Rentovate Data Retention Policy

Last Updated: February 2025

1. Purpose and Scope

This Data Retention Policy establishes guidelines for the management, retention, and disposal of data collected through Rentovate's AI assistant platform. It applies to all communication channels, including SMS, phone, email, and online chat interactions between property managers and potential or existing tenants.

2. Retention Periods by Data Category

2.1 Active Customer Data

Rentovate retains complete communication records and personal information for active customers (property managers and active tenants) for the following periods:

  • SMS Communications: Retained in full for 24 months from the date of the last interaction.
  • Phone Call Recordings: Retained for 12 months from the call date. Call metadata (time, duration, participants) retained for 24 months.
  • Email Communications: Retained in full for 24 months from the date of the last email exchange.
  • Chat Interactions: Retained in full for 24 months from the date of the last chat session.
  • User Account Information: Retained for the duration of the active business relationship plus 24 months after account closure or last activity.

2.2 Prospective Tenant Data

For individuals who have inquired about properties but have not entered into a lease agreement:

  • All Communication Channels: Retained in full for 12 months from the last interaction.
  • Contact Information: Retained for 18 months from the last interaction.
  • Property Preferences: Retained for 18 months from the last interaction.

2.3 Post-Relationship Data Treatment

After the active retention period expires:

  • Identifiable Information: Personal identifiers will be anonymized after the business relationship ends or after the retention periods specified above.
  • Anonymized Conversation Data: Core communication content will be anonymized and retained for an additional 36 months for AI training and analytics purposes.
  • Aggregate Analytics Data: Fully anonymized and aggregated data derived from communications may be retained indefinitely for service improvement, trend analysis, and business intelligence.

3. Enterprise Plan Retention Policies

3.1 Standard Enterprise Retention

The default enterprise retention policy includes:

  • Communication Data: Retained for 36 months in full, then anonymized for an additional 24 months before deletion.
  • Account Data: Retained for the duration of the contract plus 36 months.
  • Analytics Data: Anonymized data retained for 60 months for performance reporting.

3.2 Custom Enterprise Options

Enterprise clients may select from the following custom retention models or negotiate specific terms:

  • Zero Storage Model: For API-only implementations, where Rentovate processes communications without storing any data. Only technical logs are retained for 30 days for troubleshooting purposes.
  • Minimal Retention Model: Communication data retained for 90 days, then permanently deleted. Metadata retained in anonymized form for 12 months.
  • White Label Implementation: Client retains primary data ownership. Rentovate retains anonymized copies for 24 months solely for service improvement.
  • Extended Retention: Communication data retained for up to 84 months based on specific regulatory or business requirements.

4. Legal Hold Exception

All regular retention and deletion schedules will be suspended for any data subject to a legal hold, litigation, government investigation, or other legal process. Such data will be preserved until the legal hold is released or the matter is resolved.

5. Technical Implementation

5.1 Deletion Procedures

Deletion of data will occur through:

  • Soft Deletion: Initial removal from user-accessible systems, occurs immediately upon request or at retention period end.
  • Anonymization: Removal of personal identifiers, conducted within 30 days after the retention period ends.
  • Hard Deletion: Complete removal from all systems, including backups, within 90 days after anonymization or as specified in custom enterprise agreements.

5.2 Backup Retention

  • System backups containing customer data are retained for 90 days.
  • Backup restoration procedures include checks to prevent restoration of data marked for deletion.

6. Data Minimization

Rentovate follows data minimization principles by:

  • Collecting only information necessary for service provision
  • Implementing tiered access controls based on business needs
  • Conducting periodic data audits to identify and remove unnecessary data

7. Documentation and Compliance

Rentovate will maintain documentation of:

  • All deletion and anonymization activities
  • Any exceptions to standard retention periods
  • Enterprise client custom retention arrangements
  • Any legal holds placed on data

8. Policy Review

This Data Retention Policy will be reviewed annually and updated as necessary to reflect changes in business needs, regulatory requirements, or technological capabilities.

9. Responsibility

The Data Protection Officer is responsible for overseeing the implementation of this policy, with support from the IT, Legal, and Customer Success departments.

For questions about this Data Retention Policy, please contact privacy@rentovate.ai.

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