Privacy Policy

Banao (“Banao”, “we”, “us”) runs the website at banao.com.pk and the Banao dashboard. We are based in Islamabad, Pakistan, and are responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

This policy explains what we collect when you visit the site or use the dashboard, why, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights you have. It applies to clients, architects, contractors, solar installers, real estate consultants and visitors.

Account details. Your name, email address, phone number, the role you sign up as, an optional profile photo, your language and display preferences, and your password, which we store only in hashed form. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address and profile picture from Google. Professionals also give us their business details, service areas and categories for review.

Sign-in and security information. The IP address and device you sign in from, one-time verification codes, two-factor authentication settings, and the devices and accounts you choose to remember. For each device that is signed in to your account we keep its browser and operating system, IP address, sign-in time and last activity, and the approximate city and country of that address, so you can see and sign out your devices from your Security settings, and so we can email you when your account is signed in to from a device we haven’t seen.

Project and property information. Plot and property details, addresses and map locations, and the documents you upload, such as ownership papers, drawings, CAD files and site photos. Bid documents, BOQs, bids, milestones, deliverables, inspection reports, site visit reports and the photos taken for them. For solar requests you film yourself, your site video and the measurements you enter (such as usable roof area, obstruction clearances and tilt angle), which are shared with your agent and, once accepted, with installers who quote on the request.

Location. If you allow it, your device’s location when you pin a site or when a Banao field agent records a site visit. We only read it when you or the agent choose to share it.

Messages, meetings and support. Chat and support messages, including with our automated support assistant. To keep work and payments protected, phone numbers, email addresses and similar contact details are automatically removed from project messages and proposals before they are stored, and messages may be reviewed by our staff. Video meetings with your Banao agent take place on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams; your agent may record a meeting for the project record, and you’ll be told when they do.

Payments and payouts. Records of what you pay and receive: escrow deposits and releases, fees, commissions, bid document purchases, subscriptions and withdrawals. You pay by bank transfer to Banao’s account or with a PSID through 1LINK; we never see your card details or online banking login. If you send us proof of a transfer, we keep it with the payment record. Professionals who withdraw earnings give us their bank account title, account number and bank name so we can pay them.

Fee calculator and safety documents. When you use the fee calculator on the Fees page, the covered area or system size you type is sent to us only to work out your totals; we do not save it or link it to you. When you fill in a safety document (a contract, receipt, certificate or checklist), what you type stays in your browser: it is not sent to Banao or stored by us, and it is gone when you close the page. Anything you print or download is a copy that only you hold.

Site cameras. Where a consultancy plan includes live site cameras, video of the construction site is shown to the client and to the Banao staff overseeing the project.

Usage and technical information. Like most websites, our servers and our hosting and security provider (Cloudflare) record technical details of each request, such as IP address, browser, pages requested and errors, to keep the service running and secure. When you leave a page, your browser also sends us how fast it loaded (for example how long the main content took to appear), with the page address and whether your screen is small. It carries nothing that identifies you, and we use it only to keep the site fast.

• To create, verify and secure your account, including sign-in codes, two-factor authentication and remembered devices.
• To run your projects: preparing bid documents and BOQs, matching projects with professionals, running bids, meetings and inspections, and assigning you a Banao agent.
• To take payments, hold funds in escrow, release them as work is approved, pay out professionals, and keep accurate financial records.
• To review professionals, listings, plots and documents, and to handle disputes, warnings and complaints.
• To send service messages: verification codes, payment confirmations, project updates and reminders. We don’t send marketing emails without your consent.
• To prevent fraud and abuse, including keeping agreed work and payments on the platform.
• To improve the service and fix problems.
• To meet our legal, tax and regulatory obligations.

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as needed to provide the service:

• Other people on your project. Professionals see the project details they need to bid and to do the work; your direct contact details are not shared with them. Your Banao agent and the staff overseeing your project see your projects, payments and conversations with us.
• Service providers who work for us under contract: hosting and security (Railway, Cloudflare), file storage, email delivery, PSID payments (1LINK), sign-in with Google, and the video meeting service your meeting runs on. They may only use your information to provide their service to us.
• Authorities, where Pakistani law requires it, or to protect the rights, property and safety of our users and of Banao.
• A buyer or successor, if Banao is reorganised, merged or sold, under the same protections as this policy.

Some of our service providers store or process information on servers outside Pakistan. Where they do, we choose providers that protect it to a standard at least as strong as this policy, and only share what they need.

We keep your information while your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove or anonymise your personal details, but we keep records of payments, escrow, contracts, inspections and disputes for as long as the law requires or we need them to resolve claims (normally up to 10 years for financial records). Meeting recordings and site camera footage are kept for as long as the project record needs them. Accounts can’t be deleted while they still have unfinished work or funds in escrow.

Connections are encrypted, passwords are stored hashed, sign-in sessions use secure cookies that page scripts cannot read, and uploaded files are checked for malware and for access on every request, our fonts and scripts load from our own domain rather than from other sites, and requests that could be used to guess at our prices or sign-in details are rate-limited. You can turn on two-factor authentication and sign out of every device from your Security settings. No system is perfectly secure: please use a strong, unique password and tell us straight away if you think your account has been misused. If a breach affects your information, we will tell you without undue delay.

• View and update your profile, notification and language preferences in your dashboard settings.
• See every device signed in to your account, sign any of them out, remove trusted devices or remembered accounts, or sign out everywhere, from your Security settings.
• Deactivate your account, or delete it once any unfinished work and escrow are settled.
• Ask us for a copy of your information, to correct it, or to delete it, and withdraw any consent you have given.

Send requests through the Support page or by email. We may need to confirm your identity first, and will reply within 30 days.

Banao is for adults. You must be at least 18 to create an account, and we don’t knowingly collect information from children.

We use only essential cookies, to keep you signed in and secure. We don’t use advertising or tracking cookies. See our Cookie Policy for the full list.

We may update this policy as the service changes. When we make significant changes we’ll tell you by email or in your dashboard, and the effective date at the top of this page will change.

Questions about this policy or your information? Reach us through the Support page, the support chat in your dashboard, or: