Privacy Policy

Stewardly, Inc. ("Stewardly," "we," "us," or "our") provides cloud-based homeowners-association management software. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, share, and protect information about you when you use our website at stewardly.biz and the Stewardly platform (collectively, the "Service").

By using the Service you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information you provide directly

• Account registration: name, email address, password, and phone number.
• HOA registration: community name, mailing address, and unit count.
• Profile: profile photo, unit number, and contact preferences.
• Financial information: bank account details provided through our Plaid integration (see Section 6). We never see or store your full account numbers or credentials.
• Content you create: maintenance requests, messages, meeting notes, documents, and announcements you post through the Service.

1.2 Information collected automatically

• Usage data: pages visited, features used, timestamps, and actions taken within the platform.
• Device data: browser type, operating system, IP address, and referring URLs.
• Log data: server-side request logs retained for security and debugging purposes.

1.3 Information from third parties

• Plaid: when you connect a bank account, Plaid provides transaction data and account balances to your HOA board. We receive only the data you authorize.
• Authentication providers: if you sign in via a social provider (where offered), we receive your name, email, and profile picture from that provider.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and improve the Service.
• Create and manage your account and HOA membership.
• Process payments and manage financial records on behalf of your HOA.
• Send transactional communications (account confirmations, password resets, maintenance-request updates).
• Send product announcements and feature updates (you may opt out at any time).
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent or unauthorized activity.
• Comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 Within your HOA

Information you submit (name, unit number, contact details, maintenance requests, messages) is visible to other members and board administrators within your HOA community. Board administrators have elevated access to member records, financial data, and activity logs.

3.2 Service providers

We share information with trusted vendors that help us deliver the Service, including:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS): cloud infrastructure and data storage.
• Plaid Technologies, Inc.: bank account connectivity (see Section 6).
• Anthropic, PBC: AI document analysis features.

These vendors process data only as instructed and are bound by confidentiality agreements.

3.3 Legal requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Stewardly, its users, or the public.

3.4 Business transfers

If Stewardly is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data is subject to a different privacy policy.

4. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. HOA financial records and audit logs may be retained for up to seven (7) years to comply with accounting and tax requirements. When you request erasure of your account (see Section 7), we anonymize your profile record within 30 days. Financial records, audit logs, and maintenance history are retained in anonymized form to preserve the integrity of shared HOA records.

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard safeguards including:

• Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256).
• VPC network isolation — your database is never accessible from the public internet.
• Role-based access controls enforced at every API endpoint.
• AWS KMS customer-managed encryption keys for sensitive data.
• Automated backups with point-in-time recovery.

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at security@stewardly.biz.

6. Plaid Financial Data

Stewardly uses Plaid to allow HOA boards to connect bank accounts and import transactions. When you connect a bank account:

• You authenticate directly with your financial institution through Plaid's interface — your bank credentials are never sent to or stored by Stewardly.
• Plaid provides us with an encrypted access token that we use only to retrieve transaction data on your HOA's behalf.
• Transaction data (amounts, dates, descriptions) is stored in your HOA's account to support financial management features.
• You may disconnect a bank account at any time from the Finances settings page. Upon disconnection we delete the associated Plaid access token.

By connecting a bank account, you also agree to Plaid's End User Privacy Policy.

7. Your Rights and Choices

7.1 Access and correction

You may view and update your profile information at any time from Settings → Profile. Board administrators may update member records on behalf of the HOA.

7.2 Data export (portability)

Board administrators can export a complete copy of their HOA's data in JSON format fromSettings → Export Data. This export includes member profiles, unit records, maintenance requests, and documents metadata.

7.3 Account deletion (right to erasure)

You may request deletion of your account from Settings → Profile → Delete Account. Upon confirmation, we will:

• Anonymize your name, email, and phone number within 30 days.
• Remove your login credentials from our authentication system immediately.
• Retain anonymized records (e.g., maintenance history, audit logs) where required by law or to preserve the integrity of shared HOA records.

Note: if you are the sole board administrator of your HOA, you must transfer admin rights to another member before deleting your account.

7.4 Marketing communications

You may opt out of marketing emails by clicking "Unsubscribe" in any email we send, or by emailing us at privacy@stewardly.biz.

7.5 California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete personal information, the right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights. To submit a verifiable consumer request, contact us at privacy@stewardly.biz.

7.6 EEA / UK residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing of, and port your personal data, as well as the right to object to processing. Our legal basis for processing is generally performance of a contract (Service delivery) or legitimate interests. To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@stewardly.biz. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

8. Cookies and Tracking

We use essential cookies to maintain your authenticated session. We do not use third-party advertising cookies. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, but doing so will prevent you from signing in to the Service.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information about a child, please contact us so we can delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date above and notify you by email or in-app notice if the changes are material. Continued use of the Service after notice constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact:

We will respond to all verifiable requests within 30 days.