Privacy notice

Version 1.0, July 2026

Who we are

UK Homestays is a trading name of the London Homestays group. We operate homestaysuk.com, a service that introduces guests to host families across the UK. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this notice. Contact: hello@homestaysuk.com.

What we collect and why

Hosts: your name, contact details, address, property details and photos, household information relevant to hosting, your weekly rate, verification records (identity documents and assessment notes), and payment details. We use these to verify you, create and manage your listing, match you with guests, and pay you. Legal bases: performance of our agreement with you; our legitimate interest in verifying listings and maintaining service quality; and your consent for publishing your listing.

Guests: your name, contact details, date of birth (to confirm you are 18 or over), stay requirements, and payment records. We use these to arrange and manage your booking. Legal bases: performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in running the service.

Where your data comes from

Directly from you when you enquire or apply. If you previously registered with London Homestays, some details may come from our group records. In that case we will only ever publish a listing with your explicit consent.

Who we share it with

Published listings show a host's first name, area, property photos and room details only, never a full name, exact address, or contact details. A host's address is shared with a guest only after a confirmed, paid booking. We share data within the London Homestays group under an intra-group data-sharing arrangement, and with the service providers who run our systems (website hosting on Vercel, database on Neon, payments via Stripe, customer records in Zoho and email) under their data-processing terms. We do not sell personal data.

How long we keep it

Enquiries that don't become bookings: up to 2 years, so we can help if you come back. Host applications: for the life of your listing plus 2 years. Booking and payment records: 6 years, as required for tax and accounting. Verification documents: for the life of the listing plus 12 months.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask for a copy of your data, ask us to correct or delete it, object to or restrict our use of it, and withdraw consent (for example, to unpublish your listing) at any time. Email hello@homestaysuk.com and we'll respond within one month. If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).

Cookies and analytics

We use privacy-respecting analytics to understand how the site is used. We don't use advertising cookies. If this changes, this notice and our cookie controls will change first.