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Gîtes.co.uk
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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 31 May 2026

1. Who We Are

We are GITES.CO.UK LIMITED (registered company number 10256342). Our registered office is 57 Spyvee Street, Hull, E. Yorks, England, HU8 7JJ.

Our ICO Registration Number is: ZA388084

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by emailing [email protected].

We operate a holiday rental marketplace connecting property owners in France with holidaymakers. We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

(Together referred to in this Privacy Policy as "Gites.co.uk", "we", "us" or "our")

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

  • Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, and password when you register as a property owner or create a guest account.
  • Property Information: Property details, descriptions, photos, availability, and pricing that owners submit.
  • Enquiry Information: Names, contact details, travel dates, and messages when guests submit enquiries.
  • Payment Information: Billing details for subscription payments (processed securely by Stripe).
  • Identity Verification Data (property owners only): When you list properties, we ask you to verify your identity via Stripe Identity, our identity-verification processor. Stripe captures your government-issued ID document and a selfie. From Stripe we receive and store only your document type (passport, driving licence, or national ID card), issuing country, expiry date, and the name as printed on the document. We do not receive or store your document images, date of birth, or address from the document — those remain with Stripe and we can request them from Stripe only if required to investigate a dispute or fraud claim. This applies only to property owners who completed verification from 19 April 2026 onwards. Owners whose accounts were imported from the legacy site were grandfathered into verified status and have not been asked to re-verify.
  • Communications: Messages exchanged between guests and property owners through our platform.
  • Reviews: Guest reviews and owner responses posted on the platform.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

  • Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers.
  • Usage Data: Pages visited, search queries, properties viewed, and interaction with our services.
  • Location Data: General location based on IP address.
  • Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar technologies for analytics, advertising, and remarketing. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
  • Advertising Data: When you visit our site, advertising partners (Google, Meta/Facebook) may collect information about your browsing activity using cookies and tracking pixels. This data is used to measure ad effectiveness and show you relevant advertisements on other websites. We segment visitors into broad categories (e.g., "holiday renters" or "property owners") to ensure advertising is relevant — no individual profiles are shared with advertisers.
  • Browser Storage: If you submit an enquiry without creating an account, we use your browser's local storage to remember which properties you have contacted. This helps you track your enquiries and pre-fill forms for convenience. This data is stored only on your device and automatically expires after 30 days. You can clear this data at any time through your browser settings.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

  • Service Delivery: To operate the marketplace, facilitate bookings, and connect guests with property owners.
  • Communications: To send booking confirmations, enquiry notifications, and respond to your requests.
  • Account Management: To manage your account, process payments, and provide customer support.
  • Identity Verification: To confirm that property owners are who they say they are, prevent fraud and impersonation, and maintain the integrity of the platform.
  • Improvements: To analyse usage patterns and improve our website and services.
  • Marketing: To send promotional communications (only with your consent, and you can opt out at any time).
  • Advertising: To measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns on Google and Facebook/Meta, and to show you relevant advertisements when you visit other websites (remarketing). You can opt out of personalised ads via Google Ad Settings or Facebook Ad Preferences.
  • Security: To detect fraud, protect against abuse, and maintain platform security.
  • Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

  • Contract: Processing necessary to provide our services to you (e.g., managing your listing, facilitating enquiries).
  • Legitimate Interests: Processing for our legitimate business interests (e.g., fraud prevention, service improvement), balanced against your rights.
  • Consent: Where you have given consent (e.g., marketing emails). You can withdraw consent at any time.
  • Legal Obligation: Processing required to comply with law (e.g., tax records, fraud prevention).

5. Data Sharing

We share your information with:

  • Other Users: Guest enquiry details are shared with property owners. Property owner contact details may be shared with guests who make enquiries.
  • Service Providers: Third parties who help us operate our services:
    • Stripe (payment processing and identity verification)
    • Mailgun (email delivery)
    • Twilio (SMS notifications and phone call routing)
    • Google (Analytics, Ads conversion tracking, and remarketing)
    • Meta/Facebook (advertising pixel and conversion tracking)
    • Cloud hosting providers
  • Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety.
  • Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

6. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the UK/EEA. When this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the UK ICO, or transfers to countries with adequate data protection laws.

7. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfil the purposes described in this policy:

  • Active Accounts: Data is retained while your account is active.
  • Closed Accounts: We retain certain data for up to 7 years for legal, tax, and audit purposes.
  • Enquiries: Enquiry data is retained for 3 years after the last interaction.
  • Identity Verification Data: The fields we hold (document type, country, expiry, name on document) are retained while your account is active and for 24 months after closure, to allow us to defend against chargebacks or late-surfacing fraud claims. The full document images and biometric data are held by Stripe and are subject to Stripe's own retention policy.
  • Marketing Data: Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

  • Access: Request a copy of your personal data.
  • Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data.
  • Erasure: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
  • Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
  • Portability: Receive your data in a portable format.
  • Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
  • Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond within one month.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:

  • Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
  • Secure password hashing
  • Regular security updates and monitoring
  • Access controls and authentication
  • Secure payment processing through PCI-compliant providers

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us immediately.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Post: GITES.CO.UK LIMITED, 57 Spyvee Street, Hull, E. Yorks, HU8 7JJ

We will respond to your request within one month.

14. Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):