Privacy Policy
Last updated: 1 October 2026
This policy explains what personal information BuyBuild Companion collects, why, where it is kept, and your rights. BuyBuild Companion is operated by BuyBuild Companion Technologies Private Business Corporation, registration number 6917B0292026, of 1 King George Road, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe ("we", "us"). We are the data controller for the information described here, under Zimbabwe's Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07].
1. Information we collect
| Type | Examples | Why we need it |
|---|---|---|
| Account details | Name, email address, password (stored securely, never readable by us) | To create your account and keep your records private to you |
| Property details | Property nickname, location, stand number, Path, construction stage | To give guidance for your situation |
| Records you add | Documents, photos, notes, approvals, inspection records | To keep your evidence connected to your property |
| Money records | Payment amounts, currency, payee, purpose, receipts | To help you control and track spending |
| People records | Names, roles and contact details of builders, tradespeople and professionals you record | To keep a history of who worked on your property |
| Companion questions | The questions you ask and the answers given | To answer in the context of your property |
| Plan and payment details | Your chosen plan and payment status. Card and mobile-money details are handled by our payment provider, not stored by us | To provide paid features |
| Technical details | Device type, browser, app errors | To keep the service working and secure |
People you record. If you record details about another person, such as your builder, please tell them and only record what is needed.
2. How we use your information
We use your information only to provide BuyBuild Companion to you: to show your Property Path, keep your records, calculate STOP, CHECK and READY, answer your Companion questions, process payments and provide support. We do not sell your information. We do not use your records for advertising. We do not use tracking or advertising cookies on our public pages.
3. Who we share it with
We share information only with service providers who help us run BuyBuild Companion:
- Hosting and storage: Lovable Cloud, which stores your account, records and files. Our database is located in the United Kingdom (London).
- Companion guidance: Lovable's service, using a model provided by OpenAI, which processes the text of your Companion questions to produce answers. This may happen outside Zimbabwe.
- Sign-in emails: Lovable's sign-in service, which sends account emails such as password resets.
- Support email: Namecheap and Google, which deliver and store the emails you send to our @buybuildcompanion.com addresses.
- Payments: when paid plans open, Pesepay will process card and mobile payments.
We may also disclose information if required by Zimbabwean law or a court order. We never share your records with sellers, builders, agents or professionals unless you choose to share them.
4. Where your information is kept
Your information is stored and processed outside Zimbabwe, including in the United Kingdom. When this happens, we take the steps required by law to keep it protected.
5. How long we keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Account and property records | While your account is open |
| Payment and financial records | 6 years |
| Records after a paid plan ends | Kept and viewable; ending a plan does not delete your account |
| After you close your account | Deleted within 30 days, except where the law requires us to keep them |
6. How we protect it
- Your records and files are private to your account and protected by access rules.
- Files are opened through secure links that expire after a few minutes.
- Passwords are never stored in readable form.
- If a data breach is likely to put your rights at risk, we will tell you promptly. We will also report breaches to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) as the law requires.
7. Your rights
You can ask us to:
- tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy;
- correct information that is wrong;
- delete your information, subject to legal record-keeping duties;
- stop using your information for a particular purpose.
To make a request, email privacy@buybuildcompanion.com. We will reply within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, you can complain to POTRAZ, Zimbabwe's Data Protection Authority.
8. Owners living outside Zimbabwe
If you use BuyBuild Companion from another country, the laws of that country may give you additional rights.
9. Children
BuyBuild Companion is for adults managing property. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
10. Changes and contact
We will post any changes on this page and tell you about important changes by email.
Data Protection Officer: Paul Chinyoka, dpo@buybuildcompanion.com
Postal address: 1 King George Road, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe.