Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 1, 2025

Souk Realty (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our real estate platform, available at soukrealty.com and our mobile applications.

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

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, such as when you create an account, submit a property inquiry, or contact us for support.

Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, nationality, and passport/Emirates ID details when required for property transactions.

Property Preferences: Search history, saved properties, inquiry history, and communication preferences.

Technical Information: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, operating system, and pages visited. We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect this information automatically.

Payment Information: When processing transactions, we collect billing details. Card information is processed by our PCI-DSS compliant payment partners and is never stored on our servers.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide and improve our services: Process property searches, inquiries, and transactions; personalize your experience; and develop new features.
  • Communications: Send transaction confirmations, property alerts, market updates, and respond to your inquiries. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time.
  • Legal compliance: Verify identity as required by UAE real estate regulations, comply with anti-money laundering (AML) requirements, and fulfill RERA reporting obligations.
  • Safety and security: Detect and prevent fraudulent activity, protect users, and maintain platform integrity.
  • Analytics: Understand how users interact with our platform to improve user experience and business operations.

3. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

With Real Estate Agents and Developers: When you submit an inquiry, your contact information is shared with the relevant agent or developer to facilitate the property viewing or transaction.

Service Providers: We engage trusted third-party service providers for hosting, analytics, payment processing, email delivery, and customer support. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.

Legal Requirements: We may disclose information when required by UAE law, court order, or regulatory authority, including RERA, DLD, or law enforcement agencies.

Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

With Your Consent: We may share your information in other ways when you give us explicit permission to do so.

4. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations.

**Account data** is retained for the duration of your account plus 7 years after closure, as required by UAE commercial law.

**Transaction records** are retained for 10 years to comply with UAE financial regulations and DLD requirements.

**Inquiry and communication logs** are retained for 3 years.

**Marketing preferences** and opt-out records are retained indefinitely to honor your choices.

You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time, subject to our legal retention obligations.

5. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on our platform.

Essential Cookies: Required for basic functionality such as login sessions and security. These cannot be disabled.

Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our platform. We use Google Analytics and similar tools.

Preference Cookies: Remember your settings such as language preference (English/Arabic), currency display, and saved searches.

Marketing Cookies: Used to show you relevant property advertisements on third-party platforms.

You can control non-essential cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect platform functionality. For detailed cookie information, please see our Cookie Policy.

6. Your Rights

Under applicable UAE data protection laws and international best practices, you have the following rights:

Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.

Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.

Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

Objection: Object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.

Withdrawal of Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing.

To exercise these rights, contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy@soukrealty.com. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Data Security

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

  • Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256).
  • Access Controls: Strict role-based access controls limit who can view personal data within our organization.
  • Regular Audits: We conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.
  • Breach Response: We have a documented incident response plan. In the event of a data breach affecting your rights, we will notify you within 72 hours as required by law.

While we take extensive precautions, no system is completely secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to notify us immediately at security@soukrealty.com if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.

8. Third-Party Links

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites, including property developers, government portals (DLD, RERA), and financial institutions. This Privacy Policy applies only to our platform.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. Clicking on third-party links from our platform may allow those parties to collect data about you.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@soukrealty.com and we will delete such information from our systems.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of material changes by:

  • Posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last Updated" date
  • Sending an email notification to registered users
  • Displaying a prominent notice on our platform

Your continued use of our services after the effective date of the updated policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Questions about this policy?

Our Data Protection Officer is available to help.