Privacy Policy
Last Updated: December 2025
1. Introduction
Welcome to Groningen Living ("we", "our", or "us"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website.
We operate in the Netherlands and comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
2. Data We Collect
- Personal Identification: Name, email address, phone number.
- Profile Data: Nationality, study program, income details, guarantor information (voluntarily provided).
- Verification Data (Private Landlords): To prevent fraud, we request a photo of your ID/Passport and a selfie. We do not store raw ID images permanently.
- Usage Data: IP address, browser type, and interaction with listings.
3. Verification & Data Retention
Safety is our priority. For private landlords, we perform a manual identity check to ensure they are real people.
Strict Retention Policy: Photos of ID documents and phone numbers provided for verification purposes are permanently deleted from our servers immediately after the verification status is resolved (Approved or Rejected). We do not retain copies of your identity documents.
4. How We Use Your Data
We use the information we collect to:
- Connect students with landlords.
- Verify the identity of landlords to prevent fraud.
- Send transactional emails (application updates, account alerts) via Resend.
- Improve the functionality and security of our platform.
- Display relevant advertisements via Google Ads.
5. Sharing Your Data
We never sell your data. We only share data in the following specific circumstances:
- Landlords/Students: Contact details are shared only when a landlord explicitly "Accepts" an application.
- Service Providers: We use trusted third parties:
- Supabase: Database and Authentication.
- Resend: Email delivery.
- Google: Analytics and Advertising.
- Legal Obligations: If required by Dutch law or law enforcement.
6. Cookies and Advertising
We use cookies to enhance your experience and to support our platform through advertising.
- Functional Cookies: Essential for keeping you logged in.
- Analytical Cookies: Help us understand how users find our site (e.g., Google Analytics).
- Advertising Cookies: We use Google Ads to display advertisements. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website or other websites.
You can opt-out of personalized advertising by visiting the Google Ad Center. Alternatively, you can opt-out of third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info.
7. Your GDPR Rights
Under the GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification: Request that we correct inaccurate data.
- Deletion ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request that we delete your account and data.
- Restrict Processing: Ask us to limit how we use your data.
To exercise these rights, please contact us at support@groningenliving.nl.
8. Contact Us
If you have questions about this policy, please contact us:
Groningen Living
For privacy concerns or general inquiries, please email us directly or use our secure contact form.