1. Who we are
1.1Vakeel ("we", "us"), Dubai. Our company registration is in progress; our legal name, trade licence number and registered address will appear here once they are issued. We decide how and why your personal data is used for the purposes in this policy, and we are responsible for it under the PDPL.
1.2Privacy contact: hello@vakeel.ae. Our data protection lead is our Managing Director.
2. What we collect
| Category | Examples | From whom |
|---|---|---|
| Account details | Name, email, phone, country and time zone, login records, people you invite | Owners and invitees |
| Compare quotes entries | Quotes you upload or type in, contractor company names and contact details on those quotes | Owners who send quotes for a first read |
| Project documents | Construction contract, BOQ, drawings, programme, payment schedule, variations, payment applications, correspondence you share with us | Owners, and contractors through secure links |
| Payment records | Invoices, amounts paid to Vakeel, payment status, billing address, TRN if you have one. Card details are handled by our payment provider; we see only the last four digits and expiry | Owners and our payment provider |
| Owner's payment log | Records you enter that you have paid a contractor (date, amount, application number) | Owners only |
| Site photos and measurements | Photos taken by our site engineers during visits; these may show workers on site | Our engineers |
| Camera video | Video from live site cameras (the live site cameras add-on). Video only, no audio. May show workers and site visitors | Cameras installed on site |
| Contractor contacts | Names, roles, phone numbers and emails of the contractor's staff and subcontractors named in project documents or responding through secure links | Owners and contractors |
| Calls and meetings | Notes of discovery calls, site meetings and video walk-throughs; we do not record calls without telling you first | Owners, contractors |
| Website use | IP address, device and browser type, pages visited, cookie data | Visitors |
| Complaints and support | What you tell us and our replies | Anyone who contacts us |
We do not ask for and do not want sensitive personal data (such as health, religion or biometric data). Please do not upload it. If a document you share contains it, we keep it only as part of the document and do not use it.
3. Why we use it and our legal basis
| Purpose | Legal basis (to confirm with lawyer) |
|---|---|
| Run your account, the dashboard and Compare quotes | Performing our contract with you, or steps you ask for before a contract |
| Inspect the site, record items as passed or failed, give pay-or-hold positions, report to you | Performing our contract with you |
| Send contractors secure links for the items you choose | Performing our contract with you; for contractor staff, the owner's instructions and our need to keep an accurate record |
| Take site photos and camera video that may show workers | Performing our contract with the owner; workers are told through site signage and the contractor's written acknowledgement |
| Bill you, keep tax records, issue tax invoices | Legal obligation (VAT and corporate tax law) and contract |
| Handle complaints and disputes, keep evidence of what we found | Legal obligation and establishing or defending legal claims |
| Improve our tools using anonymous, combined figures | Data is anonymised first and no longer identifies anyone |
| Analytics and marketing cookies, marketing emails | Your consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
4. Site photos and camera video
4.1Our engineers photograph the work, not people. Workers may appear in the background. We do not use photos to identify, assess or monitor any worker.
4.2Live site cameras record video only, with no audio. They point at work areas and are positioned to avoid neighbouring properties and public spaces where we reasonably can.
4.3Before cameras go live: signs are placed at the site entrance and near each camera; the contractor signs a written acknowledgement and confirms it has told its workers and subcontractors.
4.4Camera video is kept only as long as needed for the project record (see section 7). The time-lapse given to the owner at handover is made from it.
4.5Anyone who appears in photos or video can contact us to exercise their rights under section 9.
5. Who we share it with
5.1We never sell personal data. We do not share it for anyone else's marketing.
5.2We share it only with:
- Hosting and software providers that store and run our platform, under written contracts that require them to keep it secure and use it only for us: Cloudflare, which hosts this website;
- Our payment provider, to take payments: the card payment provider named on your invoice;
- Email, messaging and video-call providers we use to talk to you: our email provider, WhatsApp and the video-call service we use with you;
- Professional advisers such as our lawyers, accountants, auditors and insurers, under a duty of confidence;
- Authorities where the law requires it, such as tax authorities or a court.
5.3Contractors. We do not share your documents, findings or data with your contractor beyond what you tell us to share. When you ask us to, we send a contractor a secure link showing only the items you have chosen. Instructions to the contractor always come from you.
5.4People you invite to your account see what you give them access to.
5.5Our field engineers do not see fee or price information in the platform.
6. Where your data is stored
6.1This website is served through Cloudflare's network. We will state here where client dashboard data is stored before client accounts open.
6.2If any data is stored or accessed outside the UAE, we will do so only where the PDPL allows: to a country with adequate data protection, or under a contract or other safeguard that the PDPL accepts. You can ask us for details.
7. How long we keep it
We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purpose it was collected for, then delete or anonymise it. Retention periods are set out in our Records and Retention Schedule (D35). In summary:
| Data | Period |
|---|---|
| Project record (documents, findings, photos, dashboard history) | 5 years after the project closes |
| Camera video | 30 days, except clips saved to the project record as evidence and the handover time-lapse |
| Billing and tax records | 7 years (UAE tax law minimum) |
| Compare quotes submissions with no paid service | 12 months after the first read, or sooner if you ask; anonymous price figures kept |
| Closed accounts with no project | 12 months |
| Marketing contacts | Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent |
8. Security
We protect personal data with access by role (for example, field engineers cannot see prices and contractors see only what a secure link shows), encryption in transit and at rest, multi-factor login for staff, logs of who accessed what, staff confidentiality terms and training, and regular backups. If a breach is likely to affect your rights, we will tell you and the UAE Data Office as the PDPL requires.
9. Your rights
Under the PDPL you can, subject to the limits in the law:
- ask what personal data we hold about you and get a copy;
- ask us to send your data to you or another provider in a usable format;
- ask us to correct data that is wrong or incomplete;
- ask us to delete data, unless we must keep it (for example tax records or evidence for a claim);
- ask us to restrict or stop using your data;
- object to marketing at any time;
- withdraw consent where we rely on it;
- complain to the UAE Data Office.
To use a right, email hello@vakeel.ae. We may need to confirm your identity. We will reply within 30 days. Where your request affects an owner's project record (for example a worker asking about site photos), we will balance it with the owner's contract and our need to keep an accurate record, and explain our answer.
10. Cookies
10.1We use cookies that are needed for the site and your login to work. These do not need consent.
10.2We do not use analytics or marketing cookies on this site today. If we add analytics, we will ask for your consent first, and you will be able to change your choice at any time.
11. Children
vakeel.ae and our services are for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you think we have, tell us and we will delete it. Children may appear by chance in site photos or video at an occupied property; we do not use such images for any purpose other than the project record.
12. Contact
Privacy questions or requests: hello@vakeel.ae. Post: Vakeel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. The date below shows the latest version. If a change is significant, we will tell account holders by email or in the dashboard before it takes effect.
Last updated: 6 October 2026.