Last updated: 15 July 2026
INTRODUCTION
This Privacy Policy is provided by ABOUT THE STAY LIMITED, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 11131725, with its registered office at Third Floor, 45 Albemarle Street, London, England, W1S 4JL(“we”, “our” or “us”).
It applies to our residential property, accommodation and related services, including services provided through our website at www.aboutthestay.com (“Platform”) and through third-party property, booking and accommodation platforms, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo and similar platforms (“Partner Platforms”) (together, the “Services”).
When we say “you”, we mean any individual whose personal data we process in connection with our Services. This may include property owners, landlords, sellers, buyers, prospective buyers, tenants, prospective tenants, permitted occupiers, guests, bookers, corporate accommodation clients, guarantors, referees, contractors, suppliers and visitors to our Platform.
We take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how and why we collect, use, store and share information relating to you (“personal data”), how long we keep it, and your rights in relation to that information.
Our processing of personal data is governed by applicable UK data protection and privacy legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (“PECR”), as amended from time to time.
For most of the processing described in this Privacy Policy, we act as the data controller, meaning that we determine how and why your personal data is processed.
In some circumstances, another organisation, such as a property owner, Partner Platform or service provider, may separately act as a controller of your personal data. Their own privacy policy may also apply.
WHAT THIS POLICY APPLIES TO
This Privacy Policy applies to personal data processed in connection with our Services, including our:
• residential lettings;
• short- and medium-term accommodation;
• corporate accommodation;
• tenancy and property management;
• property sales;
• cleaning, maintenance and other property-related services;
• website;
• email, telephone, WhatsApp and other communications; and
• activity through Partner Platforms.
Our Platform or Services may link to, integrate with or rely upon websites, apps, APIs and services operated by third parties, including Partner Platforms, payment providers, referencing providers, identity verification providers, accounting systems, property management systems and cloud service providers.
Those organisations may collect and process your personal data independently from us and their own privacy policies will apply to that processing.
For further information about organisations with whom we may share your personal data, please see “Who we share your personal data with” below.
PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU
The personal data we collect about you depends on the particular activities carried out through the Services. We will collect and use the following personal data about you:
Category of data
Identity and contact information
Identity verification and Right to Rent information
Tenancy, booking and accommodation information
Referencing and financial information
Anti-money laundering and compliance information
Property owner, seller and buyer information
Communications and operational information
Technical and website information
Marketing information
In more detail
• Name and title;
• date of birth;
• postal or residential address;
• email address;
• telephone or mobile number;
• nationality;
• signature; and
• emergency contact information where appropriate.
Where applicable, we may collect:
• passport or identity document details and copies;
• photographs or selfies used for identity verification;
• nationality and immigration information;
• visa or residence permission details;
• Right to Rent share codes;
• Home Office Right to Rent check results;
• date of entry into the United Kingdom where relevant; and
• other information necessary to verify identity or eligibility to rent.
This may include:
• property address;
• booking dates;
• proposed or actual tenancy dates;
• rental or accommodation charges;
• names of tenants, occupiers or guests;
• booking and stay history;
• check-in and check-out information;
• accommodation preferences and requests;
• tenancy or occupation agreements;
• inventories and property condition reports;
• maintenance requests;
• complaints;
• records relating to damage; and
• correspondence relating to your booking, tenancy or stay.
Where relevant, this may include:
• employment or business information;
• employer details;
• income information;
• affordability evidence;
• bank statements or other financial documents where required;
• landlord, employer or other references;
• referencing results;
• guarantor information;
• payment history;
• rent information;
• invoices;
• amounts due or outstanding;
• refund information; and
• bank account or payment information necessary to process payments or refunds.
We generally use banking or specialist payment providers to process payments and do not normally retain complete card payment details ourselves.
Where applicable to the transaction or service, we may process:
• identification information;
• customer due diligence information;
• beneficial ownership information;
• company information;
• sanctions screening information;
• politically exposed person screening information;
• source of funds or source of wealth information;
• fraud prevention information; and
• other information required for legal or regulatory compliance.
This may include:
• evidence of ownership;
• Land Registry or property information;
• property and transaction details;
• company and beneficial ownership information;
• identification and AML information;
• bank account information for rental or sale proceeds;
• invoices and statements;
• property instructions; and
• communications with us and relevant professional advisers.
This may include:
• emails;
• WhatsApp and other messaging communications;
• telephone records or call notes;
• enquiries;
• complaints;
• maintenance communications;
• communications made through Partner Platforms;
• key collection and access records;
• contractor visits;
• inspection information; and
• photographs or videos taken for property management, inventory, maintenance or marketing purposes.
Property photographs and videos may occasionally contain personal belongings. We take reasonable steps to avoid collecting unnecessary personal information.
When you use our Platform, we may collect:
• IP address;
• device information;
• browser type;
• operating system;
• referring website;
• pages viewed;
• date and time of access;
• website activity; and
• cookie and analytics information.
Please see our Cookie Policy for further information.
This may include:
• your marketing preferences;
• newsletter subscriptions;
• consent records;
• opt-out requests; and
• interaction with our marketing communications.
If you do not provide information that we reasonably require in order to enter into or perform a contract, verify your identity, carry out Right to Rent or other legally required checks, process your booking or payment, or provide a requested Service, we may be unable to proceed with the relevant booking, tenancy, transaction or Service.
SENSITIVE DATA
Certain information receives additional protection under data protection law and is known as “special category personal data”.
This includes information concerning racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetics, biometrics used for identification, health, sex life or sexual orientation.
We do not ordinarily require special category personal data in order to provide our Services.
However, in limited circumstances you may provide information relating to health, disability or accessibility requirements where this is necessary for us to make appropriate accommodation or service arrangements.
Where we process special category personal data, we will only do so where permitted by applicable law, including where you have provided explicit consent or where another appropriate legal condition applies.
We may also process information relating to suspected fraud, criminal allegations or offences where necessary and legally permitted, including for fraud prevention, regulatory compliance, legal claims or law enforcement purposes.
Please do not provide sensitive personal data unless it is reasonably necessary for us to provide the relevant Service.
HOW YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS COLLECTED
We may collect personal data directly from you when you:
• make an enquiry;
• arrange a viewing;
• make an offer;
• apply for a tenancy;
• make a booking;
• enter into a contract;
• provide identification or referencing information;
• make a payment;
• report a maintenance issue;
• communicate with us;
• subscribe to our marketing; or
• otherwise use our Services.
We may also receive personal data from third parties, including:
• landlords and property owners;
• tenants, guests and people making bookings on behalf of others;
• employers or corporate accommodation clients;
• guarantors and referees;
• Partner Platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo;
• other estate, letting or relocation agents;
• tenant referencing providers;
• identity verification providers;
• Right to Rent checking services and the Home Office;
• AML, sanctions and fraud prevention providers;
• tenancy deposit schemes;
• payment and banking providers;
• solicitors and other professional advisers;
• building managers, concierge teams and managing agents; and
• publicly available sources such as Companies House and HM Land Registry where appropriate.
Where someone provides us with personal data about another person, they should ensure that they are entitled to provide that information and, where appropriate, that the individual is made aware of this Privacy Policy.
We also use cookies and similar technologies to support the operation and security of our Platform, remember preferences and understand how our Platform is used.
Please see our Cookie Policy for further information.
HOW AND WHY WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Under data protection law, we may only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis for doing so.
Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:
(i) your consent;
(ii) compliance with a legal obligation;
(iii) performance of a contract with you or taking steps at your request before entering into a contract; or
(iv) our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
A legitimate interest means that we have a genuine business, operational or commercial reason for processing the information and have considered the impact on your rights and freedoms.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, you may contact us for further information about how we have balanced those interests against your rights.
MARKETING
We may send you marketing communications about properties, accommodation, promotions, news or Services offered by About The Stay where permitted by law.
Where PECR requires your consent before we send electronic marketing to you, we will obtain that consent.
In certain circumstances, we may send marketing regarding our own similar Services to existing customers under the “soft opt-in” rules where the applicable legal requirements are satisfied.
Where we rely on the soft opt-in, this includes giving you a clear opportunity to opt out when your details are first collected and providing a simple opportunity to unsubscribe from every subsequent marketing message.
Different rules may apply to communications sent to corporate business contacts. Where permitted, we may process professional contact information for business-to-business marketing on the basis of our legitimate interests.
You can opt out of marketing at any time by:
• contacting us at privacy@aboutthestay.com; or
• using the unsubscribe link or other opt-out method contained in the relevant marketing communication.
Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending communications that are necessary in connection with a booking, tenancy, property, payment, contract or Service.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.
WHO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL DATA WITH
We may share personal data where reasonably necessary to provide our Services, manage a property or transaction, comply with legal requirements or operate our business.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include sharing information with:
• landlords, property owners and sellers;
• tenants, guests, buyers and other parties to a transaction where necessary;
• Partner Platforms and property advertising or distribution platforms;
• estate, letting and relocation agents;
• tenant referencing providers;
• identity verification, Right to Rent, AML, sanctions and fraud prevention providers;
• guarantor providers;
• tenancy deposit schemes;
• payment processors, banks and direct debit providers;
• accounting and financial systems;
• property management, booking and channel management systems;
• cloud storage, email, communications, CRM and other technology providers;
• cleaners, maintenance contractors and engineers;
• inventory providers;
• photographers;
• key management providers;
• building managers, concierge teams and managing agents;
• utility and communications providers where necessary;
• insurers;
• accountants, auditors and tax advisers;
• solicitors, debt recovery providers and other professional advisers;
• courts, tribunals, law enforcement agencies and regulators;
• HMRC, the Home Office, local authorities and other government bodies where legally required; and
• parties involved in a merger, sale, restructuring or transfer of our business or assets.
We take reasonable steps to ensure that third-party service providers who process personal data on our behalf have appropriate contractual, confidentiality and security protections in place.
We only provide third parties with personal data that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
We do not sell personal data to third parties.
If you would like more information about the categories of organisations with whom we share personal data, please contact us using the details set out below.
HOW LONG YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL BE KEPT
We do not keep personal data for longer than is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
Different types of information may therefore be retained for different periods.
Core tenancy, landlord, property management, contractual, accounting and transaction records will generally be retained for up to six years after the relevant relationship or transaction ends, where necessary for contractual, accounting, tax, regulatory or legal purposes.
Where we carry out a Right to Rent check, evidence of that check will normally be retained for the duration of the tenancy and for at least one year after the tenancy ends, in accordance with applicable Home Office requirements.
Where the Money Laundering Regulations apply, relevant customer due diligence and transaction records will generally be retained for five years from the end of the relevant business relationship or completion of the transaction, subject to any legal requirement or permission to retain the information for a different period.
Information relating to unsuccessful or withdrawn tenancy applications will normally be retained only for a limited period, generally up to 12 months, unless a complaint, dispute, legal obligation or other legitimate reason justifies longer retention.
Information relating to general enquiries that do not result in a booking or client relationship will normally be retained for no longer than reasonably necessary, generally up to 24 months after our last meaningful contact.
Marketing information may be retained while you remain subscribed. If you unsubscribe, we may retain limited information on a suppression list so that we can ensure we continue to respect your opt-out request.
Information relating to complaints, disputes, incidents or legal claims may be retained for an appropriate period after the matter has been resolved, taking account of relevant limitation periods and legal requirements.
When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
TRANSFERRING YOUR PERSONAL DATA OUT OF THE UK
Some of our Partner Platforms, technology providers, cloud providers, contractors or other service providers may process or access personal data from outside the United Kingdom.
This may also include circumstances where authorised employees, contractors or operational support personnel access our systems remotely from outside the UK.
Where this constitutes a restricted international transfer under UK data protection law, we take steps to ensure that an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism is in place.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
• transferring personal data to a country or territory covered by UK adequacy regulations;
• using the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (“IDTA”);
• using the UK International Data Transfer Addendum together with the European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses;
• completing an appropriate transfer risk assessment or data protection test and implementing any additional safeguards required; or
• relying on another lawful safeguard or exception permitted by UK data protection law.
We also take reasonable steps to limit overseas access to personal data that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose and require appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
If you would like further information about the safeguards used in relation to a particular international transfer, please contact us using the details set out in the “How to contact us” section.
YOUR RIGHTS
You generally have the following rights, which you can usually exercise free of charge. For more information regarding these rights, please visit the ICO website here.
Access to a copy of your personal data
Correction (also known as rectification)
Erasure (also known as the right to be forgotten)
Restriction of use
Data portability
To object to use
Not to be subject to decisions without human involvement
The right to be provided with a copy of your personal data.
The right to require us to correct any mistakes in your personal data.
The right to require us to delete your personal data— in certain situations.
The right to require us to restrict use of your personal data in certain circumstances, e.g. if you contest the accuracy of the data.
The right to receive the personal data you provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machinereadable format and/or transmit that data to a third party—in certain situations.
The right to object:
• at any time to your personal data being used for direct marketing (including profiling)
• in certain other situations to our continued use of your personal data, e.g. where we use your personal data for our legitimate interests.
The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (including profiling) that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.
We do not make any such decisions based on data collected by the Services.
For further information on each of those rights, including the circumstances in which they do and do not apply, please contact us (see ‘How to contact us’ below). You may also find it helpful to refer to the guidance from the UK’s Information Commissioner on your rights under the UK GDPR.
If you would like to exercise any of those rights, please email, call or write to us—see below: ‘How to contact us’. When contacting us please:
o provide enough information to identify yourself (e.g., your full name and username) and any additional identity information we may reasonably request from you, and o let us know which right(s) you want to exercise and the information to which your request relates.
KEEPING YOUR PERSONAL DATA SECURE
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, disclosure or destruction.
Depending on the relevant system and information, these measures may include:
• access controls and restricted user permissions;
• authentication and password controls;
• secure cloud services;
• staff and contractor confidentiality requirements;
• secure document handling;
• data minimisation;
• contractual requirements for service providers; and
• procedures for responding to suspected personal data breaches.
Access to personal data is limited to employees, contractors and service providers who have a genuine business need to access the information.
Where another organisation processes personal data on our behalf, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate confidentiality and security arrangements are in place.
We maintain procedures for investigating suspected data security incidents and will notify affected individuals and the Information Commissioner’s Office where we are legally required to do so.
HOW TO COMPLAIN
If you have any questions or concerns about how we use your personal data, please contact us using the details in the “How to contact us” section below.
We would appreciate the opportunity to investigate and resolve any concerns you may have.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”), the UK supervisory authority responsible for data protection.
Further information about making a complaint is available at:
www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Your right to complain to the ICO is not affected by contacting us first.
CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, including where:
• our Services change;
• our systems or service providers change;
• our use of personal data changes; or
• applicable laws or regulatory guidance change.
The latest version will be published on our Platform and the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy will be updated accordingly.
Where we make a material change and it is appropriate to do so, we may also notify affected individuals by email or another suitable communication method.
HOW TO CONTACT US
You can contact us if you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our use of your personal data, wish to exercise a data protection right or wish to raise a complaint.
Our contact details are:
ABOUT THE STAY LIMITED
Third Floor
45 Albemarle Street
London
England
W1S 4JL
Email: privacy@aboutthestay.com
Business Number: +44 (0)20 3858 7386
Company Number: 11131725