Lease24

    Privacy Policy

    Last updated: December 13, 2024

    PIPEDA Compliant
    Ontario RTA
    Quebec Law 25 (Future)
    Current Operational Region: Ontario Only

    Lease24 currently supports landlords and property managers in Ontario. Other provinces will be supported as legal and compliance frameworks are finalized. We will notify users prior to entering any new province and will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.

    🇫🇷 VERSION FRANÇAISE À VENIR
    This Privacy Policy is currently available in English only. A French version will be made available soon for Quebec users. For French assistance, contact: privacy@lease24.io

    Table of Contents

    1. Who We Are

    Lease24 Inc. is a Canadian corporation operating a rental marketplace and property management platform currently serving Ontario only.

    We currently serve tenants, landlords, property managers, and service providers in Ontario. Expansion to other provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec) is on our future roadmap and will occur as legal and compliance frameworks are finalized.

    Important Notice:

    This Privacy Policy provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. In any case of conflict between this Policy and applicable privacy laws (including PIPEDA or future provincial requirements), the applicable law prevails. Users should consult the appropriate privacy regulator or a legal professional for guidance regarding their privacy rights.

    This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information in accordance with:

    • Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) - Federal
    • Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act privacy requirements
    • Quebec Law 25 - Will apply upon operational launch in Quebec
    • BC PIPA - Will apply upon operational launch in British Columbia
    • Alberta PIPA - Will apply upon operational launch in Alberta

    2. Privacy Officer Designation
    PIPEDA Best Practice

    We have designated a Privacy Officer responsible for ensuring compliance with privacy laws and handling your privacy requests.

    Privacy Officer

    Lease24

    Email: privacy@lease24.io

    Response time: Within 30 days as required by law

    Note: Quebec Law 25 requires a designated Privacy Officer. We voluntarily maintain this role in preparation for future Quebec operations.

    3. Information We Collect

    Sensitive Data Protection (Law 25 Article 12.1):

    Sensitive information (e.g., government ID, Social Insurance Numbers, financial details) is encrypted, access-restricted, and flagged in our systems under Quebec Law 25 Article 12.1 protections. Access is limited to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis.

    4. How We Use Your Information

    Primary Purposes:

    • Facilitate rental applications and tenant-landlord matching
    • Process tenant screening (with your express consent)
    • Enable lease creation and electronic signing
    • Process rent payments and financial transactions
    • Coordinate maintenance requests and service dispatch
    • Connect property managers with qualified service providers through our vendor marketplace
    • Display vendor profiles and facilitate work order assignments
    • Process vendor-related communications and work orders
    • Collect and display vendor reviews and ratings
    • Send transactional communications about your account and services

    Secondary Purposes:

    • Improve our platform and develop new features
    • Analyze usage patterns and market trends (anonymized/aggregated)
    • Prevent fraud and ensure platform security
    • Comply with legal obligations and respond to legal requests
    • Send marketing communications (with your opt-in consent - CASL compliant)

    5. AI and Automated Decision-Making
    Important Disclosure

    Disclosure Required by PIPEDA:

    We may use artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with certain features, such as:

    • Application data organization and draft scoring for landlord review
    • Messaging templates and draft suggestions
    • Property search filtering and display
    • Maintenance request categorization and routing
    • Draft listing descriptions and comparable price estimates

    We use AI to provide non-binding suggestions to assist users during rental workflows. These suggestions do not constitute professional, legal, or financial advice and are never determinative.

    AI Output is Assistive Only:

    Lease24's AI features are intended to support administrative efficiency and compliance. Users must independently review and approve all AI-generated content. AI output is never determinative and never makes final tenancy, pricing, or listing decisions.

    Important Protections:

    • Human Review Required: AI does NOT make final tenancy decisions. All application decisions are made by humans (landlords/managers)
    • Right to Explanation: You may request an explanation of how AI was used in any decision affecting you
    • Right to Human Review: You may request human review of any automated decision
    • Opt-Out: Contact privacy@lease24.io to opt out of AI processing where possible
    AI Transparency:

    Lease24 uses AI as an assistive tool only. AI systems do not independently approve or deny rental applications, and do not make decisions that produce legal or significant effects without human involvement. Users may contact privacy@lease24.io for clarification regarding how AI was used in their case.

    AI outputs are presented to users for discretionary review. No AI feature auto-fills, auto-submits, or auto-approves without user interaction and oversight.

    CASL Messaging Compliance:

    AI-powered messaging suggestions comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). No marketing content is sent without opt-in consent. Automated transactional content is limited to lease, rent, or maintenance workflows only.

    6. Information Sharing and Third Parties

    We share your personal information with the following parties:

    Recipient Purpose Data Shared
    Landlords/Managers Rental applications Application data, references, screening results
    Screening Providers Background/credit checks Identity info (with express consent)
    Payment Processors Process payments Financial transaction data
    Email Service Providers Communications Email address, name
    Cloud Hosting Providers Data storage All platform data
    Vendors/Service Providers Work order fulfillment Property address, issue description, contact info, work order details
    Legal/Regulatory Compliance As legally required
    Vendor Marketplace Data Disclosure:
    • Public Visibility: Vendor profile information (name, business name, specialty, service areas, ratings, reviews) is publicly visible on the marketplace to all users
    • Featured Placements: Boosted or featured vendor placements are paid promotional positions and are clearly marked as such
    • Work Order Information: When vendors are hired, they receive necessary information to complete work orders (property address, contact information, job description)
    • Reviews & Ratings: User-submitted reviews and ratings become part of vendor public profiles
    • Review Accuracy: All vendor reviews and ratings are user-submitted. Lease24 does not verify the accuracy of reviews. Vendors may request a review of disputed content by contacting privacy@lease24.io.
    • Account Deactivation: Vendors can request removal or anonymization of reviews tied to their deactivated accounts.

    7. Cross-Border Data Transfers
    Critical Disclosure

    ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Your Data May Be Stored Outside Canada

    Your personal information may be processed and stored on servers located OUTSIDE of Canada, including in the United States.

    Service Providers:

    Lease24 uses trusted third-party service providers for hosting, data storage, payment processing, analytics, email delivery, and platform infrastructure. Some of these providers may be located outside of Canada, including in the United States or other jurisdictions. The specific providers used may change from time to time.

    What This Means for You:

    • Your information may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions, including the U.S. CLOUD Act
    • Foreign authorities may be able to access your data under their laws
    • We ensure our service providers maintain appropriate security measures through contractual agreements
    • We transfer only the minimum data necessary to provide our services
    Your Consent: By using our services, you consent to this transfer of your personal information outside Canada. If you do not consent to cross-border transfers, you may not be able to use our services.
    Canadian-Hosted Data Option:

    Users concerned with U.S. data storage may contact privacy@lease24.io to request Canadian-only data hosting where possible. We will work with you to explore limited offline workflows or hosted-on-Canadian-soil alternatives when available.

    Future Provincial Data Residency:

    Users located in Quebec or provinces with strong localization requirements will receive data residency disclosures when Lease24 launches in those jurisdictions. We are committed to meeting provincial data residency requirements as we expand.

    8. Your Privacy Rights

    Provincial Tenant Information Guides:

    Users in Ontario, Manitoba, and Newfoundland have the right to receive a tenant information guide. Lease24 provides links to government-issued summaries when required by provincial law. See our Resource Center for province-specific rights documentation.

    9. Data Security

    We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:

    Technical Measures:

    • • Encryption in transit (TLS/SSL)
    • • Encryption at rest
    • • Secure authentication (multi-factor)
    • • Regular security audits
    • • Penetration testing
    • • Intrusion detection systems

    Organizational Measures:

    • • Role-based access controls
    • • Employee training on privacy
    • • Confidentiality agreements
    • • Incident response procedures
    • • Vendor security assessments
    • • Regular policy reviews

    Consent Tracking:

    Lease24 maintains an internal consent register to track opt-ins and privacy preferences across communication, AI usage, and marketing channels. Consent records are province-tagged to support evolving provincial privacy rules, including Ontario and anticipated compliance in BC, Alberta, and Quebec. This future-proofs our compliance with PIPEDA audit requirements and upcoming provincial regulations.

    Data Breach Notification:

    In accordance with PIPEDA, we will notify you and relevant authorities if a data breach poses a real risk of significant harm. We maintain a breach register as required by law. Quebec Law 25 breach notification requirements will apply upon operational launch in Quebec.

    10. Data Retention

    We retain your personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes outlined in this policy or as required by law:

    Data Type Retention Period Reason
    Active accounts Duration of account Service provision
    Inactive accounts 2 years after last activity Reactivation option
    Rental applications 7 years Legal/tax requirements
    Lease documents 7 years after lease ends Legal requirements (RTA)
    Payment records 7 years CRA requirements
    Marketing consent Until withdrawn CASL compliance
    Support tickets 3 years Quality assurance
    Breach register (Law 25) Minimum 5 years Regulatory requirement
    Vendor profiles (active) Duration of account Service marketplace operation
    Vendor profiles (inactive) 2 years after last login Reactivation option
    Vendor work orders 7 years after completion Legal/warranty requirements
    Vendor ratings & reviews Duration of vendor account + 1 year Marketplace integrity & user safety

    Note: Some data may be retained longer if required by law or for legal proceedings. You may request deletion, subject to these legal obligations.

    11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

    We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and analyze platform usage.

    Essential Cookies

    Required for site functionality, security, and authentication. Duration: Session

    Analytics Cookies

    Help us understand usage patterns and improve the platform. Duration: 1 year

    Preference Cookies

    Remember your settings and preferences. Duration: 1 year

    Marketing Cookies (with consent)

    Used for targeted advertising. Duration: 1 year

    Managing Cookies:

    • • You can manage cookies through your browser settings
    • • You can opt out of analytics through our cookie preferences
    • • Essential cookies cannot be disabled as they're necessary for the platform to function

    12. Contact Information

    Lease24

    Lease24 is operated by Lease24 Inc., a federally registered Canadian corporation (in progress - registration expected by Q1 2026)

    Privacy Officer:

    privacy@lease24.io

    General Support:

    support@lease24.io

    Accessibility:

    accessibility@lease24.io

    Legal Inquiries:

    legal@lease24.io

    Mailing Address:

    [To be updated upon business registration]

    Response Time:

    We respond to privacy requests within 30 days as required by law

    Changes to This Privacy Policy

    We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to you via email at least 30 days before they take effect.

    Non-material changes will be posted with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of our services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

    Current Operational Region: Ontario Only

    Lease24 will notify users prior to entering any new province and will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.

    Policy Version: ON-2024-v1.0