Privacy Policy - Urban Living by Hostel360

1. Introduction

Welcome to Urban Living by Hostel360 ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile applications and related services.

By using our apps, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our applications.

Apps Covered

Urban Parent — Hostel management app for parents
Urban Student — Hostel management app for students
Urban Staff — Hostel management app for staff members

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

Data Type	Purpose	Required?
Name	User identification and hostel records	Yes
Phone Number	Authentication, login verification, and emergency contact	Yes
Email Address	Account recovery and communication	Optional
Registration Number	Student identification within the hostel	Yes (Students)

2.2 Location Data

We collect your device's GPS location to:

Verify your physical presence at the hostel premises for safety purposes
Enable parents to track their child's location for safety
Support hostel administration in attendance and security management

      Important: Location data is collected only when you actively use the app and have granted location permission. We do not track your location in the background unless you have explicitly enabled background location access.
    

2.3 Device Information

Device model and operating system version
Unique device identifiers for security and fraud prevention
Network connection type (Wi-Fi or mobile data)

2.4 App Usage Data

Features accessed within the app
Maintenance requests and their status
Fee payment records
Attendance records

3. How We Use Your Information

Purpose	Legal Basis
Provide hostel management services	Contractual necessity
Verify user identity and authenticate access	Contractual necessity
Track location for safety verification	Legitimate interest (safety)
Process maintenance requests	Contractual necessity
Send notifications about hostel updates	Legitimate interest
Prevent fraud and ensure security	Legitimate interest
Improve our apps and services	Legitimate interest

4. Data Encryption & Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

AES-256-CBC encryption for all API communications
JWT (JSON Web Token) authentication for secure session management
HTTPS/TLS for all data in transit
Encrypted local storage for sensitive data on your device
Secure password hashing — we never store plain-text passwords

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

Within the Hostel System: Your data may be visible to authorized hostel administrators, staff, and parents (for student accounts) as part of normal hostel management operations.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to valid legal processes.
Service Providers: We may use third-party hosting and infrastructure providers (e.g., cloud servers) that process data on our behalf under strict confidentiality agreements.

6. Data Retention

Data Type	Retention Period
Account Information	Retained while your account is active
Location Data	Retained for 90 days, then anonymized
Maintenance Requests	Retained for 1 year after resolution
Fee Payment Records	Retained for 3 years for accounting purposes
Attendance Records	Retained for 1 academic year
App Logs	Automatically deleted after 30 days

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymized.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you have the following rights:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data ("Right to be Forgotten")
Portability: Request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format
Objection: Object to the processing of your personal data
Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
Withdraw Consent: Withdraw previously given consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address provided below. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

8. Location Permissions

Android

Our Android apps request the following location permissions:

ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION — Precise GPS location for safety tracking
ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION — Approximate location as fallback
ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION — Background location for continuous safety monitoring (optional, only for Parent and Student apps)

iOS

Our iOS apps request the following location usage descriptions:

NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription — Location access while the app is in use
NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription — Location access in the background (optional)

You can revoke location permissions at any time through your device settings.

9. Children's Privacy

Our apps are used by students who may be under the age of 18. For students under 18:

Parental consent is assumed through institutional enrollment
Location tracking is performed for safety purposes only
Students can request data deletion through their institution

We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and equivalent regulations.

10. Third-Party Services

Our apps may use the following third-party services:

Service	Purpose	Privacy Policy
Google Play Services	App distribution and updates	Google Privacy
Cloud Hosting Provider	Backend API hosting and data storage	Provider-specific policies

These third-party services have their own privacy policies governing the use of your information.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
Sending an in-app notification for significant changes

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Organization: Nuviontech Solutions

Email: info@nuviontech.com

Website: nuviontech.com