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Account & Data Deletion

This page explains how a HostelCare user — a hostel owner, a staff member, or a student — can request deletion of their account and the personal data held in it, what is removed, and what we are required to keep.

Who can request deletion

HostelCare is used by hostels, so an account belongs either to the hostel that subscribes to the platform or to a student living in that hostel. How a deletion request is handled depends on which kind of account you hold.

If you are a student or a resident

You can request deletion of your own HostelCare account and the personal profile data linked to it — your contact details, guardian contact details, and the ID proof and photo documents you uploaded. Records that belong to the hostel's own books, such as issued rent invoices and recorded payments, are handled as described in the retention section below.

If you are a hostel owner, admin, or staff member

You can request deletion of your own login and personal details. Because an admin account is attached to a hostel that other people also depend on — students, wardens, and finance staff who use the same property data — deleting it can remove or orphan access for those users. For that reason admin account deletion is handled by our support team rather than instantly inside the app, so we can confirm ownership and agree what happens to the hostel's remaining data before anything is removed.

How to request deletion

There are two ways to start a request. Both reach the same team and are treated the same way.

From the HostelCare mobile app

  1. 1.Open the HostelCare app and sign in.
  2. 2.Go to Profile.
  3. 3.Tap Delete account.
  4. 4.The app opens this page. Send us the request by email as described alongside, and we take it from there.

By email

Email hello@hostelcare.co.in from the email address registered on your HostelCare account, with the subject line Account and data deletion request, and include:

  • ●Your full name as it appears in HostelCare
  • ●The registered email address or mobile number on the account
  • ●The name of your hostel or property
  • ●Whether you are a student, a staff member, or the hostel owner or admin

What happens next

We verify that the request genuinely comes from the account holder before we delete anything — this protects you from someone else closing your account. We may contact you at your registered email address or mobile number to confirm. If you are a hostel admin, we will also confirm what should happen to the hostel's remaining users and records before we proceed.

Once verified, we confirm the deletion in writing. Deletion is permanent: an account and the personal data removed with it cannot be restored, and you would need to be enrolled again by your hostel to use HostelCare afterwards.

What is deleted and what is retained

We would rather be specific than reassuring. Below is what HostelCare actually stores about a user, and what happens to each part of it when an account is deleted.

Deleted

  • ●Your login credentials and the ability to sign in
  • ●Your profile details: name, email address, and phone number
  • ●Guardian and emergency contact details recorded against you
  • ●Uploaded documents, including ID proof and photographs
  • ●Your room and bed assignment, which is released back to the hostel
  • ●Mess attendance records and biometric attendance punch events linked to you
  • ●Notifications, messages, and app preferences tied to your account

Retained, and why

  • ●Rent invoices and payment records. These are the hostel's financial records and are normally required to be kept for a statutory period for tax and audit purposes, even after an account is closed. We keep them for 8 years and then delete or anonymise them.
  • ●Expense records entered by the hostel. These belong to the hostel's accounts rather than to an individual user and are kept as part of those books.
  • ●Aggregated and anonymised statistics. Occupancy and revenue totals that no longer identify you may remain in the hostel's reports.
  • ●Records needed for a legal claim or dispute. If there is an unresolved dues dispute or a legal obligation to preserve information, the relevant records are kept until it is resolved.
  • ●Encrypted backups. Deleted data can persist in routine backups for a short period before those backups age out, after which it is gone.

How long it takes

We acknowledge a deletion request and complete the deletion within 30 days of verifying that the request came from the account holder. Financial records covered above are retained for 8 years and then removed. Copies inside encrypted backups are removed as those backups expire on their normal cycle.

Questions about deleting your account?

Email hello@hostelcare.co.in and our team will help. You do not need a HostelCare account to contact us.

Request Deletion Privacy Policy