At RentCheckMe, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services.
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide
When you use RentCheckMe to check rent control status for an address, we collect:
- Address Information: The street address, city, state, and ZIP code you enter to check rent control status. This information is sent to Google Analytics for usage analytics and may be stored in our analytics systems (see "How We Use Your Information" below).
- Property Data: Information about the property retrieved from public records and databases, including construction year, property type, and other relevant details
Automatically Collected Information
When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information through cookies and similar technologies:
- Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, and other browsing behavior
- Device Information: Browser type, device type, and operating system
- IP Address: Collected automatically by Google Analytics (a third-party service we use) for analytics purposes. We do not directly collect or store IP addresses ourselves.
- Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address (collected by Google Analytics) and approximate location when using our address autocomplete feature (via AWS Location Services). This is not precise location data.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide rent control checking services and display results
- Send address search queries to Google Analytics for usage analytics and service improvement
- Store address search records (including addresses searched, ZIP codes, search status, and timestamps) in AWS S3 for service improvement and analytics. These records are not linked to personally identifiable information such as names or email addresses.
- Improve our website and services
- Analyze usage patterns and trends
- Ensure website security and prevent fraud
- Comply with legal obligations
3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our website and store certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data that may include an anonymous unique identifier.
Types of Cookies We Use
- Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly
- Analytics Cookies: Used by Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use our website
- Advertising Cookies: Used by Google AdSense to deliver relevant advertisements
Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services that may use cookies:
- Google Analytics: To analyze website traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics collects IP addresses and receives address search queries for analytics purposes. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- Google AdSense: To display advertisements on our website. AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website or other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ad Settings.
- AWS Location Services: Used for address autocomplete functionality. AWS Location Services may process location data to provide address suggestions. See AWS Privacy Policy for more information.
4. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:
- Service Providers: With trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website and conducting our business, including:
- Google: For analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense)
- Amazon Web Services (AWS): For cloud hosting, data storage (S3), analytics metrics (CloudWatch), and address autocomplete services (Location Services)
- Legal Requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights, property, or safety
- Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
5. Data Retention
We retain address lookup data and analytics information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations. Analytics data is typically retained for up to 26 months. Address lookup data may be retained for shorter periods and is not linked to personally identifiable information.
6. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:
- Access: Request access to your personal information
- Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
- Opt-Out: Opt out of cookies and tracking technologies (see section 3)
- Do Not Track: Your browser may allow you to set a "Do Not Track" preference
To exercise these rights, please contact us at rentcheckme@gmail.com.
7. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
- Right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
- Right to delete personal information
- Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights
To exercise your California privacy rights, please contact us at rentcheckme@gmail.com.
8. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- Right to access your personal data
- Right to rectification of inaccurate data
- Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
- Right to restrict processing
- Right to data portability
- Right to object to processing
To exercise your GDPR rights, please contact us at rentcheckme@gmail.com.
9. Children's Privacy
Our website is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.
10. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:
Email: rentcheckme@gmail.com
Website: https://rentcheckme.com