Privacy Policy

Introduction

RentEra (“RentEra”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is operated by 0957661 BC Ltd. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the RentEra mobile application and related services (together, the “Service”), how we use and share it, and the choices you have.

RentEra helps renters across the United States and Canada discover homes, submit rental applications, and manage their tenancy — including rent payments, messaging with property managers, and maintenance requests. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described here.

Scope. This policy covers the RentEra tenant-facing mobile application and this website. It does not cover our internal staff tools, which are invite-only and subject to separate employment agreements.

Information we collect

Account & authentication

• Account details — your name, email address, phone number, and password (if you register with email).
• Social sign-in — if you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name and email from those providers; we do not receive or store your Google or Apple password.
• Profile picture — optionally uploaded by you.
• Device & push-notification token — a Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) token associated with your device, used to deliver push notifications you have enabled.

Rental application information

Through our guided Curator application flow, you may provide the following in order to apply for a home:

• Personal identifiers — full name, date of birth, gender, and marital status.
• Contact details — phone number, alternate phone number, and email.
• Government identification number — in Canada, your Social Insurance Number (SIN); equivalent identifiers may be collected where required in the United States. Providing this is voluntary unless a specific property manager requires it as part of their screening process.
• Emergency contact — name, phone number, and relationship to you.
• Current and previous residence — address, move-in and move-out dates, monthly rent amount, reason for leaving, and landlord name and phone number.
• Employment & income — employment type, employer name, job title, work address, and annual income.
• Background disclosures — self-disclosed answers about prior evictions, bankruptcy, criminal record, and outstanding money owed.
• Supporting documents — files you voluntarily upload to strengthen your application, which may include: Government ID, Proof of Income, Reference Letter, Bank Statement, and Previous Lease agreement.
• Co-applicant information — if you add co-applicants, we collect the same categories of personal information for each co-applicant that you provide on their behalf. By submitting co-applicant information, you confirm you have their consent to do so.

Tenancy & in-app activity

• Communications — messages you exchange with property managers through in-app chat.
• Maintenance tickets — title, description, category, priority, and photos you upload. You may optionally share your precise GPS location to help identify the issue location within the property.
• Saved listings — property units you save as favourites.
• Lease documents — your electronically signed lease agreement, processed via our e-signature partner Docuseal.

Payment & banking information

• Bank account details — when you set up rent payments, you provide your bank account information (bank name, account number, and routing number). This information is tokenized and stored by our payment processor, Helcim; RentEra stores only a secure token, the bank name, the last four digits of your account, and the last four digits of your routing number.
• Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) agreement — when you authorize recurring rent payments, we record the signed PAD agreement text, your full name, the date and time of signing, your IP address, and your device's user-agent string as required for legal compliance.
• Payment records — rent transaction history, rent ledger entries, and receipts associated with your tenancy.

Automatically collected information

• Device & usage data — device type, operating system, app version, and how you interact with features.
• Approximate location — used to show listings relevant to your selected city. You control location permissions in your device settings.
• Notification preferences — your per-category settings for payment, maintenance, alert, notice, task, announcement, and general notifications.

How we use your information

• To create and manage your account and authenticate you securely.
• To display curated listings, let you save favourites, and submit rental applications.
• To process and route your application to the relevant property managers.
• To facilitate lease document preparation and electronic signing.
• To set up and process Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) rent payments on your behalf.
• To enable in-app messaging, maintenance ticket tracking, rent reminders, and receipts.
• To send the push notifications and service messages you've enabled.
• To maintain security, prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations.
• To improve and develop the Service.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as needed to operate the Service:

• Property managers & landlords — when you apply for a home or are an active tenant, the relevant property manager receives your application details, communications, and maintenance requests.
• Payment processor (Helcim) — your bank account details are transmitted to Helcim to process PAD rent payments. Helcim handles and stores your banking information under their own privacy and security standards.
• E-signature provider (Docuseal) — your lease documents are processed through Docuseal for electronic signing. Relevant personal information needed for the signing process is shared with Docuseal.
• Cloud infrastructure & storage providers — we use third-party services to host our servers and store uploaded documents and photos. These providers operate under contractual confidentiality obligations.
• Push notification service (Firebase) — your device token is used to deliver push notifications through Google Firebase Cloud Messaging.
• Legal & safety — when required by law, to enforce our terms, or to protect the rights and safety of users and the public.
• Business transfers — in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to this policy.

Screening & background checks

As part of an application, you self-disclose answers about prior evictions, bankruptcy, criminal record, and money owed. Where a property manager requests a formal credit, criminal, or eviction-history check from a third-party screening provider, such checks are only initiated with the appropriate legal basis or your explicit consent. These checks are governed by applicable laws, including the U.S. Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and equivalent Canadian provincial legislation.

Your Social Insurance Number (SIN) or other government-issued identifier, if provided, may be shared with a screening provider solely for identity verification or screening purposes at the request of the property manager.

Payments & banking

Rent payments are processed through Helcim, a PCI-compliant payment processor. When you set up a bank account for Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) payments:

• Your full bank account and routing number are transmitted securely to Helcim, which stores them and returns a token. RentEra stores only that token, your bank name, and the last four digits of each number.
• A legally required PAD agreement is created. Your IP address and browser/device user-agent are captured at the moment of signing as part of the agreement record.
• You may revoke your PAD authorization at any time through the app, subject to any notice period required under your lease or applicable law.

Data retention

We keep your information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service. Application records, tenancy communications, lease documents, and payment records may be retained for a reasonable period to comply with legal, tax, and dispute-resolution obligations. PAD agreement records are retained for the period required by applicable Canadian payment rules. After the applicable retention period, data is deleted or anonymized.

Your rights & choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or port your personal information, and to object to or restrict certain processing.

• United States — residents of states with applicable privacy laws (such as California under the CCPA/CPRA) may exercise access, deletion, correction, and opt-out rights. We do not sell or “share” personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising.
• Canada — under PIPEDA and applicable provincial laws, you may request access to and correction of your personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, email contact@rentera.ca. You can also edit much of your account information directly in the app, manage your notification preferences, and withdraw a rental application while it is under review.

Security

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information, including encryption in transit (TLS), encryption at rest for sensitive data (such as bank tokens stored using AES-256-GCM), and access controls. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work continuously to protect your data.

Children's privacy

RentEra is intended for adults who are legally able to enter a rental agreement. The Service is not directed to children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

International data transfers

RentEra operates in the United States and Canada, and your information may be processed in either country or by service providers located elsewhere. Where information crosses borders, we take steps to ensure it remains protected in accordance with applicable law.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? We're glad to help.