Privacy Policy

Rooms4Me ("we," "our," "us") operates the website rooms4me.com and the Rooms4Me platform (the "Service"), helping students and parents discover, view, and book verified PG/hostel accommodation in Kota, Rajasthan. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why, how we use it, and the rights you have over it.

This policy is written to align with the Information Technology Act, 2000 (and associated rules) and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) of India.

By using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Who this applies to

This policy applies to:

• Students and parents browsing or booking accommodation through Rooms4Me ("Users")
• Landlords, PG owners, and hostel operators listing properties on Rooms4Me ("Property Partners")
• Visitors to rooms4me.com, including anyone who joins our waitlist or contacts us

2. What personal data we collect

We collect only what we need to provide the Service:

Provided directly by you:

• Name, phone number, email address
• City/institute of coaching (for room matching)
• Important documents
• Payment details processed via our payment gateway partner (we do not store full card/UPI credentials ourselves — see Section 6)
• Messages you send us via WhatsApp, contact forms, or email
• Property details, photos, and documents (for Property Partners)

Collected automatically:

• IP address, browser type, device information
• Pages visited, time spent, and general usage patterns (via standard analytics)
• Cookies necessary for the site to function (see Section 8)

We do not knowingly collect: biometric data, government ID numbers, or sensitive personal data beyond what is required for booking and payment verification, unless explicitly required by law or requested with your specific consent.

3. Why we collect this data

We use your data to:

• Create and manage your account/booking
• Match you with relevant, verified rooms near your coaching institute
• Process deposits and rent payments through our escrow payment partner
• Communicate booking confirmations, updates, and support responses
• Improve the Service (aggregated, non-identifying usage analysis)
• Comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations
• Prevent fraud and ensure platform safety for both students and landlords

We do not use your personal data for purposes beyond these without asking for your consent first.

4. Legal basis for processing (DPDP Act)

Under the DPDP Act, we process your personal data based on:

• Your consent — given when you sign up, book a room, or submit a form
• Legitimate use — for example, contacting you about a booking you've already initiated
• Legal obligation — such as retaining payment records for tax compliance

You may withdraw consent at any time (see Section 9), though this may limit our ability to provide certain parts of the Service (e.g., we can't confirm a booking without your contact details).

5. Who we share data with

We share personal data only where necessary:

• Property Partners — a landlord/hostel you're booking with receives your name and contact details so they can prepare for your arrival.
• Payment gateway partner — (e.g., Razorpay) to process deposits and rent payments securely. We do not see or store your full payment credentials.
• Service providers — cloud hosting, SMS/communication APIs, and analytics tools, strictly for operating the platform, under contractual confidentiality obligations.
• Legal authorities — only if required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of our users.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties, ever.

6. Payment data

Rooms4Me does not directly store your card, UPI, or net-banking credentials. All payments are processed through a licensed, RBI-authorized payment aggregator. Booking deposits are held via escrow/route-split mechanisms until the applicable stage of your booking is complete, as described in our Terms & Conditions.

7. Data retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above, or as required by Indian law (e.g., financial records under tax regulations). Once no longer needed, data is securely deleted or anonymized.

8. Cookies

We use cookies to:

• Keep you logged in during a session
• Remember basic preferences
• Understand aggregate site usage (non-identifying analytics)

You can disable cookies in your browser settings; some features of the Service may not work correctly if you do.

9. Your rights

Under the DPDP Act, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — ask us to fix inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure — request deletion of your data, subject to legal retention requirements
• Withdraw consent — at any time, for processing based on consent
• Grievance redressal — raise a complaint with us directly, and escalate to the Data Protection Board of India if unresolved

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the details in Section 12.

10. Data security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS), restricted internal access, and secure cloud storage. No system is 100% secure, and we encourage you to also protect your own account credentials.

11. Children's data

Rooms4Me is intended for use by students (many of whom may be minors preparing for exams) and their parents/guardians. Where a user is a minor, we require that a parent or guardian be involved in the booking and payment process, and we do not knowingly market or advertise directly to minors without guardian involvement.

12. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, contact us at:

Rooms4Me
Kota, Rajasthan, India
Email: privacy@rooms4me.com
General contact: hello@rooms4me.com

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified via the website or email. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

This document is a founder-drafted policy intended as a starting point. Before publishing live and processing real payments, we recommend a final review by a lawyer familiar with the DPDP Act and RBI payment aggregator regulations.