Privacy notice

Who we are

Gelp (Pty) Ltd runs Gelp, a marketplace that connects homeowners in Cape Town with vetted home-service pros. We are the responsible party for the personal information described here.

What we collect

If you request quotes

• Your name, phone number and, if you give it, your email.
• Your suburb, a description of the job and any photos.
• Your consent choices, and whether you hired a pro.
• Reviews you leave.

If you are a pro

• Your name, contact details, business details and CIPC number.
• Your ID number (the ID image is deleted once checked) and bank account details.
• Qualifications, insurance, association memberships, references and portfolio photos.
• The outcome of your criminal record check (see below), your credit transactions, ratings and performance.

When you visit the website

Pseudonymous usage data for analytics and to fix errors. We don't send names, phone numbers, emails or addresses to our analytics tool.

Why we use it

To run the service you asked for (matching your job with vetted pros, sending status updates and check-ins), to vet pros and keep the platform safe, to bill pros, to meet legal obligations such as tax records, and to improve Gelp. We only send you marketing messages if you opt in, and you can opt out at any time.

Who we share it with

When you submit a request, up to 3 vetted pros who unlock it receive your name, phone number and suburb, with the job details and photos, so they can contact you about the job, but not your full address: you give that only to the pro you choose.

Pros may only use your details for your job, may not market to you, and must delete them if you don't hire them within 30 days. You receive the business name, profile and WhatsApp number of every pro who unlocks your request.

We use service providers to run Gelp (hosting, messaging, email, payments and analytics). They process information only on our instructions under written agreements. In a case of upheld fraud, or when the police lawfully request it, we may disclose a pro's verified identity, and we record every such disclosure.

Criminal record checks

With the pro's explicit consent, an authorised screening provider runs a fingerprint-based check against police records. We only receive the outcome (no record, or record found) and never the record itself.

If a record is found, the pro may choose to share details with us for a decision. We record only the decision and delete the details. Pros can dispute a result with the screening provider.

Transfers outside South Africa

Some of our service providers store or process data outside South Africa, mainly in the European Union (database and analytics) and the United States (hosting, email and messaging). We only use providers that are subject to laws with adequate protection or bound by agreements that protect your information.

How long we keep it

• Customer requests: 24 months after the request closes, then anonymised. Photos: 12 months.
• Pro records: while active, plus 1 year after leaving.
• Billing and tax records: 5 years, as required by law.
• Analytics data: 12 months.

How we protect it

Access controls so that pros only see details after unlocking a job, encryption in transit and at rest, multi-factor login for staff, and access logs for vetting data. If a breach affects you, we will tell you and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible.

Your rights

You may ask to access, correct or delete your personal information, object to its use, and withdraw consent (for example to marketing). We respond within 30 days. Some records, such as tax records, must be kept for longer by law.

If you're not happy with how we handled your request, you can complain to the Information Regulator.

Contact us

Email our Information Officer at privacy@gelp.co.za. Our PAIA manual explains how to request records.