Privacy Policy
Last updated 5 November 2026
In short: Karibu's developer collects nothing that identifies you. There's no account, no ads and no tracking. The app counts which features are used, anonymously, and you can turn that off in Settings. The homes you add and your notes are stored on your iPhone and in your own iCloud. To fill in facts about an area, the app asks public data services directly, sending only what each one needs, such as a street name or a postcode.
What stays with you
- Your homes and notes are stored on your iPhone and synced through your own iCloud account (Apple's CloudKit). The developer has no access to them. Delete the app, or a home, and they're gone from your devices; iCloud data can also be managed in your iPhone's Settings.
- Listing screenshots and PDFs you share to Karibu are read on your iPhone, with Apple's on-device text recognition. They aren't uploaded, and the app doesn't keep them once the details are read.
- Links to listings are saved with the home. Karibu doesn't open or download them.
- Settings (such as square metres or square feet) are stored on your iPhone.
What the app sends, and to whom
These requests go straight from your iPhone to each service, except energy certificates (below). None of them include your name, email address or anything that identifies you. Like any website, each service can see your IP address; their own privacy notices apply.
| Service | What it receives | Why |
|---|---|---|
| HM Land Registry (Price Paid data and UK House Price Index) | A street name and postcode district, or a local authority | Sold prices on the street and today's estimate |
| postcodes.io | A postcode; for a street with few recent sales, the home's map position | The local authority and the centre of the postcode; the postcodes within 400 m, to find similar sales on nearby streets |
| data.police.uk | An area about half a mile around the home's postcode | Reported crime nearby |
| Energy certificate register (MHCLG), through Karibu's lookup service on Cloudflare | Postcodes and certificate numbers. Karibu's service adds the app's key and passes the request on; it keeps no logs, only a copy of the public answer for up to 30 days so repeat lookups are quicker | Floor areas, rooms and the home's energy certificate |
| Apple Maps | Addresses you type or add, a map position you choose, and the home's position | Address suggestions, the full postcode, the map, and nearby stations with walking times |
Anonymous usage counts
To learn which parts of Karibu are used, the app sends anonymous counts to TelemetryDeck, a privacy-focused analytics service: that the app was opened, that a home was added (and whether from a screenshot, a link, an address or the map), which tab was shown, and that a price was tried on the offer bar or sizes were looked up.
- Never sent: addresses, postcodes, prices, notes, anything you type, or your location.
- Not linked to you: no name, email or advertising identifier. Each install gets a random identifier that is hashed before it leaves your iPhone.
- Turn it off in Karibu's Settings → Privacy → Share anonymous usage. It stops at once.
Your location
If you allow it, Karibu uses your location only to start the "Choose on map" screen where you are, so you can pick the home you're standing outside. It's used on your iPhone with Apple's location services and isn't stored or sent anywhere else. You can turn it off in Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
Links you open
The Area tab links to GOV.UK services (schools, flood risk, energy certificates), Ofsted, and Apple Maps or Google Maps. Tapping one opens that website or app, and its own privacy policy applies. Karibu copies the home's postcode first so you can paste it.
Children
Karibu is for people buying a home and isn't directed at children.
Changes
If what the app sends ever changes, this page changes with it, and the date at the top is updated.
Contact
Questions about privacy: [email protected].