Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Hausguide ("we", "us", "our"). We respect your privacy and protect your personal data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and German data protection laws, including the Telekommunikation-Telemedien-Datenschutz-Gesetz (TTDSG). This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights when visiting www.hausguide.net or interacting with us (e.g., booking a demo, contacting us, or using our widget).

2. Controller

When processing project inquiries collected via the Hausguide widget on an architect's website, Hausguide acts as a data processor for that architect, who remains the data controller.

3. Data We Collect and Process

3.1 Data you provide voluntarily

• Book a call or demo (via Cal.com)
• Contact us by email or through our forms
• Interact with us as a customer or prospect

Collected data may include: name, company, role, business email, and message.
Purpose: responding to inquiries, scheduling meetings, and managing customer relationships.
Legal basis: Art. 6 (1)(b) GDPR (contract initiation) and Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest).

3.2 Automatically collected data

When you visit our site, we process technical data such as IP address, browser type, device/OS, referrer URL, and visited pages.
Purpose: security, stability, and performance of the website.
Legal basis: Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest).

3.3 Cookies and Analytics (§ 25 TTDSG)

• Essential cookies (Cloudflare, Vercel): Needed for security and site delivery — no consent required (§ 25 (2) TTDSG).
• Analytics cookies (Google Analytics): Used only with your consent (Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR).

You can withdraw consent or manage settings anytime in your browser. Cloudflare may set cookies (e.g., __cf_bm, _cfruid) to prevent abuse and manage performance. Google Analytics tracks anonymized usage statistics and visitor interactions to improve user experience.

4. Purpose & Legal Basis

We do not sell or rent personal data.

5. Data Recipients / Processors

5.1 Data Collected via Architect Websites (Widget Use)

When you interact with the Hausguide widget embedded on an architect's website, the architect acts as the data controller and Hausguide acts as its data processor. We process the information you submit (e.g., name, email address, phone number, project details) solely on behalf of that architect to provide the discovery and lead-management services.

Purpose: Enabling the architect to review your inquiry, generate a project brief, and contact you regarding your project.
Legal basis: The architect's lawful basis for processing (typically your consent under Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR).
Storage: Data is stored securely within the Hausguide platform in the EU.
Disclosure: Hausguide does not use this information for its own marketing, profiling, or analytics beyond service operation and security.
Contact: For rights requests (access, deletion, correction) regarding your project data, please contact the architect directly. You may also contact us at privacy@hausguide.net if you believe data has been processed improperly.

We work with trusted service providers under Art. 28 GDPR, all with data processing agreements (DPAs):

6. International Data Transfers

Where data is transferred outside the EU/EEA (e.g., US, UK), we rely on adequacy decisions (e.g., UK, US-EU Data Privacy Framework) and/or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) under Art. 46 GDPR, with additional safeguards.

7. Data Retention

We retain data only as long as necessary for the stated purpose or legal obligations, then delete or anonymize it.

• Contact inquiries: up to 12 months
• CRM records: up to 24 months after last activity
• Legal retention (invoices, contracts): up to 10 years (per German law)

8. Your Rights (GDPR)

• Access (Art. 15)
• Rectification (Art. 16)
• Restriction (Art. 18)
• Data portability (Art. 20)
• Objection to processing (Art. 21)
• Withdrawal of consent at any time (Art. 7 (3))

To exercise these rights, contact privacy@hausguide.net. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures (TOMs): SSL/TLS encryption, access control, secure hosting, backups, and staff confidentiality policies.

10. Supervisory Authority

11. Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect legal, technical, or operational changes. The current version is always available at www.hausguide.net/privacy.

12. Contact