1. Introduction
SmartAawas (“we”, “us”, “our”) provides a housing society management platform that helps residents, society administrators, and staff (such as security guards) communicate and manage day-to-day society operations.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use the SmartAawas mobile app (“App”) connected to our production services at https://app.api.smartaawas.adinc.in.
By using the App, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.
2. Who operates SmartAawas
| Product | SmartAawas |
|---|---|
| Operator | AD Inc (“AD Inc”, “we”) |
| Privacy contact | contact.smartaawas@gmail.com |
SmartAawas is a multi-tenant service. Each housing society is a separate tenant. Data for one society is not accessible to users of another society.
Your housing society (through its society administrator) decides who receives login credentials, which houses and staff accounts exist, and which features are enabled for your society’s subscription plan.
For society operational data (resident profiles, visitor logs, complaints, and similar content), your housing society determines how that data is used for society management. AD Inc hosts and processes that data on the society’s behalf to deliver the App. This policy describes AD Inc’s practices as operator of the SmartAawas platform.
3. Who this policy covers
This policy applies to:
- Residents (flat/house members)
- Society administrators
- Staff (for example, guards and society employees with app login)
- Visitors whose information is entered by staff or residents (for example, name, vehicle number, or photo at the gate)
It does not apply to third-party websites or services that we do not control.
4. Information we collect
We collect information that you, your society administrator, or authorized staff provide through the App, and technical data needed to run the service securely.
4.1 Account and authentication
When you sign in, we process:
- Society code
-
Username (for example, house number,
admin, or staff mobile/username) - Password (stored only in hashed form on our servers; never stored in plain text on your device after you submit it)
- Session tokens (access and refresh tokens), stored securely on your device
If you choose Remember society code on the login screen, your society code is stored locally on your device using secure storage.
Society administrators may reset passwords for resident and staff accounts. After a reset, you may be required to change your password when you next sign in.
4.2 Resident profile information
When a resident completes onboarding or updates their profile, we collect:
- Full name
- Mobile number
- Email address (optional)
- Family member count
- Flat/house number (used as login username)
- Whether you appear in the society directory (see Section 7)
Email and family member count are not shown in the member directory.
4.3 Staff and society information
Depending on your role and permissions, the App may display or allow management of:
- Staff name, mobile number, job title, permissions, and login status
- Society name, address, contact details, and payment UPI ID (where configured by the society administrator)
- House/flat numbers, status, and resident linkage (for society administration)
Staff with app login always appear in the society Staff directory tab. Staff cannot hide themselves from that list.
4.4 Society directory
The Directory is a searchable contact list for society members. It shows name, flat number, role, and mobile number only. How visibility works is described in Section 7.
4.5 Content you create or upload
Depending on your society’s plan and your permissions, the App may process:
| Type | Examples | Who typically provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Notices and meetings | Titles, descriptions, comments | Society admin, residents |
| Complaints | Description, status, optional photo | Residents, society admin |
| Visitors | Visitor name, purpose, vehicle number, optional photo, flat visited | Staff/guards, residents |
| Visitor passes | Guest name, validity period, six-digit entry code | Residents |
| Finance and collections | Payment records, optional supporting documents | Society admin, residents |
| Handbook | Society documents uploaded by admin | Society admin |
Photos and documents are uploaded to our servers and stored for society operational purposes. Handbook files can be downloaded only after sign-in. Other uploads may be visible to authorized users in your society according to their permissions.
Push notifications about visitors include the visitor or delivery context and flat number. They do not include vehicle registration numbers, even when a vehicle number was recorded in the visitor log.
4.6 Push notifications and in-app inbox
If you enable notifications, we collect and store:
- A Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) device token
- Device platform (Android or iOS)
We use this to send push alerts and to maintain an in-app notification inbox on our servers. Inbox history is available when you open the App, even if a push was not delivered.
We may send notifications when:
- A guard logs a walk-in visitor or delivery at your flat
- A guard redeems a visitor pass you created
- Your society publishes a payment collection that applies to your flat
- Your society publishes a notice
When you sign out, we attempt to remove the device token from your account. If another user signs in on the same device, that token may be linked to their account instead.
4.7 Subscription and plan information
After sign-in, the App receives subscription status for your society: plan name, effective plan, start and end dates, days remaining, and renewal warning messages. This is used to show which features are available and to display renewal reminders. It is not sold and not used for advertising.
4.8 Information stored on your device
The App may store locally using secure on-device storage:
- Login session tokens
- Your society code, if you chose to remember it
- Your display name for greeting
- Push notification token (until sign-out)
- Session-only preferences (for example, dismissing a subscription warning for the current session)
We do not sell your personal data, build advertising profiles, or track you across other companies’ apps and websites.
4.9 Device permissions
The App may request these permissions when needed:
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Camera | Capture visitor or complaint photos (when your role and plan allow) |
| Photos / gallery | Select an existing image for visitor or complaint upload |
| Notifications | Deliver push alerts and unread counts |
The App does not record audio or access your microphone.
4.10 Server logs
Our servers record limited technical information when you use the App, such as request time, API path, IP address, and error details. We use this for security, abuse prevention, uptime, and troubleshooting. Logs are kept for a limited period and are not used for advertising.
5. How we use your information
We use personal information to:
- Authenticate you and maintain secure sessions
- Provide society features you are permitted to use (notices, directory, visitors, complaints, finance, handbook, and related features)
- Enforce permissions based on your role and your society’s subscription
- Send notifications and maintain your in-app inbox
- Operate and improve the service, including monitoring uptime and fixing errors
- Comply with law and respond to valid legal requests
- Protect security and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access
6. Legal basis (India)
If you are in India, we process personal data in accordance with applicable law, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), where it applies. Depending on context, processing is based on:
- Your consent (for example, enabling push notifications, or choosing to stay visible in the directory when you could hide your listing)
- Providing a service you or your society requested (society management features)
- Permitted legitimate uses under applicable law (for example, security and fraud prevention)
Your society administrator may create or manage resident and staff accounts as part of society operations. For account access issues, contact your society administrator first. You may also contact us at contact.smartaawas@gmail.com (Section 16).
7. Directory visibility
Residents control whether they appear in the Residents tab of the member Directory.
| Your setting | What others see in the Residents tab | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Visible (default) | Your name, flat, role, and mobile | All residents who are also visible, plus the full Staff tab |
| Hidden | Nothing — you are not listed | Only your own row in the Residents tab, plus the full Staff tab |
Rules:
- Visible by default when you claim your flat, unless you turn this off during onboarding or later in Account → Edit profile.
- Email and family member count are never shown in the Directory.
- Staff always appear in the Staff tab. Staff cannot opt out.
- Unclaimed flats do not appear in the Directory.
- If you hide your listing, you are hidden from everyone using the Directory, including society administrators.
Directory vs administration: Hiding your listing removes you from the member contact list only. It does not remove your flat from society records. Society administrators with house or staff management access may still view resident contact details in those administration screens when needed to run the society (for example, viewing a house record or resetting a password).
9. Third-party services
The App uses:
- Google Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — to deliver push notifications
- Cloud and infrastructure providers — to host the application and database (operated under AD Inc’s control)
These providers process data only as needed to deliver the service. Google’s and Apple’s own privacy policies may apply to processing on your device by the operating system.
All communication between the App and our servers uses HTTPS (TLS).
We do not use third-party advertising networks or cross-app analytics for behavioural advertising.
10. Data retention
We retain personal information while:
- Your society has an active subscription and your account is active, or
- Retention is needed to provide the service, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, or comply with law
When a society ends its subscription or an account is deactivated by the society administrator, we delete or anonymize data according to our retention schedule and applicable law.
Visitor logs, complaints, uploaded photos, notification inbox entries, and documents may be kept for society record-keeping until deleted by authorized society users or under our retention policies.
Server security logs are kept for a limited period, then deleted or aggregated.
11. Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information, including:
- Password hashing on the server
- Token-based authentication with refresh tokens
- HTTPS for all API communication
- Secure on-device storage for session data
- Separate data per society in the database
- Permission checks on sensitive actions
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. Use a strong password, do not share your login credentials, and sign out on shared devices.
12. Your choices and rights
Depending on applicable law and your role, you may have the right to:
- Access personal information we hold about you
- Correct profile information (residents can update name, mobile, email, family size, and directory visibility in the App)
- Control directory visibility (residents only)
- Turn off push notifications in device settings (the in-app inbox may still show society messages when you use the App)
- Sign out to clear session tokens from your device
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent (for example, push notifications), without affecting prior lawful processing
Residents should contact their society administrator for house number changes, password reset, or profile updates. To request account deletion, see Section 13 — Account deletion. For other platform-level requests, email contact.smartaawas@gmail.com.
If the DPDP Act applies to you, you may also have the right to nominate someone to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity, and to raise a concern with the Data Protection Board of India when that body is operational.
We will respond to verified requests within timelines required by applicable law.
13. Account deletion
You can request that your SmartAawas account and associated personal data be deleted as follows.
How to request
- Residents and staff (recommended): Contact your society administrator and ask them to deactivate or remove your account.
- Email: Send a request to contact.smartaawas@gmail.com with subject SmartAawas Account Deletion Request.
Include your society name, username (flat number or staff login), and registered mobile number or email so we can verify your identity.
What we delete
When your account is removed, we delete or deactivate:
- Your login account and profile (name, mobile, email, directory listing)
- Registered push notification tokens for your account
What may be retained
Your housing society may keep operational records that are required for society management, such as visitor logs, complaints, notices, or finance entries that reference your flat or were created while you used the App. Those records are managed by your society according to its policies. AD Inc retains only what is needed to operate the platform, comply with law, or resolve disputes, then deletes or anonymizes data per Section 10.
Processing time
We aim to process verified deletion requests within 30 days.
14. Children's privacy
SmartAawas is for housing society members, administrators, and authorized staff. It is not directed at children under 18 to create their own accounts.
Family member count is a household statistic for society records. We do not create separate accounts for children.
If you believe we have collected a child’s personal information without appropriate authorization, contact contact.smartaawas@gmail.com.
15. International processing
Our production services are intended primarily for housing societies in India. If you use the App from outside India, your information may be processed in India or where our service providers operate, subject to applicable safeguards.
16. Contact us
For privacy questions or requests:
Email: contact.smartaawas@gmail.com
Subject: SmartAawas Privacy Request
Include your society name, username (flat number or staff login), and a description of your request. We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.
For day-to-day app access or society-specific matters, contact your society administrator first.
17. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the Effective date and Last updated date at the top and, where appropriate, notify users through the App or your society administrator.
Continued use of the App after an update means you accept the revised policy.