Privacy Policy

Rentolony ("Rentolony", "we", "us", or "our") operates an online rental marketplace and business directory that connects Customers with Vendors offering items and equipment for rent across Nigeria (the "Platform"). This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, and the rights you have over it.

This Policy is written to be consistent with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 ("NDPA") and its predecessor subsidiary legislation, the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, 2019 ("NDPR"), as enforced by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission ("NDPC"). By creating an account or otherwise using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This Policy applies to everyone who uses Rentolony, including:

• Customers — individuals who browse, search, and arrange to rent items from Vendors.
• Vendors — businesses and individuals who register on the Platform to list items for rent.
• Visitors — anyone browsing the public site without an account.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account & Profile Information

When you register, we collect your full name, email address, phone number, and password (stored as a one-way cryptographic hash — we never store your password in plain text). We also record your account type (Customer, Vendor, or Administrator) and, where supplied, a profile photo, date of birth, and gender.

2.2 Vendor & Business Information

If you register as a Vendor, we additionally collect your business name, branch/location details, business phone numbers and social links, and — where you submit them for verification — documents such as your CAC registration certificate, business license, tax certificate, proof of insurance, and a valid owner identification document. These documents are used solely to verify your business and are only visible to our verification team unless a "Verified" badge is displayed on your public profile.

2.3 Identity Verification Documents

Customers may voluntarily submit a valid government-issued identification document to obtain a verified badge. These documents are stored securely and are only accessible to authorised Rentolony staff reviewing the submission.

2.4 Payment & Wallet Information

Rentolony does not process rental payments between Customers and Vendors — those are arranged directly between the two parties (see our Safety Guidelines). We do process payments you make to Rentolony — for example, Vendor subscription plans, promotions, and wallet top-ups — through our payment processor, Paystack. We never see or store your full card number, PIN, or bank OTP; these are collected directly by Paystack under its own security standards (PCI-DSS compliant). We retain only the transaction reference, amount, status, and the last four digits of the payment method used, for your records and for accounting purposes.

2.5 Listings, Bookings & Communications

We collect the content you submit when creating a listing (title, description, category-specific attributes, photos, pricing, and availability), and the messages you exchange with other users through our in-platform chat, enquiries, and reviews you write or receive.

2.6 Location Information

We collect the state, city, or area you provide for your listings, business branches, or delivery address, so that search results and availability can be shown accurately. We do not track your precise GPS location.

2.7 Device & Usage Information

Like most online platforms, we automatically collect certain technical information when you use Rentolony, including your IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referring page, pages viewed, search queries, and approximate session timestamps. We also record login devices for account-security purposes (for example, to alert you to sign-ins from a new device).

2.8 Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in and to remember your preferences. See our Cookie Policy for full details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal data described above to:

• Create and manage your account, and authenticate you when you sign in (including via one-time passcodes and two-factor authentication where enabled);
• Operate the marketplace — display listings, process searches and filters, and connect Customers with Vendors;
• Verify Vendor businesses and, where submitted, Customer identity;
• Process payments you make to Rentolony (subscriptions, promotions, wallet funding) via Paystack, and maintain accurate wallet and transaction records;
• Send transactional notifications — booking enquiries, messages, account activity, subscription renewals, and admin broadcasts — by email, SMS, and/or push notification, based on your notification preferences;
• Respond to support requests and investigate reports of abuse, fraud, or policy violations;
• Maintain the security and integrity of the Platform, including detecting and preventing fraudulent or unauthorised activity;
• Analyse aggregated, non-identifying usage patterns to improve the Platform's features, performance, and search relevance;
• Send you marketing communications and newsletters, where you have opted in — you may unsubscribe at any time; and
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including tax, accounting, and law-enforcement requests.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the NDPA/NDPR, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases to process your personal data:

• Consent — for example, when you opt in to marketing emails, or voluntarily submit an identity document;
• Performance of a contract — to create your account, operate your Vendor listings, and process payments you make to us;
• Legal obligation — for example, retaining transaction records for tax and accounting purposes;
• Legitimate interests — to keep the Platform secure, prevent fraud, and improve our services, balanced against your rights and freedoms.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only in the following circumstances:

• Between Customers and Vendors: when you enquire about or message a listing, the other party sees information reasonably necessary to complete the rental — such as your name and the contact details relevant to that conversation. Vendors' business contact details are shown on their public profile so Customers can reach them.
• Payment processing: we share transaction data with Paystack to process payments you make to Rentolony.
• Service providers: we work with third-party providers for functions such as email delivery, SMS delivery, and cloud file storage, who process data strictly on our instructions and only to the extent needed to provide that service.
• Legal and safety reasons: we may disclose information where required by law, court order, or a valid request from a Nigerian regulatory or law-enforcement authority, or where necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Rentolony, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers: if Rentolony is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as your account remains active and for a reasonable period afterwards to meet legal, accounting, tax, dispute-resolution, and fraud-prevention obligations. When you request deletion of your account (see Section 7), we deactivate your account and restrict it from further use immediately; certain records — such as completed transaction and wallet history — are retained for the period required by applicable Nigerian tax and financial-record-keeping law, after which they are permanently erased or irreversibly anonymised.

7. Your Rights as a Data Subject

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• Rectification — correct inaccurate or incomplete data (you can update most account details directly from your dashboard);
• Erasure — request deletion of your account and personal data, subject to the retention exceptions described in Section 6;
• Restriction — request that we limit how we process your data in certain circumstances;
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing;
• Data portability — request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format;
• Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal; and
• Lodge a complaint — with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) if you believe we have not handled your data in accordance with the law.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

8. Data Security

We apply industry-standard safeguards to protect your information, including encrypted password storage, encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) between your browser and our servers, role-based access controls limiting staff access to only the data needed for their role, and CSRF protection on every form submission. Sensitive documents (identity and business verification files) are stored outside the publicly accessible web root. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and while we work hard to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Rentolony uses cookies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, and understand how the Platform is used. Full details, including how to manage your cookie preferences, are set out in our Cookie Policy.

10. Children's Privacy

Rentolony is not directed at, and is not intended for use by, individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

11. International Data Transfers

Rentolony's infrastructure and the third-party service providers we use (such as our payment processor and email/SMS delivery providers) may store or process data on servers located within or outside Nigeria. Where personal data is transferred outside Nigeria, we take reasonable steps to ensure it receives a comparable standard of protection, consistent with the cross-border transfer requirements of the NDPA/NDPR.

12. Third-Party Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites (for example, a Vendor's own social media page, or the Paystack checkout page). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties, and we encourage you to review their own privacy policies.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal or regulatory reasons. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised. Material changes will be communicated through the Platform or by email before they take effect.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or would like to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us at:

• Email: privacy@rentolony.ng
• General support: hello@rentolony.ng
• Or via our Contact page