1. Who is responsible for your personal data?

Nihehe is operated by iHelp LTD. iHelp LTD is the organisation responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing personal data through the Nihehe platform and is registered and certified as a data controller under Rwanda's data protection framework.

For privacy questions or requests, contact nihehe@ihelp.rw.

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you use Nihehe, we may collect:

  • name, username, email address and account information;
  • telephone number and other contact information, including an optional WhatsApp number;
  • a profile photo, if you choose to add one;
  • identity verification information;
  • government-issued identity documents submitted for verification;
  • property ownership or property-related documents;
  • property listing information;
  • UPI and other property-location information;
  • GPS or map-selected location information;
  • information about an owner's relationship with an agent;
  • messages you send and receive through Nihehe;
  • support requests and other communications with us;
  • for paid features, the mobile money number used, the amount, a transaction reference and the payment status (we never see or store your Mobile Money PIN);
  • records of which contact details you have unlocked; and
  • technical information necessary to operate and secure the service, such as IP address, browser type, pages visited and a sign-in token stored in your browser.

3. Why we use personal data

We may process personal data to:

  • create and manage user accounts;
  • publish and manage property listings;
  • verify users, owners, agents and properties;
  • verify or associate property locations and UPI information;
  • deliver messages between users;
  • process payments for paid features, and handle refunds and payment disputes;
  • send verification codes and account messages by SMS or email;
  • communicate with users about their accounts and listings;
  • respond to support requests;
  • understand how the service is used, using analytics that we run ourselves;
  • protect the platform against fraud and misuse;
  • maintain security and technical operations; and
  • comply with applicable legal obligations.

4. Verification information

Verification may require government-issued identity documents and property-related documents. Access to such information is restricted to authorised persons who need it for the relevant verification, security, compliance or operational purpose.

Identity and property documents are stored privately and are not available through public web links. They can be opened only by Nihehe verification officers and by the person who uploaded them.

Verification information is not intended to be publicly displayed merely because a user or property has been verified.

5. Information displayed publicly

Information included in a published property listing may be visible to other users of Nihehe. This may include property descriptions, pricing, location information, verification badges and information about the person authorised to market the property.

A profile photo is stored in a location that is not access-protected, so anyone who has the photo's web address can open it. We remove location and camera data from photos when we process them. Do not upload a photo that you would not want others to see. You can remove your photo at any time from your account page.

Users should not submit personal information for public display unless they understand that it may be visible to other users.

6. Messages and contact details

Messages are visible to the people in the conversation. Authorised Nihehe staff may read messages only where this is needed to handle a report, complaint, fraud or misuse.

To protect users, phone numbers, email addresses and similar contact details are blocked in messages and in listing text. Where the unlock feature is available, a user's contact details are shared with another user only after the unlock conditions shown on Nihehe are met.

7. Payments

Paid features, where available, are paid through MTN Mobile Money. Your payment is processed by MTN under its own terms. We receive confirmation of whether a payment succeeded, its amount and its reference. We do not receive your Mobile Money PIN.

We keep payment records as needed for accounting, refunds, disputes and legal obligations.

8. Sharing of personal data

Personal data may be accessed by authorised personnel and service providers where necessary to operate Nihehe, provide verification, maintain infrastructure, provide support, protect the platform or comply with legal obligations.

Where another organisation processes personal data on behalf of the controller, appropriate contractual and organisational safeguards are used as required by applicable data protection requirements.

Service providers we rely on include our hosting provider and MTN (mobile money payments and SMS codes), as well as the provider of our email service. We do not sell personal data and we do not use advertising networks.

9. Cookies and similar technologies

We store a sign-in token in your browser so that you stay signed in. It is used only to keep you signed in and is not used for tracking. We do not use advertising cookies.

Our visit analytics are run on our own server. To display pages, your browser also contacts third-party providers: Google Fonts (fonts), MapTiler (map images) and unpkg (a map software library). These providers receive your IP address when they deliver their content. If you choose a link to Google Maps for directions, you leave Nihehe and Google's own terms apply.

10. Retention

Personal data is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, for the operation and protection of the platform, or where retention is required by law.

  • Server access logs are kept for about 14 days.
  • Identity and property documents are kept while your account is active and for 12 months after it is closed.
  • Payment records are kept for 7 years, as required for accounting.
  • Other account data is kept until you ask us to delete it, subject to the retention periods above and to legal obligations.

11. Security

iHelp LTD implements appropriate technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, loss, destruction or other unlawful processing. These include encrypted connections (HTTPS) and restricted access to identity and property documents.

12. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, data subjects may have rights relating to their personal data, including rights to access and rectify personal data, request restriction or erasure, object to processing, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and exercise other rights provided under Rwanda's data protection framework.

You can correct most of your details and remove your profile photo yourself on your account page. For other requests, contact nihehe@ihelp.rw.

13. International transfers

Our servers are hosted in Germany, within the European Union. Where personal data is stored or processed outside Rwanda, applicable requirements relating to international transfers and appropriate safeguards will apply.

14. Children

Nihehe is intended for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, processing activities or legal obligations change. The effective date shown at the top of this page will be updated when material changes are made.

16. Contact

For privacy questions or requests concerning your personal data, contact nihehe@ihelp.rw.