1. Introduction

Mercy44 Homes (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, make a booking, or stay at any of our properties.

By using our website or making a reservation, you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not use our services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that is necessary to provide our services and manage your booking. This includes:

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Billing and payment information (processed securely via our payment provider)
• Number of guests and any special requests or requirements
• Any communications you send us via email, contact forms, or messaging platforms

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• IP address and browser type
• Pages visited and time spent on the site
• Referring website or search terms used to find us
• Device type and operating system

This information is collected via cookies and similar technologies. See Section 7 for more details on how we use cookies.

2.3 Information from Third-Party Platforms

If you book through a third-party platform such as Airbnb, we may receive limited personal information from that platform as necessary to manage your reservation. That platform’s own privacy policy governs how they collect and handle your data.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information only for legitimate purposes directly related to providing our services. Specifically, we use it to:

• Process and confirm your booking reservation
• Communicate with you before, during, and after your stay
• Send booking confirmations, check-in instructions, and relevant property information
• Process payments and issue refunds where applicable
• Respond to enquiries, requests, or complaints
• Comply with legal obligations under Malawian law
• Improve our website and guest experience based on aggregate, anonymised usage data

We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making or profiling.

4. Marketing Communications

We will only send you promotional or marketing communications if you have explicitly opted in to receive them — for example, by subscribing to our mailing list or requesting information about future availability and offers.

You may withdraw your consent and unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly at mercy44homes@gmail.com

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes under any circumstances.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties except in the following limited circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business, such as payment processors, email service providers, and booking management platforms. These providers are contractually obligated to handle your data securely and only for the purposes we specify.

5.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, or in response to a valid request by a public authority such as a court or government body in Malawi.

5.3 Business Transfer

In the event that Mercy44 Homes is transferred, merged, or acquired, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Specifically:

• Booking and reservation records are retained for a minimum of 5 years for accounting and legal compliance purposes
• Marketing communication preferences are retained until you withdraw consent
• Website usage data collected via cookies is retained for a maximum of 12 months

Once your data is no longer required, we will delete or anonymise it securely.

7. Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your browsing experience and understand how visitors use our site. We use the following types of cookies:

7.1 Essential Cookies

These are necessary for the website to function correctly. They cannot be disabled without affecting core functionality such as the booking form or contact page.

7.2 Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. This data is collected anonymously and used solely to improve our website content and user experience. No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics cookies.

7.3 Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. For more information on managing cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

8. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

• Secure HTTPS encryption on our website
• Restricted access to personal data — only authorised personnel handle guest information
• Use of reputable, security-compliant third-party payment processors
• Regular review of our data handling practices

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your data to the best of our ability.

9. Your Rights

You have the following rights with respect to your personal information held by Mercy44 Homes:

• Right to access — you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to correction — you may ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right to deletion — you may request that we delete your personal data, subject to any legal retention obligations
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time
• Right to object — you may object to the processing of your data for direct marketing purposes

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 11. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites such as Airbnb, Google Maps, or social media platforms. This Privacy Policy applies only to the Mercy44 Homes website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party sites and encourage you to read their respective privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The most current version will always be published on our website with the effective date clearly stated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Continued use of our website or services after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

Mercy44 Homes

Blantyre, Malawi

Email: mercy44homes@gmail.com

Phone: +265 888 88 44 33

Website: mercy44homes.com

Your privacy matters to us. Thank you for trusting Mercy44 Homes.