Docs › Trust & help

Security & privacy

Renting means trusting people with your money and your home. Here's how HouzRent protects both.

TenantsLandlordsArtisans

Your identity

  • Everyone is verified. Landlords and tenants verify their NIN when they sign up; artisans before their first job. Checks run through iCheck against NIMC records.
  • We don't keep your NIN. We store a one-way fingerprint (a hash) that can't be turned back into the number, plus the last four digits so you can see which NIN is linked.
  • One NIN, one account. A NIN can't be used to open a second landlord/tenant account or a second artisan account.

Your money

  • Escrow for caution fees. Held by HouzRent, not the landlord, and released only by agreement or after a HouzRent review. See Caution fees & escrow.
  • Held rent comes back. Rent paid to a landlord who isn't on HouzRent is returned to the tenant if it isn't claimed within 14 days, and can only be claimed by a NIN-verified landlord.
  • Withdrawals are checked. Bank accounts are verified with the bank before any payout, and tenants can only withdraw to an account in their own name.
  • No double payouts. Your wallet is debited before any transfer is sent, so a repeated tap can't pay out twice.
  • No surprise charges. A landlord's repair charge is only taken from a tenant's wallet after the tenant approves it.
  • Regulated payment partners. Card and bank payments are processed by licensed Nigerian payment providers; we never see or store your card details.

Your home

  • Artisans are verified first. An artisan only sees your address and phone number after they've verified their NIN and accepted the job.
  • Repair photos are private. They're never on a public link — only you, your landlord and the artisan working on the job can open them.
  • Earlier conversations stay private. An artisan joins a repair's chat from the moment they accept; they can't read what you and your landlord discussed before.

Keeping your account safe

  • HouzRent will never ask for your password or a one-time code by phone, WhatsApp, SMS or email.
  • We will never ask you to pay a fee to receive rent or to "unlock" a payment.
  • Check links before you tap them — real HouzRent links start with https://houzrent.app.
  • If something doesn't look right, stop and email support.
🔐
Found a security issue? Please report it to [email protected]. For how we handle your personal data, see our Privacy Policy.
← Previous🧰 Guide for artisans Next →❓ Frequently asked questions