Part 1
Platform privacy
This part explains how privacy works as you use HandyPros: what other people can see, and what the app does on your device.
Who we are and what this covers
HandyPros Limited ("HandyPros", "we", "us") is a company incorporated in Nigeria and the data controller for the information described here. This policy covers:
- the HandyPros mobile and web app, for both customers and professionals
- our websites, including handypros.ng
- HandyPros Hospitality, where you sign in with your HandyPros account
- enquiries about HandyPros Studio, training rooms and conference rooms
We handle personal data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and other applicable law.
The app links to Hospitality. When you open it from the app, a short-lived, one-time code signs you in, so your password is not passed to the site.
Who can see what
| Information | Who can see it |
|---|---|
| Professional's public profile: name, photo, services, rates, portfolio, intro video, ratings and reviews | Anyone browsing the platform |
| Customer's name and job details | Professionals invited to or assigned to the job |
| Customer's phone number | The assigned professional only, from 30 minutes before a confirmed start. For a confirmed job with no set time, as soon as it is confirmed |
| Professional's phone number | Not shown to customers |
| Job progress link you share with family | Anyone with the link until it expires. It shows the job reference, status, times and the professional's name, but not the address, phone number, your identity or any location |
| NIN, BVN, identity documents and bank details | Not shown to other users. Available only to authorised HandyPros staff and the providers that need them |
If you book for someone else, please make sure they are happy for you to share their name, phone number and address with us.
Chat and calls
- Chat: messages, photos, files and voice notes are stored so you can read them later. Our team may review them when handling a dispute, a safety report or a support request.
- Voice and video calls: these run through our call service and are not recorded. We keep call details such as who called, when, and how long the call lasted.
- Support: we keep your tickets and live chat conversations so we can help you and improve our service.
Location
We use your location to show nearby professionals, set a job address, match requests, and work out arrival times. It is only collected if you give the app permission.
During an active job, the professional's location is shared with the customer so they can follow the arrival. Location may also be recorded when you check in at a job or raise a safety alert. You can turn off location permission in your device settings, but some features will stop working or need you to enter an address by hand.
Device permissions
| Permission | Why we ask |
|---|---|
| Location | Finding professionals near you and tracking job arrival |
| Camera | Video calls, profile and document photos, job evidence, and the face check for professionals |
| Photos | Uploading and saving images |
| Microphone | Calls and voice notes |
| Bluetooth | Using a wireless headset during calls |
| Notifications | Job updates, messages, payments and incoming calls |
You can change these at any time in your device settings. You can also choose which notifications you get in the app.
Identity checks for professionals
To keep customers safe, professionals verify their identity before taking work. This can include their National Identification Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN), identity documents, certificates and a face check. Where available, we check the NIN against national records through an authorised verification provider.
The face check runs on the professional's own device to confirm a real person is present. We do not upload the face image or keep a face template from this check.
Safety and trust
We use ratings, reviews, reports and booking history to keep the platform safe. Reviews you leave may be public, and professionals may see trust information about a customer when deciding on a job. If you use a safety feature such as SOS, or a safety check is missed, we alert our safety team and share the job details they need to help you.
Automated matching
When a request goes out, we automatically choose which professionals to invite. We look at things like services offered, distance, availability and ratings. A customer always picks who to book. If you think an automated result has unfairly affected you, contact us and a person will review it.
Cookies and analytics
Our app and websites use cookies and similar browser storage to keep you signed in, remember your settings, and keep the app fast. The web app uses Google Analytics for Firebase to help us understand how it is used.
Our websites also load outside services that may receive your IP address and browser details: Google Fonts, content delivery networks, YouTube videos (in privacy-enhanced mode), and our live chat tool. Our "Become a Professional" form is hosted by Google Forms. You can block or clear cookies in your browser, though parts of the service may stop working.
Part 2
Data privacy
This part explains what personal data we hold, why we hold it, and your rights over it.
Information we collect
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Account | Name, email, phone number, photo, gender, date of birth, sign-in details, language and settings |
| Bookings | Saved addresses, job descriptions, photos, dates, quotes, checklists, progress, disputes, and details of anyone you book for |
| Payments | Wallet balance, transactions, tips, invoices, payment references, and subscriptions. Card details are entered with Paystack, our payment provider |
| Professional profile | Services, rates, availability, portfolio, intro video, training records and earnings |
| Verification | NIN, BVN, identity documents, certificates, health cover enrolment and verification results |
| Payout | Bank name, account name and account number |
| Communications | Chat messages, voice notes, call details, support tickets, reviews and reports |
| Location | Device location and job addresses, with your permission |
| Device and usage | Device type, notification tokens, IP address, app version, pages visited and activity logs |
| Website enquiries | Name, email, phone number and your message |
| Referrals and promotions | Referral codes, promo use and credits |
NIN, BVN and health cover details are sensitive, so we limit who can access them. You can choose not to provide some information, but we may not be able to offer every feature without it.
How we use it and why
| What we do | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Create your account, run bookings, connect customers and professionals, and support calls and chat | Contract |
| Take payments, hold funds until jobs complete, pay professionals, issue receipts and handle refunds | Contract and legal obligation |
| Verify professionals and prevent fraud | Legal obligation, legitimate interests and, where needed, consent |
| Keep users safe and resolve disputes and reports | Legitimate interests and vital interests |
| Send job, security and account messages | Contract |
| Improve the platform and fix problems | Legitimate interests |
| Send promotions and offers | Consent or legitimate interests. You can opt out at any time |
| Use your device location and camera | Consent, through your device permissions |
| Keep tax, accounting and other legal records | Legal obligation |
Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with:
- Other users, as described in Who can see what.
- Google (Firebase, Maps and Analytics): sign-in, notifications, maps, arrival times and usage analytics.
- Apple: notifications and call alerts on iPhone.
- Paystack: payments, payouts and bank account checks.
- Cloudinary: storing photos, videos and documents.
- Our business systems provider: Kreador hosts the Odoo system we use for operations, invoices, emails, support and live chat.
- Identity verification providers: checking NIN details against national records.
- Companies in the HandyPros group, such as HandyPros Hospitality, when you use their services.
- Authorities and advisers, when the law requires it, or when needed to protect people's safety or our legal rights.
- A buyer or successor, if our business is reorganised or sold. This policy would continue to protect your data.
Service providers may use your data only for the work they do for us.
International transfers
Some of our providers store or process data outside Nigeria. When this happens, we rely on a lawful transfer basis under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and take steps to make sure your data stays protected.
How long we keep it
We keep personal data only for as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy. In practice:
- Account and profile data: while your account is active.
- Booking, payment and tax records: for as long as accounting, tax and other laws require, even after you delete your account.
- Disputes, reports and safety records: until they are resolved and for as long as needed to protect people or handle legal claims.
- Website enquiries: for as long as needed to respond and follow up.
When we no longer need data, we delete it or remove anything that identifies you.
How we protect it
We protect your data with encrypted connections, secure sign-in, role-based staff access, confirmation steps for sensitive actions, and activity logs. No system is completely secure, so please keep your sign-in details private and tell us straight away if you notice anything unusual.
If a data breach is likely to put your rights at risk, we will notify the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and affected users as the law requires.
Your rights
Under Nigerian data protection law, you can ask to:
- know what data we hold about you and get a copy
- correct data that is wrong or incomplete
- delete your data
- limit or object to how we use it, including for marketing
- receive your data in a format you can pass to another provider
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting what we did before
- have a person review decisions made solely by automated means
Many details can be changed in the app. For anything else, contact us. We may need to confirm your identity first, and some requests may be limited by the law.
If you are not happy with how we handled your request, you can complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.
Deleting your account
You can delete your account from your account settings in the app. You can also email [email protected] from the address on your account.
- Active bookings must be finished or cancelled, and held payments must be settled, before you can delete.
- Withdraw your wallet balance first, because it cannot be recovered afterwards.
- Deletion is permanent. We may keep some records where the law requires it, as explained in How long we keep it.
Children
HandyPros is for people aged 18 or over, or those using it with a parent or guardian's consent. We do not knowingly collect children's data without that consent. If you think a child has given us their data, contact us and we will deal with it promptly.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as our services or the law change. We will update the date at the top of this page and tell you in the app or by email about important changes.
Contact us
For privacy questions or requests, contact our Data Protection Officer:
Data Protection Officer, HandyPros Limited
Floor 8B, Sapetro Tower, 1 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria