain a secure session, balance load, or remember a basic UI preference (such as sidebar state in admin tooling). We do not use advertising cookies, social-media tracking pixels for ads, or cross-site marketing profiles.

Categories: (1) Strictly necessary — authentication, security, load balancing, fraud prevention, and storing consent choices; (2) Functional — optional preferences that improve usability but are not required to exchange homes; (3) Analytics — only if we later enable privacy-respecting, aggregated analytics, which we would describe here and, where required, request consent before setting non-essential cookies.

Your choices: Browser controls let you block or delete cookies and clear local storage. Blocking all storage will sign you out and may break listing and messaging flows. Where we introduce non-essential cookies, we will provide a consent mechanism and honor withdrawal of consent.

Third parties: Payment or identity providers may set their own essential cookies when you complete checkout or verification on their pages. Those cookies are governed by the provider’s policy as well as this one for our use of their services.

Do Not Track: There is no uniform industry standard for DNT signals; we treat privacy through the practices in this Policy rather than interpreting DNT alone.

HomeGo is for adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact privacy@homego.app and we will delete it.

Members and infrastructure may be located in different countries. When we transfer personal data internationally, we use appropriate safeguards required by applicable law (such as standard contractual clauses) where needed.

We may update this Privacy Policy (including the Cookie Policy) to reflect product, legal, or operational changes. We will revise the “Last updated” date and, for material changes, provide additional notice where appropriate.

Questions, requests, or complaints: privacy@homego.app. For contractual questions about exchanges and fees, see the Terms of Service or contact legal@homego.app.