Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

ZimRentals.com ("ZimRentals", "we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of all users of our platform. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data in accordance with the Zimbabwe Data Protection Act, Chapter 11:12 (2021) and applicable regulations.

By registering or using ZimRentals, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and consent to the collection and processing of your personal data as described herein.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect personal information that you provide directly to us, including:

• Identity data: Full name, National ID number, Passport number
• Contact data: Email address, phone number, physical address
• Employment data: Employer name, employer phone, monthly income
• Document data: Scanned National ID document (base64 encoded, stored securely)
• Reference data: Names, phone numbers, and emails of personal references
• Tenancy data: Rental history, payment records, landlord reviews, tenant reputation scores
• Usage data: Pages visited, searches performed, IP addresses, device information

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To create and manage your user account
• To facilitate property listings, rental applications, and lease agreements
• To calculate and display tenant reputation scores (ZimScore)
• To verify your identity and rental history
• To send transactional communications (invoices, lease reminders, maintenance updates)
• To improve our platform's functionality and user experience
• To comply with legal obligations and resolve disputes

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. Your data may be shared in the following limited circumstances:

• National ID and employment information is only accessible to verified landlords and platform administrators who are authorised to conduct tenant background checks as part of the leasing process.
• Tenant reputation scores and rental history are visible to landlords searching for tenants through our platform.
• Service providers: We use trusted third-party services (e.g. Railway for hosting, Vercel for web delivery) that process data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose personal data if required by Zimbabwe law, court order, or government authority.

5. Your Rights

Under the Zimbabwe Data Protection Act 2021, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your account and personal data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Right to object: Object to certain types of data processing
• Right to data portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@zimrentals.com.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data, including encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS), hashed passwords (bcrypt), access controls, and secure cloud infrastructure. ID documents are stored as encrypted strings and are only accessible to authorised administrators and verified landlords. Despite our efforts, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as required by law. If you close your account, we may retain certain data for up to 7 years to comply with Zimbabwe's financial and legal record-keeping requirements. Tenant reputation records may be retained to protect future landlords even after account closure.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact our Data Protection Officer: