Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for RentWise Portal

This Privacy Policy describes how RentWise ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects the personal information of users ("you" or "data subjects") through the RentWise portal. This policy is designed to comply with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA). We are committed to transparency and safeguarding your privacy.

1. Introduction

Purpose of This Policy

This Privacy Policy serves to inform you comprehensively about our data practices. Our aim is to ensure that you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and under what circumstances it may be shared or disclosed. This document is provided conspicuously and is designed to be concise, using plain language to avoid jargon, ensuring it is easy for all users to find and read. The emphasis on clear, accessible language is not merely a matter of user-friendliness; it is a fundamental aspect of legal compliance. Regulatory bodies and courts often assess "transparency" based on the effective communication of information. A policy that is difficult to locate or comprehend, even if technically accurate, can lead to findings of non-compliance and potential legal actions, as indicated by CalOPPA's provisions for non-compliance. Therefore, the presentation and readability of this policy are as critical as its content in fulfilling our legal obligations and fostering user trust.

Who We Are (RentWise)

RentWise operates an online portal that facilitates rental listings, enables user reviews, and provides related services for a global audience. We act as the data controller, determining the purposes and means of the processing of your personal data.

Contact Information

For all privacy-related inquiries, requests, and complaints:

Email: info@rentwise.pro

Response time: 5 business days for inquiries, 30 days maximum for formal rights requests.

2. Key Definitions

To ensure clarity and avoid ambiguity, the following terms are defined as they are used throughout this Privacy Policy:

• Personal Data (or Personal Information): Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This encompasses a wide range of data, from direct identifiers (e.g., name, email) to online activity (e.g., IP address, cookie IDs).
• Data Subject (or Consumer): The individual to whom the personal data relates. In the context of this policy, this term is used interchangeably with "user."
• Processing: Any operation or set of operations performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure, or destruction.
• Controller: The natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data. In this case, RentWise is the Controller.
• Processor: A natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body that processes personal data on behalf of the controller.
• Service Provider: A natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body that processes personal data on behalf of the controller. These are third parties with whom RentWise has a contractual relationship for specific services.
• Third Party: Any entity other than RentWise or its direct service providers. This includes entities like ad technology providers.
• User-Generated Content (UGC): Content created and published by users on the RentWise platform, specifically including user-published reviews.
• Cookies: Small data files placed on your device (computer, tablet, mobile phone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information.
• Sensitive Personal Information: A specific subset of personal information under CCPA/CPRA, including certain government identifiers (e.g., social security numbers), financial account information, precise geolocation data, and genetic data.

3. Data We Collect

RentWise collects various categories of personal information to operate and improve its services, adhering to the principle of data minimization by collecting only what is necessary for specified purposes. This section details the types of information collected and their sources.

Categories of Personal Information

The categories of personal information we collect include:

• Identifiers: This includes your real name, email address, unique personal identifiers (e.g., account ID), online identifiers (e.g., cookie IDs, IP address), and other similar identifiers.
• Personal Information Categories Listed in Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e): This encompasses information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is capable of being associated with a particular individual. Examples include your name, email address, phone number, and physical address (if provided for rental inquiries or profile).
• Internet or Other Similar Network Activity: This category includes browsing history, search history, and information regarding your interaction with our website, applications, or advertisements. This data is particularly relevant for information gathered via cookies, pixel tags, and the operation of Adsense banners.
• Geolocation Data: We collect precise or imprecise location data, which can be derived from your IP address or, if enabled, from your device settings. This assists in providing localized rental listings and is also collected via Google Maps API.
• Audio, Electronic, Visual, or Similar Information: This primarily refers to user-generated content such as reviews, which are typically text-based but could potentially include images or videos if the platform supports such media in reviews.
• Inferences Drawn from Other Personal Information: We draw inferences from other collected personal information to create a profile about you, reflecting your preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes. This helps in personalizing your user experience and recommendations.

Sources of Data Collection

We obtain personal information from the following sources:

• Directly from You: Information you provide when creating an account (whether through plain email confirmation or 'Sign in with Google'), submitting reviews, filling out inquiry forms, or contacting customer support (e.g., via info@rentwise.pro).
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Data collected automatically as you interact with the RentWise portal. This includes information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed, and usage patterns. This data is essential for website functionality, analytics, and advertising.
• Third Parties (e.g., 'Sign in with Google', Google Maps, Umami Analytics): Information received from third-party authentication providers when you choose to use their services to sign in to RentWise, data collected via Google Maps API, and data collected by our analytics provider.

4. How We Use Your Data (Purposes of Processing)

RentWise processes your personal data for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes, ensuring that data collection and use are limited to these stated objectives.

Providing and Improving Our Services

We use your data to:

• Operate, maintain, and provide the core functionalities of the RentWise portal, including displaying rental listings, enabling users to submit inquiries, facilitating user-published reviews, and managing user accounts.
• Continuously improve, personalize, and expand the portal's features and overall functionality based on user interactions and feedback.
• Research and develop new products, services, features, and functionality that enhance the user experience and expand RentWise's offerings.

Personalization and Communication

We use your data to:

• Communicate with you, including sending emails related to your account (e.g., password resets, service notifications), important service updates, and, where you have provided consent, marketing communications about new listings or features.
• Personalize your experience on the RentWise portal, such as showing you relevant rental listings or content based on your past activity and preferences.
• Respond to your inquiries, questions, and requests, including those sent directly to info@rentwise.pro.

Marketing and Advertising (Adsense)

We use your data to:

• Display personalized and non-personalized advertisements via Google Adsense banners on RentWise pages. This includes using data to target ads based on your interests (for personalized ads) or contextual information (for non-personalized ads).
• Measure the effectiveness and performance of advertising campaigns, including ad impressions, clicks, and conversions.

Legal Compliance and Security

We use your data to:

• Detect and prevent fraudulent activities, spam, abuse, and other malicious activities that could harm RentWise or its users. This includes leveraging email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to protect against phishing and spoofing, which also aids in compliance with data privacy regulations.
• Comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms and conditions, and protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, and/or that of our affiliates, you, or other third parties. This includes responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

5. Your Privacy Rights

RentWise is committed to respecting your privacy rights. This section details the specific rights available to you based on your geographic location, along with clear and actionable instructions on how to exercise them.

How to Exercise Your Rights

All privacy rights requests must be submitted via email to info@rentwise.pro.

Include in your request:

• Your full name and email address used for your account.
• The specific right you wish to exercise (e.g., access, delete, correct).
• Account verification information (e.g., account ID or recent activity).
• For anonymous content: No rights are available due to technical constraints.

Response time: 30 days maximum (GDPR) / 45 days (CCPA).

6. Data Security

RentWise implements appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of your personal data, protecting it from unauthorized or unlawful processing and accidental loss, destruction, or damage.

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

RentWise reserves the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make changes, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page, and where appropriate, by sending you an email notification or placing a prominent notice on our website. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any updates. Continued use of the RentWise portal after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.