Houzz
- The policy allows AI training; it does not describe an opt-out.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- Staff may review your content; the policy does not describe an opt-out.
Houzz takes a license to your posts, uses ads and AI vendors, and can close you anytime.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
- Uses your content for AI training with no opt-out
Collected
Account info, posts, photos, messages, device IDs, cookies, and sometimes contacts and location.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We collect personal information that you provide us, including your account and profile information, content you submit or post to our Platform, your purchase information, your communications”
Training
They run the site, personalize it, show ads, and send your AI inputs to vendors to improve their tools.
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Privacy policy
“enable our service providers, third-party businesses advertising on our Platform, advertising networks, and advertising partners to use cookies or similar technologies to track your activities”
Sharing
Public profiles, other users, professionals, ad networks, and service providers can see or get your data.
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Privacy policy
“Your Houzz content (for example, ideabooks, photos, notes on others' photos, projects, discussions, and social media profiles), followers, and others you follow are publicly viewable”
Kept
They keep it while the account is active and say copies can stay after you delete.
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Privacy policy
“Please note that copies of information that you have updated, modified, or deleted may continue to reside in our systems for a period of time”
Controls
You can download data, delete the account in settings, and opt out of ad sharing.
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Privacy policy
“Where provided under your local laws, you may opt-out of having your personal information shared with third parties for targeted advertising”
Fine print
license to your content, and they can close you with no notice.
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Terms of service
“we may permanently or temporarily suspend your use of the Houzz Platform at any time for any reason, without any notice or to you.”
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Opt out of targeted-ad sharing
Footer link “Your Privacy Choices”, Houzz Settings, or Global Privacy Control
Download a copy of your data
Houzz Settings → Download a Copy of your Data
Delete your Houzz account
Houzz Settings → Delete my Houzz Account, or email privacy@houzz.com
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
They can keep using, changing, and sharing what you post even after you leave.
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Terms of service
“you hereby grant to us and our affiliates, licensees and , to you or others, a non-exclusive, , , , transferrable, fully paid-up, worldwide license”
For example, a photo you delete from an ideabook could still be used on Houzz or licensed to Shop Houzz.
Text or images you put into Houzz AI tools can go to outside AI companies to make their models better.
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Terms of service
“any Input you provide, including personal data you choose to include in that Input, may be shared with third party service providers Houzz engages with to enable functionality of these Automated Tools, as well as to improve their services.”
For example, a floor-plan sketch you upload to AutoMate could be used to improve Google Vertex AI.
They can shut your account with no warning and no payout.
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Terms of service
“For all accounts, we may permanently or temporarily suspend your use of the Houzz Platform at any time for any reason, without any notice or to you.”
For example, your Pro account could disappear overnight and you might not get a heads-up first.
If someone sues them over something you posted or did, you may have to pay their lawyers.
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Terms of service
“You agree to fully , defend, and hold the Houzz Entities and their directors, officers, employees, consultants, agents, and other representatives, harmless from and against any and all claims”
For example, if a photo you uploaded sparks a copyright fight, you could owe Houzz’s legal bills.
Ad companies get hashed emails and device IDs so they can target you off Houzz.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We may provide advertising networks, advertising partners, and businesses advertising on our Platform with aggregate information but other than hashed information or device identifiers, we do not disclose your name”
For example, Facebook could get a hashed version of your email to show Houzz ads in your feed.
They treat some ad sharing as a sale, though you can opt out in some states.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We share or sell information with third-party partners to display targeted advertising.”
For example, California users can use Your Privacy Choices so partners stop using their data for ads.
They may look at messages to improve the product, not only for abuse.
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Privacy policy
“to review your communications and improve user experience, including using automated technology.”
For example, a chat with a contractor could be reviewed to train how the inbox works.
The extension can collect what you do on other websites.
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Privacy policy
“if you use our browser extensions, the content you interact with on third-party sites (for example, if you save an image from a third-party site to your Houzz account)”
For example, saving a sofa photo from a store site also tells Houzz you were on that page.
You can download a copy of some of your Houzz data from settings.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You may request to receive a copy of your Houzz information through your Houzz Settings and clicking on Download a Copy of your Data.”
For example, before you leave you can download your ideabooks and profile from Houzz Settings.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- service providers
- Outside companies that handle your data on the app's instructions, such as a cloud host or an email sender. For example, the company that stores the app's files in the cloud sees your data but only does what the app tells it.
- third parties
- Any company or person other than you and the app, such as advertisers, partners or analytics firms. For example, an analytics company that receives a record of every screen you tap is a third party.
- cookies
- Small files a website saves on your device so it can recognise you and remember what you did. For example, a cookie keeps you logged in and can also tell an ad company which sites you visited.
- opt out
- Something is on by default and stays on until you find the setting and turn it off. For example, your chats may be used for training unless you go into settings and switch it off.
- targeted advertising
- Ads chosen for you based on what you have done across other apps and websites, not just this one. For example, you look at shoes in one app and see shoe ads in a totally different app the next day.
- limitation of liability
- A cap on what the company will ever pay you if something goes wrong, often only what you paid in the last year. For example, if a leak of your data costs you thousands, the most you may get back is a month's subscription fee.
- affiliates
- Other companies owned by or connected to the same parent company. For example, if you use one app, its sister apps under the same owner may also get your data.
- sublicensable
- The company can pass its rights over your content on to other companies without asking you. For example, an app can let an advertiser or a partner reuse your video under the licence you gave.
- royalty-free
- The company can use your content without ever paying you for it. For example, your photo can appear in the app's ads and you get nothing.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- irrevocable
- Cannot be taken back or cancelled once given, even if you change your mind or delete your account. For example, an irrevocable licence to your photos means you cannot withdraw it later.
How we got here · grade F · score 26/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 1 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect more than account and posts: device IDs, cookies, extension activity on other sites, contacts you upload, and location you share or infer from IP.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
Audio, photos, and videos you provide are kept with the account. Calls may be recorded with notice or consent. They also take a lasting license to your voice and likeness if you share them.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
Inputs to Automated Tools may be shared with AI vendors to improve their services, and no opt-out is described.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Human moderators review flagged content, and they say they review communications to improve the product. No opt-out is described.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
Third-party ad networks track you with cookies and hashed emails or device IDs for targeted ads on and off Houzz.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they share or sell data for targeted ads and offer opt-outs such as Your Privacy Choices and GPC.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep copyright, but you give Houzz a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable worldwide license to your content that survives leaving.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can delete the account in settings, but they keep data as long as needed, de-identified data after delete, and copies may stay in systems with no set wipe deadline.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They draw inferences to build a profile of preferences and behavior. Privacy Settings can change some recommendations, but viewing or turning off a memory is not described.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They say they use reasonable measures against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access. No audit or leak history is described.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The platform is for people 18 and over and is not directed to children. There is no described age-check beyond that rule.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Both documents are dated. They say they will notify you of material changes, then continued use means you accept. Retention is mostly “as long as the account is active.”
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may suspend or terminate any account at any time for any or no reason, without notice. You can close a non-Pro account in settings.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is, liability is capped at $100 or what you paid, and you must indemnify Houzz for claims tied to your content or use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 6,931 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 41.9); the terms are 9,632 words at a college level.
