Tenant Answers Privacy Notice

Who we are

Tenant Answers is run by PALDAM LLC, a limited liability company organised in California, United States. Our postal address is 2108 N Street #1668, Sacramento, CA 95816, United States. For anything about this notice or your data, email privacy@tenantanswers.co.uk.

Two different roles

When a housing organisation uses Tenant Answers to handle information requests, subject access requests and complaints, the housing organisation decides what personal data to collect and what to do with it. It is the controller of that data, and we process it only on its instructions, as its processor, under a written data processing agreement. That covers everything a tenant puts into a portal or a request, the documents the organisation uploads, and the letters it sends. If you are a tenant, the housing organisation's own privacy notice explains how it uses your information, and requests about your data should go to it. If you contact us, we will pass your request to the organisation concerned.

We are the controller of a smaller set of personal data that we need to run our own business, described below.

What we collect as a controller, and why

Account details of the staff who use Tenant Answers: name, work email address, role, the organisation they work for, sign-in records and security settings such as two-step sign-in. We use these to provide the service the organisation has subscribed to, keep accounts secure and send service emails such as password resets and trial reminders. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interests in providing and securing the service the organisation has contracted for (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f)).

Billing details: the billing contact's name, email and billing address, and the organisation's VAT details. Card payments are taken by Stripe; we never see or store full card numbers. We use these to bill the subscription and keep the records that tax and accounting law requires. Our lawful bases are our legitimate interests in being paid (Article 6(1)(f)) and compliance with legal obligations (Article 6(1)(c)).

Support tickets and emails: what you write to us and any files you attach. We use them to answer you and improve the service, on the basis of our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)).

Website and security logs: IP address, browser type, pages requested and error details, which our servers record when you visit our websites or use the service. We use them to keep the service running and secure and to investigate misuse, on the basis of our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)).

We do not sell personal data, use it for advertising, or use it to train AI models.

Cookies

We use only cookies that are strictly necessary to provide the service: to keep you signed in, protect forms against forgery and remember security choices. These do not need consent under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies.

Who we share it with

We use the following service providers, each under a contract that requires them to protect the data and use it only to provide their service to us: Microsoft (Azure hosting, in the UK West region), Twilio SendGrid (email delivery, United States) and Stripe (card payments and billing, United States and Ireland). We may also disclose personal data where the law requires it, to protect our rights or the safety of others, or to a successor if our business is reorganised or sold.

International transfers

Tenant Answers is hosted in the United Kingdom, but PALDAM is based in the United States, and our staff access the service from there to run and support it. Twilio and Stripe also process data in the United States. Where UK data protection law treats this as a restricted transfer, we rely on the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the recipient is certified to it, and otherwise on the International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses issued by the Information Commissioner. You can ask us for a copy of the safeguards we use.

How long we keep it

Staff account details: while the account is active and for up to 12 months after the organisation's workspace is closed. Billing records: for seven years after the end of the financial year they relate to, to meet tax and accounting rules. Support tickets: for the life of the organisation's account and up to two years after. Security logs: up to 12 months, unless we need them longer to investigate an incident.

Your rights

You have the right to ask for a copy of your personal data, to have it corrected, to have it deleted, to restrict or object to our use of it, and to receive it in a portable format, subject to exceptions in UK data protection law. Email privacy@tenantanswers.co.uk. We will reply within one month.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this notice

We will post any update here with a new effective date, and tell account holders by email about significant changes.