Privacy Notice
“Host Student Housing Management Limited” and “Host Student Housing Management (UK) Limited” trading as “Host” believe that an individual’s right to privacy of their personal information is fundamental in today’s modern world. We are committed to ensuring that;
- The information we collect is relevant to enabling us to deliver and improve the award-winning services that we provide and for which we are known.
- The information we collect is stored accurately, securely and with your privacy being paramount.
- The information we collect will only be shared with selected third parties where it assists us in delivering our services or where we are required to share such information by law.
Our privacy notice explains in further detail what types of personal information we collect from you and how we will use it. We have provided this information in a summary format below. If you would like to learn more please click on “Learn more”.
Who we areHost is the student-facing brand for Host Student Housing Management Limited (“HSHML”) and Host Student Housing Management (UK) Limited (“HSHM(UK)L”). HSHML and HSHM(UK)L manage a number of properties on behalf of a number of different owners. We manage the data in “joint-controllership” with such owners. The joint-controller (building owner) will be defined in an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement, a Licence to Occupy and/or any other similar documentation upon booking accommodation with Host. This information can be found under “Data Protection”. |
Personal information we collectHost collects personal information to operate the properties that it manages effectively and to give our customers the best possible service. You provide personal information to us in a number of different ways – for example when you create an account/an application on our booking portal, directly to our reception staff, and when visiting our website (using online identifier technologies like cookies). We sometimes obtain data from third parties, for example, but not limited to, educational establishments, agents and through the transfer of ownership and/or management of a property to Host. Host gives you choices about the data we collect, and when asked to provide personal data, you may decline. However, please note that if you choose not to provide the personal data that Host requires to enter into a contract with you, you will not be able to take up residence in any of the properties that we manage.
Depending on how you interact with Host, be it through a room booking or being a guarantor the data we collect may vary and can include the following: Name and contact data. We will collect your first and last name, preferred name, email address, postal address, contact telephone number, and other similar contact data. Credentials: We will collect your email address as your login credentials for the Host Online Portal. We will also store an encrypted version of your alpha-numeric password used to access the Online Portal. Identification data: We will collect identification data such as a national identity card, passport, photograph and student ID. Demographic data: We will collect personal data about you such as your age, gender, and nationality. Medical data: We will give you the opportunity to provide personal medical data if you feel it is pertinent to your booking with us. We will also collect objectively observed medical data if pertinent to your interactions with us. Usage data: We will collect data about your interactions with our business systems. For example :
Financial: We will collect data about any transactions you make with Host and we will also collect financial history (such as proof of earnings, bank statements and similar documentation) in the guarantor application process. We will collect payment details to process payments online and via our receptions and may collect bank account details to process refunds. Third Party Relationships: We will collect data about your relationships with third parties such as educational establishments, guarantors for accommodation, emergency contacts, nominated consents, and prospective/current roommates. Content: We will store all the content that we have provided, or received from you, regarding your relationship with Host. This content may be in the form of an electronic message (“email”), instant-message, web-query form, Skype or any other applicable form of communication. Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV): If you enter a Host property your image will be captured by CCTV cameras. |
How we use your personal informationHost collects personal information to operate its business and to provide its customers with the award-winning services for which it is known. This can include using information to continually improve and personalise our products. We will use personal information to communicate with you regarding our accommodation services, employment applications, and to promote related Host services. We also collect personal information in order to comply with legal obligations, for the purposes of entering into a contract with you and the subsequent performance of that contract and where we have assessed that it is in our legitimate interests to do so. Providing our service. We use personal information to provide, and continually improve, our services to you. This includes operating platforms (such as our booking system StarRez), maintaining and improving our accommodation services, analytics and providing excellent customer service.
If provided, we will use your personal medical information to consider whether it is possible to make reasonable adjustments to the products and services that we provide to you.
Communications. We will use the information provided to communicate with you and to personalise these communications. For example, throughout the application process you will receive confirmations about the status of your booking and communications prompting any further action required to complete your booking. During your tenancy you may receive communications regarding our accommodation services which may include information about the property, events, surveys, and welfare. You can also opt-in to further Marketing-specific emails from Host and carefully selected third parties; see the “Marketing” section below for further information. You can manage your subscriptions via the “Privacy” tab on your Host Online Portal account. Marketing. Host will, from time to time, market its products and services to both current customers and potential customers who have consented to receiving marketing communications.
Our Marketing Department might from time to time receive interesting offers and information from third parties that we feel would be of interest to our customers. We will never provide your information to third parties for marketing purposes but we may send you information from them on their behalf where you have indicated a desire to receive marketing communications from us. You can also ask us to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by logging into your Online Host Portal account and checking or unchecking relevant boxes in the “Privacy” module to adjust your marketing preferences or by following the opt-out links on any marketing-related message sent to you or by contacting us directly using the contact details contained in this notice. Where you opt-out from receiving these marketing messages this will not apply to the personal data that you have provided to us as a result of a product/service purchased or any other transactions where legitimate grounds for our non-marketing related processing activities continue to exist. Change of purpose We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for other reasons which are compatible with the original purpose. If you want us to explain how the processing for any new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us. If we need to use your personal data for any unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which permits us to do so or alternatively, if necessary, seek your consent. Please note that we may process your personal data without your consent where this is required or permitted by law. |
Reasons we share your personal informationIt is important and necessary from time to time for Host to share your personal information. We will only do this with your consent or as necessary to provide the service that you have requested or authorised. We share information with vendors; when required by applicable law or in response to legal proceedings; to protect our customers; to maintain security and to protect Host’s intellectual property rights. We may have to share your personal data with the parties set out below for the purposes set out in “How we Use Your Personal Information”.
Other related companies acting as joint controllers and who are based in the EEA and undertake leadership reporting.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to process it for lawful purposes only. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own unrelated purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions. International transfersSome of our external third parties are based outside the EEA so their processing of your personal data will involve a transfer of data outside the EEA. Whenever we transfer your personal data outside the EEA we endeavour to ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by implementing at least one of the following safeguards:
Please contact us if you want further information as to the specific way in which we transfer your personal data outside the EEA. |
How we keep your information secureHost has a regimented approach to privacy and information security. We have developed internal measures to ensure personal information is processed on an “as needed basis”. We endeavour to have in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information. When sharing your information with third parties we will ensure that these parties conform to our information security standards, as highlighted in the “Reasons we share your personal information” section. We carry out regular personal information audits on all of the properties we mange including the staff and third-parties. We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and we will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so. |
How long we keep your personal information forWe will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and to comply with any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means and having regard to any applicable legal requirements. By law we have to keep basic information about our customers including Contact, Identity, Financial, Contractual and Transaction Data for six years after they cease being customers for tax purposes. In some circumstances you can ask us to delete your data: see “Other important information” below for further information. Also in some circumstances we may anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you. |
Your Host Online Portal AccountWe believe that access to, and amendment of, your personal information is important. All customers with an account with Host can amend some of their privacy settings and check that the personal information we have on file is correct. You can find this facility under “Privacy” on the Host Online Portal. |
Other important informationIn this section you will find important additional information regarding your rights under applicable Data Protection law and useful contact information. Host is committed to adhering to all applicable data protection law in the UK and in the European Economic Area (EEA), which , if relevant, includes the following rights:
You have a right to complain to us by emailing us at privacy@host-students.com or to lodge a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority. Host’s nominated data protection supervisory authority in the EEA is: Information Commissioner’s Office UK Other important supervisory authority contacts are: Irish Data Protection Commissioner |