BuilderLane.com (“BuilderLane”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and safeguard your personal information when you use our website and services. We adhere to applicable data protection laws in India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and relevant rules, and aim to comply with global best practices (such as GDPR) as we expand our services internationally. By using BuilderLane, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please refrain from using our site.
1. Information We Collect
We may collect several types of information from and about users of our site:
- Personal Information: This is information that can identify you as an individual. For example, when you register an account, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and a password. If you list a property or service, we may collect additional contact details like your address or business name. When you contact us for support or send an inquiry through the site, we collect the information you provide (including email and any other contact method you use).
- Property/Service Listing Information: If you create a listing, the details about the property or service (location, description, price, images) are stored and displayed publicly to other users.
- Automatically Collected Information: Like many websites, we use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect certain information automatically. This may include your IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed, how long you spend on pages, and referring website information. This data helps us analyze user behavior and improve our site functionality and performance.
- Transactional Information: If you purchase a paid service on BuilderLane (such as a premium listing package), we may collect information necessary to process the transaction. This might include your payment method details. Note that for security, we often use third-party payment gateways (e.g., Razorpay, Stripe, etc.) – we do not store your full credit card information on our servers.
- Communication Records: We may keep records of communications and correspondence you have with us (for example, support emails to info@builderlane.com) or communications facilitated through our site (like messages between buyers and sellers through our interface).
We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data (such as passwords to other services, financial information not related to our transactions, biometric data, etc.) unless necessary for a specific service and with your consent. Please avoid submitting any personal data that is not asked for by the platform.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the collected information for various purposes to operate and enhance our services, including:
- To Provide and Personalize the Service: We use personal and listing information to display content on our site – for example, showing your property listing to other users, or showing you listings relevant to your location or preferences. We may personalize search results or recommendations based on your past activity.
- For Communication: Your contact information (email, phone) is used to send you account verification emails, notifications about inquiries or responses on your listings, updates about changes to our services or policies, and, if you opt-in, promotional messages like newsletters or special offers. (You can unsubscribe from promotional emails at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link or contacting us.)
- Transaction Processing: If you make payments on our site, we use your information to process those transactions, send receipts, and maintain transaction records. For instance, if you buy a feature, we’ll use your details to bill you and send confirmation.
- Customer Support: When you reach out with questions or concerns, we will use your information to respond and resolve issues. This helps us track problems and improve user support.
- Improvement and Analytics: Automatically collected data (and cookies) are used to understand how users use our site. We analyze this to troubleshoot performance issues, optimize site layout and features, and improve the user experience. For example, we might observe that users from a particular city often search for “plots” – this insight could guide us to improve that search process or content.
- Security and Fraud Prevention: We may use information (like IP addresses or user account behavior) to monitor for suspicious or fraudulent activity and to protect the integrity of our platform. If we detect potential fraud or misuse, we may use the data to block or investigate such activities.
- Legal Compliance: In certain cases, we may need to use or disclose your information to comply with legal obligations under Indian law, or to enforce our Terms of Use and other agreements. For example, responding to a lawful subpoena or government request, or using data to resolve disputes or enforce our rights.
3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
BuilderLane uses cookies, which are small text files placed on your device, and similar technologies (like web beacons, pixels, and analytic scripts) to collect information as you navigate the site. We have a detailed Cookie Policy (below) that explains the categories of cookies we use and your choices. In summary:
- Some cookies are essential for the site to function (for example, keeping you logged in as you browse different pages).
- Others help us remember your preferences (so that, for instance, we recall your filter settings or language selection).
- We also use analytics cookies (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand site traffic and usage patterns. These tell us things like which pages are most visited, how users are finding our site, etc., but they do not identify you personally.
- If we use any advertising or third-party integrations, those may set cookies too (for example, if we ever show Google Maps for property locations, Google might set its own cookies).
By using our site, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. You can control cookies through your browser settings or other tools, but note that disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality (like staying logged in or maintaining your search criteria).
4. Sharing and Disclosure of Information
We understand the importance of keeping your information private. We do not sell your personal data to third parties. However, we may share information in the following scenarios:
- With Other Users: If you are a seller or service provider, the contact information you choose to display on your listings (phone number, name, etc.) will be visible to users who view your listings so that they can contact you. Likewise, if you send an inquiry to a listing, the recipient will see your provided contact details. Essentially, any information you post publicly on the platform (including in listings or profile) is available to others by design.
- With Service Providers: We employ trusted third-party companies and individuals to help us provide our services (e.g., website hosting, payment processing, email delivery, analytics). These service providers have access to the personal information needed to perform their functions but are contractually obligated not to use it for other purposes. For example, our payment gateway will receive your payment details to process a transaction, or our email service provider will use your email to send verification codes.
- Legal Obligations and Protection: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) comply with a legal obligation, court order, or request from government authorities, (b) protect and defend our rights or property, (c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users or the public, or (d) protect against legal liability. For instance, if law enforcement provides a lawful order to provide information about a user involved in fraudulent activity, we will comply.
- Business Transfers: If BuilderLane is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or reorganization (unlikely as it may be, but possible in the future), user information might be transferred to the successor or new owner as part of that deal. If such a transfer occurs, we will ensure the new entity continues to handle your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy (or we will notify users if changes to the policy will be made by the successor).
- With Your Consent: Apart from the cases above, we will request your explicit consent before sharing any of your personal information with third parties for purposes not covered by this Privacy Policy. For example, if we ever want to feature your success story or testimonial on our blog, we’d ask your permission to use your name or photo.
5. Data Security
We take data security seriously at BuilderLane. We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
- Using HTTPS encryption for data transfer on our site (so your data is encrypted as it travels between your browser and our servers).
- Storing sensitive information (like passwords) in encrypted form. (Note: We never store plaintext passwords; they are hashed.)
- Regularly updating our systems and applying security patches to guard against vulnerabilities.
- Restricting access to personal information to authorized employees and contractors who need to know that information to operate our services. These parties are bound by confidentiality obligations.
However, it’s important to understand that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. Users are responsible for keeping their account credentials (username and password) secure and not sharing them with others. If you suspect any unauthorized access to your account or any breach of security, please contact us immediately at info@builderlane.com so we can assist.
6. Your Rights and Choices
Access and Correction: You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you. You can do this by logging into your account and viewing your profile or settings. If any information is incorrect or has changed (for example, you got a new phone number), you can correct it through the account settings or by contacting us. We encourage you to keep your information up-to-date.
Data Portability: In certain cases, you may have the right to request a copy of your personal data in a portable format. For example, if required by applicable law or if we implement such features, we can provide an export of your profile and listing data upon request.
Deletion: You may request deletion of your personal data. For example, if you decide to close your account, we will deactivate it and, as per our retention policy, remove or anonymize personal data that we no longer need. Note that we might retain certain information for legal or legitimate business purposes (such as fulfilling our financial record-keeping, or if required for a dispute) for a period of time as required by law. Also, content you have shared with others (like messages or listings that have been copied or saved by others) might be out of our control to delete entirely.
Opt-Out of Marketing: As mentioned, you can opt out of marketing or promotional emails at any time by unsubscribing via the link in the email or contacting us. Transactional or account-related communications (like password resets or important notices) may still be sent as they are necessary for service.
Cookies: You have control over cookies. You can adjust your browser settings to refuse some or all cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Our Cookie Policy provides more details on how to opt out of certain types of cookies (like Google Analytics you can opt-out via Google’s tool). However, please note disabling cookies might impact your experience on BuilderLane.
If you are located in a jurisdiction that grants additional rights (such as the EU’s GDPR or California’s CCPA), you may have rights like objecting to certain processing or not being subject to automated decision-making, etc. We will honor such rights to the extent applicable. You can always reach out to us at info@builderlane.com to inquire about any privacy concern or to exercise available rights.
7. International Users
BuilderLane is based in India, and our primary user base and data storage are in India. If you are accessing our services from outside India, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in India or other jurisdictions where our servers or service providers are located. Data protection laws in these places may differ from those in your country of residence. However, we will take steps to ensure your personal data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable law. As we expand globally, we will also strive to comply with region-specific data protection requirements. For example, if we serve users in the European Economic Area (EEA) in the future, we will incorporate appropriate GDPR-compliant measures (like standard contractual clauses for data transfers, honoring the right to erasure, etc.). By using our site, you consent to your information being transferred to our facilities as described.
8. Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services, such as links to property developers’ sites, loan provider sites, or articles. If you click on those links, you will be directed to sites that are outside our control. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those external sites. We recommend you review the privacy policies of any third-party websites or services before providing any personal information there. BuilderLane is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or any usage of those linked sites.
9. Updates to this Privacy Policy
We may update or change this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes to how we treat your personal information, we will notify you by email (if you have an account) and/or by placing a prominent notice on our site. The “Last Updated” date at the top indicates when the latest changes were made. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices. Continuing to use BuilderLane after a revised Privacy Policy has been posted signifies your acceptance of the updated terms, to the extent permitted by law.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at contact@builderlane.com
We will do our best to address any issue promptly and fairly. Your privacy matters to us, and we appreciate you entrusting us with your information as you use BuilderLane.com.