This Privacy Policy explains how Gharvy ("Gharvy", "we") collects, uses and protects personal data, in line with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
1. Data we collect
Customers
- Name, phone number and (optionally) email address
- Service addresses (society, tower, flat, landmarks, gate instructions)
- Booking details: services, times, instructions you give, ratings and complaints
- Payment status and transaction references (card and UPI details are handled by Razorpay, not stored by us)
Helpers
- Name, phone number, photo, gender, date of birth, languages and home area
- Identity verification, with your consent: photos of your Aadhaar card and a selfie, used to confirm your identity and that the selfie matches the ID. We store only a masked identity number (for example XXXX-XXXX-1234) and the verification reference — never full Aadhaar numbers. ID photos are kept in private storage, seen only by our verification team and provider, and deleted when no longer needed.
- Background check results (court and criminal records) from a licensed verification provider, with your consent
- That you read "How Gharvy works", the agreement you signed and a record of each consent you gave (what, when and which version)
- Payout details (UPI ID or bank account), stored encrypted
Agencies (businesses that bring their own team of helpers)
- Business name, legal name, type, address, PAN (stored encrypted) and a photo of the PAN card (private storage, seen only by our verification team), GSTIN if registered
- Payout account (bank account or UPI ID, stored encrypted), the people who run the agency account, and the signed agency agreement
Everyone
- Messages you exchange with our support team (including WhatsApp), and support cases you open, including any photos you add
- Booking chat: messages between a customer and a helper about a booking. Chat opens only once a helper accepts and closes 24 hours after the visit. Phone numbers, email addresses, payment IDs and links are hidden automatically; when something is hidden we keep the original, encrypted, so our team can review it if there is a complaint
- Device and usage information needed to run the website securely (such as IP address and browser type)
- Location — only for a booking trip, never continuous tracking:
- Customers (optional): the location of your home, if you choose "Pin my home location" when saving an address. It is used to estimate your helper's arrival time and to confirm they reached the right home.
- Helpers (with your consent, asked in the app the first time): your phone's location only from the moment you tap "On my way" until you tap "I have arrived" — refreshed every minute or two while the app is open — and once when you mark arrival. If you say no, the estimate uses your previous job or home area instead.
- Customers see only the expected arrival time (for example "about 15 min"). No one sees a helper's location on a map, and we never track location outside the trip.
2. Why we use your data
- To create and manage your account and verify your phone number
- To match bookings with suitable helpers and run each booking (OTP start, timer, extensions), including choosing helpers who can reach a home in time, estimating arrival times and checking that a helper is at the right home when they mark arrival
- To process payments, refunds and helper payouts
- To keep customers and helpers safe, investigate complaints and prevent fraud. Our support team reads a booking chat only when a problem is reported about that booking, or for a recorded reason (for example, a safety concern); every such view is logged. Our systems check things like verification results, ratings, no-shows and safety reports to flag accounts that may need attention; a person on our team always reviews a flag before any final decision, and you can explain your side.
- To send booking updates and reminders by WhatsApp, SMS or notifications
- To meet legal, tax and accounting obligations
- To improve our service using aggregated, non-identifying statistics
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.
3. Who we share data with
- Between customer and helper, only what a booking needs: the helper sees the customer's first name, service address and instructions; the customer sees the helper's first name, photo and verification status. Phone numbers are shared only when needed for the booking.
- Between a helper and their agency (only if they work through one): the agency sees their name, mobile number, sign-up progress (not their documents), their rating, and the work it is paid for once completed (date, service, hours and earning). It never sees their upcoming bookings, their days off, or any customer's name, phone or address. Their ID documents and background check results are never shared with the agency.
- Service providers who process data on our behalf: payments (Razorpay), messaging (WhatsApp / SMS providers), identity verification providers, cloud hosting and storage. They may use the data only to provide their service to us.
- Authorities, when required by law or a valid legal request, or to protect someone's safety.
4. How long we keep data
We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above. Booking, payment and invoice records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting laws. Trip location is kept only while the helper is on the way: it is deleted when they arrive, when the visit starts or is cancelled, and in any case within 6 hours. After arrival we keep only the result of the arrival check (for example "verified" or "not verified") and the distance from the home, to resolve disputes about arrival or no-shows. Booking chats are deleted 180 days after the visit, unless a support case about that booking is still open (then they are kept until the case is closed). Safety and incident records, including support cases and their photos, may be kept longer where needed to protect customers and helpers. When data is no longer needed, we delete or anonymise it.
5. Security
We use encryption for sensitive data (such as payout details), restricted staff access, secure hosting, audit logs and regular backups. No system is perfectly secure; if a data breach affects you, we will notify you and the authorities as required by law.
6. Your rights
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 you can:
- access a summary of the personal data we hold about you;
- ask us to correct or update it;
- ask us to erase it (subject to records we must keep by law);
- withdraw your consent (this may mean we can no longer provide the service);
- nominate another person to exercise your rights in case of death or incapacity;
- raise a grievance with us, and if unresolved, with the Data Protection Board of India.
To exercise these rights, contact our grievance officer below.
7. Cookies
We use essential cookies to keep you signed in, remember your language and keep the site secure. We do not use advertising cookies.
8. Children
Gharvy is not intended for persons under 18. Helpers must be at least 18 years old.
9. Changes
We may update this policy. The "Effective from" date at the top shows the current version.
10. Grievance officer and contact
- Grievance officer: Pradip Gondaliya
- Email: [email protected]
- Company: Gharvy, Surat, Gujarat
- Phone: +916352324208