Privacy Policy

Dwell Cloud operates a residential contractor-bidding marketplace. Homeowners post renovation projects, verified contractors submit competitive bids, and payments are held in milestone-based escrow. This policy covers information we handle in the course of running that marketplace and our marketing website.

Dwell Cloud Inc. is the data controller for the personal information described here. Our registered office is at [CONFIRM: registered business address]. This policy does not cover the practices of contractors, homeowners, or third-party services that have their own relationship with you and their own privacy policies.

We collect information in three ways.

Information you provide to us

• Account and profile details — name, email address, phone number, password, role (homeowner or contractor), and, for contractors, business name, service area, and trades.
• Project information — the details, photos, documents, budgets, and timelines you upload when posting a project or submitting a bid.
• Property and address information — the addresses of properties you manage or post projects for.
• Verification information (contractors) — see Contractor Verification Data below.
• Communications — messages you send through the platform, clarification questions, dispute submissions, and any message you send us (including through our contact form: name, email, role, subject, and message).
• Reviews and ratings you leave or receive.

Information we collect automatically

• Device and usage data — IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages viewed, and interactions with the Services.
• Log data — server logs, including timestamps and the IP address used for security and abuse-prevention measures such as rate limiting.
• Cookies and similar technologies — see Cookies and Analytics.

Information from third parties

• Identity and verification providers that help us confirm government-issued ID, business insurance, and business registration details.
• Payment processor (Stripe) — confirmation of bank account connection and payout status.
• Public business profiles — information from Google Business Profiles, Facebook business pages, and business websites submitted for verification.

We use personal information to:

• Create and manage your account and provide the Services;
• Match homeowners' projects with relevant verified contractors and enable bidding, hiring, and messaging;
• Verify contractor identity, insurance, and business presence, and display verification status;
• Process payments, hold funds in escrow, release milestone payments, and collect our platform fee through our payment processor;
• Facilitate change orders, disputes, and their resolution;
• Communicate with you about your account, projects, transactions, and support requests;
• Send you service-related and, where permitted, marketing communications (you can opt out of marketing at any time);
• Maintain the safety, security, and integrity of the Services, including fraud prevention and abuse detection;
• Analyze and improve the Services; and
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our agreements.

We rely on the following bases for processing, as applicable: to perform our contract with you, your consent, our legitimate business interests, and compliance with legal obligations. [CONFIRM: legal bases and framing appropriate to the jurisdictions you operate in.]

To join as a contractor, you complete a six-point verification. This can include sensitive information such as a government-issued photo ID, proof of active business insurance, and bank account confirmation (through Stripe). We use this information only to verify your identity and eligibility, to display your verification status to homeowners, to monitor insurance validity, and to meet legal and safety obligations.

We limit access to verification documents to personnel and providers who need it for those purposes, and we retain them only as long as necessary (see Data Retention). [CONFIRM: exact handling, storage, and retention of ID documents with counsel and your verification provider.]

Payments and escrow are handled by Stripe. When you make or receive a payment, your payment details are collected and processed by Stripe under its own terms and privacy policy. Dwell Cloud does not store full payment card numbers. We receive limited information such as transaction status, the last four digits of a card, and payout confirmations needed to operate escrow and our fee.

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as described here:

• Between users — to make the marketplace work. While a project is collecting bids, contractors see your general location (neighborhood or city), not your exact address. Once you hire a contractor, that contractor receives your full project address. A contractor's profile, verification badges, ratings, and portfolio are visible to homeowners.
• Service providers — payment processing (Stripe), identity and insurance verification, hosting and infrastructure, analytics, email delivery, and customer support, who process information on our behalf under contract.
• For legal reasons — to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, enforce our Terms, or protect the rights, safety, and property of Dwell Cloud, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers — in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to this policy.
• With your direction or consent — where you ask us to share information or otherwise agree.

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, and understand how the Services are used. Where enabled, we use Google Analytics 4 to measure website traffic and usage; it sets its own cookies and processes data under Google's policies. Our marketing website loads analytics only when configured to do so.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics using Google's opt-out tools. [CONFIRM: whether a cookie-consent banner is required for your audience and add one if so.]

We keep personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Services, then for as long as necessary to meet legal, tax, accounting, dispute-resolution, and fraud-prevention obligations. Retention periods vary by data type. [CONFIRM: specific retention periods, especially for verification documents and transaction records.] When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it.

We use administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information, including encryption in transit, access controls, and use of reputable providers such as Stripe for payments. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a breach affecting your information, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, update, or delete your personal information, to withdraw consent, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to request a copy of your information. Canadian users have rights under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, in British Columbia, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). [CONFIRM: which privacy frameworks apply to your users, including any US state laws, and adjust these rights accordingly.]

• Access and correction — you can view and update most account information in your settings, or contact us.
• Deletion — you can ask us to close your account and delete your information, subject to records we must keep by law.
• Marketing — you can opt out of marketing emails using the unsubscribe link or by contacting us. We will still send essential service messages.

To exercise any right, contact us at privacy@dwellcloud.io. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. You also have the right to complain to your local privacy regulator.

The Services are intended for adults and are not directed to children. You must be at least the age of majority in your province or state (18 or 19, depending on location) to use the Services. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

We and our service providers may store and process personal information in Canada, the United States, and other countries. Where information is transferred across borders, it may be subject to the laws of those countries, and we take steps to protect it consistent with this policy and applicable law. [CONFIRM: primary data-hosting locations and any cross-border transfer safeguards.]

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date above and, where appropriate, notify you. Your continued use of the Services after an update means you accept the revised policy.

For questions about this policy or to exercise your privacy rights, contact our privacy team at privacy@dwellcloud.io, or write to us at [CONFIRM: mailing address for privacy inquiries]. [CONFIRM: name/title of privacy officer if required.]