Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

OnlyStudentStay is a student accommodation platform operated by OnlyStudentStay ("we", "us", "our"). We connect verified university students to find and list student accommodation worldwide — with no agents, no fees, and no landlords involved.

Data Controller: OnlyStudentStay
Contact: eemran@onlystudentstay.com
Website: onlystudentstay.com

2. Data We Collect

We collect the following personal data when you use our platform:

• Name — when you list a room or contact an owner
• University email address — to verify your student status
• Phone number — optional, only if you provide it
• Room listing details — address, rent, photos, availability dates
• Messages — when you contact a room owner through the platform
• Live chat messages — when you use our support chat
• IP address and browser type — collected automatically for security

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your data only for the following purposes:

• To verify that you are an enrolled university student
• To display your room listing to other verified students
• To facilitate direct communication between students
• To send you a verification email when you list a room
• To send you enquiry notifications when students message you
• To provide live support through our chat system
• To improve and maintain the platform
• To prevent fraud, spam, and misuse of the platform

We process your data on the legal basis of legitimate interests (to operate the platform) and contract performance (to provide the services you request).

4. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored on secure servers hosted within the European Economic Area (EEA) or equivalent jurisdictions with adequate data protection standards.

We implement the following security measures:

• SSL/TLS encryption on all data in transit
• Secure database access with restricted permissions
• Email verification before listings are published
• Regular security updates and monitoring

5. Sharing Your Data

We never sell your personal data to third parties.

We may share limited data only in these circumstances:

• With other students: Your name, listing details, and contact info are visible to verified students when you list a room — as required to operate the service
• Service providers: We use trusted third-party tools (email delivery, hosting) who process data only on our behalf and under strict data protection agreements
• Legal obligations: We may disclose data if required by law or to protect the safety of users

6. Cookies

We use minimal, essential cookies only:

• Session cookies — to maintain your live chat session
• Security cookies — WordPress nonce cookies for form security
• Preference cookies — to remember your chat session (stored in localStorage)

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party analytics cookies that identify you personally.

7. Your Rights (UK GDPR)

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right to access — request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure — ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restriction — ask us to limit how we use your data
• Right to portability — receive your data in a portable format
• Right to object — object to our processing of your data

To exercise any of these rights, email us at eemran@onlystudentstay.com. We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

8. Data Retention

We retain your data for the following periods:

• Room listings — kept until you request deletion or until the listing end date has passed by 90 days
• Enquiry emails — sent directly to room owners; we do not retain copies beyond 30 days
• Live chat messages — retained for up to 12 months, then deleted
• Verification tokens — expire automatically after 48 hours
• Email address — retained while your listing is active

9. Children's Privacy

OnlyStudentStay is intended for university students, who are typically 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under the age of 18.

If you believe a minor has submitted data to our platform, please contact us immediately at eemran@onlystudentstay.com and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Continued use of OnlyStudentStay after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.