PRIVACY POLICY

Effective Date: 07 May 2025

Welcome to holidaystays.co.za ("we," "us," or "our"), a platform dedicated to promoting South African holiday rentals. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of property owners, users, and visitors to our website.

1. WHO WE ARE

holidaystays.co.za is a South African-based platform that aggregates publicly available information about holiday rental properties to connect property owners with potential guests.

2. PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect the following personal information of behalf of publicly available holiday rental websites in South Africa:

• Contact Details: Phone numbers and email addresses of property owners or managers.
• Property Addresses: Physical addresses of holiday rental properties, which may be linked to an individual.

For website users, we collect limited data automatically, including:

• Session Data: Information stored in cookies to manage your browsing session, such as user preferences or login status.
• Approximate Location: Derived from your IP address to tailor content (e.g., regional listings).

We also collect non-personal information, such as property descriptions and website URLs, to enhance our listings.

3. HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

We gather publicly available data from individual holiday rental websites, Before processing personal information (e.g., displaying it on our platform), we seek explicit consent from property owners via email or SMS, using relavent contact details.

For users, we collect session data via cookies and approximate location via an Nginx plugin during your visit to our website. Location data is used in real-time and not retained after your session ends.

4. PURPOSE OF PROCESSING

We process personal information to:

• Promote holiday rental properties on our platform, connecting owners with potential guests.
• Contact property owners to request consent or verify listing details.
• Enhance user experience, such as maintaining session preferences or tailoring content based on approximate location.
• Improve our services, such as updating listings or analyzing website usage.

We do not use personal information for unrelated purposes, such as marketing third-party products, without additional consent.

5. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING

We process personal information based on:

• Consent: We obtain explicit permission from property owners before displaying their contact details or property addresses. Owners may withdraw consent at any time (see Section 10).
• Legitimate Interest: For non-personal data (e.g., property descriptions), session data, or minimal processing (e.g., contacting owners for consent), we rely on our legitimate interest in promoting South African tourism and improving user experience, balanced against owners' and users' rights.

All processing complies with POPIA's conditions, including purpose limitation, data minimization, and transparency.

6. COOKIES AND SESSION DATA

Our website uses cookies to store session data, such as user preferences or login status, to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings, but this may affect some website functionalities. We do not use cookies to collect personal information beyond what is necessary for session management.

We also approximate location data from your IP address during your visit, solely to tailor content (e.g., showing nearby rentals).

7. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND LINKS

Our platform includes links to third-party holiday rental websites from which we source data. These links are provided for your convenience to access original listings or make bookings. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of these third-party websites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information. Our inclusion of these links does not imply endorsement of the websites or their owners.

8. HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION

We implement robust safeguards to protect personal information:

• Encryption: Data is stored in encrypted databases and transmitted via HTTPS.
• Access Controls: Only authorized personnel access personal information, under strict confidentiality obligations.
• Temporary Storage: Unconsented personal data is deleted within 14 days of collection.
• Regular Audits: We review our systems to prevent unauthorized access or breaches.

While we take reasonable measures to secure your information, no system is completely impenetrable. We recommend using secure channels when interacting with our platform. In the unlikely event of a data breach, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as required by POPIA.

9. SHARING PERSONAL INFORMATION

We do not sell or share personal information with third parties, except:

• With Consent: We display consented contact details and property addresses on our platform to facilitate bookings.
• Service Providers: Trusted providers (e.g., email or hosting services) may process data on our behalf, under strict POPIA-compliant agreements.
• Legal Obligations: We may disclose data if required by law or to protect our rights.

10. YOUR RIGHTS UNDER POPIA

As a data subject (e.g., property owner or website user), you have the following rights:

• Access: Request details of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Ask us to update inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request removal of your personal information from our platform.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interest or withdraw consent.
• Complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@holidaystays.co.za or use our [Remove Listing Form]. We will respond within 30 days, as required by POPIA.

11. OPTING OUT

Property owners may opt out of having their personal information processed or displayed by:

• Replying "No" to our consent request email or SMS.
• Emailing hello@holidaystays.co.za with their property details or website URL.
• Submitting our [Remove Listing Form].

Website users may disable cookies via browser settings to limit session data collection. We will remove your data promptly and maintain a "ignore" list to prevent future collection.

12. RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We retain personal information only as long as necessary:

• Consented Data: Kept until consent is withdrawn or the listing is no longer active.
• Unconsented Data: Deleted within 14 days of collection.
• Session Data: Retained only for the duration of your visit, unless required for troubleshooting or legal purposes (up to 12 months).

13. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes by posting a notice on our website or emailing you at the last email address you provided (for property owners). The updated policy will be posted on our website with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review it periodically.

14. CONTACT US

Thank you for trusting holidaystays.co.za with your information. We are committed to protecting your privacy while promoting South Africa's holiday rentals.