Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 October 2026

Maloca helps you find the right area of London and keep track of your house hunt. To do that it stores some personal information, and we want to be completely clear about what that is, where it lives, and what we do (and don't do) with it.

What we collect

Your sign-in details — when you sign in with Google we receive your name, email address and profile photo. When you sign in with Apple we receive your name and an email address, which will be Apple's private relay address if you chose to hide your real one — we never see the real address in that case, and the app works exactly the same. If you sign in with an email address and password (used for accounts we create for testing), we store that email address. We use these to identify your account; nothing else.
What you put into Maloca — your commute preferences and work stations, the areas you rate and comment on, your must-haves, your wishlist, and your property viewings (which can include addresses, dates, prices, agent details and personal notes).
Videos of viewings — if you record or add a video to a property, we store that video so you (and your household, if you have one) can watch it back. Videos can show the inside of the property and anyone who was there, such as the estate agent, and can include what was said. Please only film where you're allowed to, and let people know if they'll be in shot. Maloca asks for your camera, microphone and photo library only when you choose to record or add a video, and only reads the videos you pick.
Your household — if you share a household with up to three other people, we store which accounts are in it, so the profile, viewings, must-haves and ratings inside it are visible to everyone in that household.
Your conversation with Ask Maloca — the messages themselves stay on your phone and are never uploaded. What Ask Maloca works out from them is saved to your account, because that is what your suggestions are built from: the areas you said you love or would rule out, and a short summary of what you told it you want. You can clear all of it from Settings.
Questions Ask Maloca can't answer — when Ask Maloca cannot answer a question from our data, we keep the wording of that question so we can see what to add next. Before it is saved we remove anything that looks like an address, postcode, phone number, email or reference number, and we store it with no link to your account. Only we can read it, and it is deleted after 90 days. Questions Ask Maloca can answer are not kept.
AI usage counts — we count how many AI requests your household makes each month to apply the monthly allowance.
Anonymous usage counts - the app notes when certain moments happen, such as opening the app, finishing setup, switching tab or adding a viewing, so we can see which parts of Maloca get used and where people get stuck. Each count holds the name of that moment, the app version, a random number made on your phone when you first open the app, and at most one small detail like which tab or how many minutes of commute. It never includes your name, email, account, location or anything you type, and the random number is not linked to your account anywhere. You can switch this off in Settings, under Your data.
The app waiting list — if you give us your email address on our coming-soon page, we store that address and the date you gave it, and nothing else. We use it once, to tell you when the Maloca app is available, and we don't add you to any other mailing list. Ask us at any time and we'll delete it.

We do not use advertising trackers, and we do not use outside analytics services: the anonymous usage counts above go only to our own database, and only we can read them.

Where your data lives

Your data is stored in Google Firebase (Realtime Database), hosted in the EU (europe-west1, Belgium). Access is protected by security rules: only you — and the other people in your household, if you join one — can read or change your data.

Viewing videos are stored separately, in Google Cloud Storage for Firebase, hosted in London (europe-west2). The same rule applies: only you, and your household, can watch or delete them.

Maloca also keeps working data on your own phone (for example, your profile and cached area insights, so the app opens instantly and works offline). That stays on your device, and deleting the app removes it.

Services we rely on

Maloca uses a small number of third-party services, each for a specific job:

Google Firebase — sign-in, database, storage for viewing videos, and the server that handles AI requests.
Anthropic — generates the AI area insights. When you ask for insights, the area name and your search context are sent to Anthropic's API via our server. Your name and email are not included.
Rightmove — when you paste a link to a property you are looking at, our server opens that one page and reads back the address, price and location so you don't have to type them in, and the estate agent's name and phone number shown on the listing, so you can call them to book a viewing. Only the page you pasted, only when you paste it, and nothing about you is sent with the request.
Google Places - when you ask about places in an area (pubs, cafes, a day out), our server asks Google for nearby places, their ratings and photos. Only the area and what you asked about are sent, never your name or email. The photos then load from Google's servers, which, like any image service, see your IP address.
Transport for London - when you ask how you'd get to work from an area, our server asks TfL's Journey Planner for the route between two stations. Only the station names are sent.
OpenFreeMap — the map itself. Like any map service, requests for map tiles include your IP address.

The calendar feed

If you connect your viewings to a calendar app, Maloca creates a private link containing a secret token. Anyone with that link can see your viewing schedule (including addresses), so treat it like a password and only paste it into calendar apps you trust.

How long we keep it, and how to delete it

We keep your data while your account is active so your house hunt is there when you come back. Signing out does not delete anything.

Anonymous usage counts are deleted automatically after about 13 months. Because they are not linked to your account, deleting your account cannot find them, so they simply expire on that schedule.

You can delete your account yourself, at any time, without asking us: open Settings in the app and choose Delete my account. It happens immediately and cannot be undone. If you have already removed the app, email maloca.homes@gmail.com from the address you sign in with and we'll remove it within 30 days.

One thing worth knowing: if you share a household with other people, the viewings and ratings inside that household stay with them when you leave. They were written by everyone in the household and everyone relies on them, so removing your account does not empty somebody else's app. Your own account, your profile and anything you saved on your own is deleted in full. If you are the last person in a household, the whole household goes with you. Videos follow the same rule, and deleting a property deletes its videos too. There is more detail on the delete your account page.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR) you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, correct it, delete it, or receive a copy of it. Email the address above to exercise any of these. If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).

Children

Maloca is a house-hunting tool and is not intended for anyone under 16.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy we'll update the date at the top of this page. For significant changes we'll let you know in the app.

Contact

Questions about your data? Email maloca.homes@gmail.com.