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CoHostMarket Ltd — Privacy Policy
Effective date: 11 August 2026 | Supersedes the version dated 19 July 2019
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1. Who We Are and Scope of This Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how CoHostMarket Ltd (“CoHostMarket,” “we,” “us” or “our”) collects, uses, stores and shares information about you when you use cohostmarket.com and our related HostPro marketplace (together, the “Platform”).
CoHostMarket is a company registered in the United Kingdom. We operate a worldwide, two-sided marketplace connecting homeowners with short-term rental service providers (co-hosts, cleaners, virtual assistants, property managers, marketing professionals) and, through HostPro, connecting buyers with sellers of digital services, consultations and courses. Our users are located around the world, including in the United Kingdom, the European Union (including Italy and France), the United States, and other countries.
Because we serve users in multiple jurisdictions, different sections of this Policy apply depending on where you are located:
- UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 — if you are located in the United Kingdom.
- EU GDPR — if you are located in the European Economic Area, including Italy and France.
- US state privacy laws (including the California Consumer Privacy Act / CPRA, and other applicable state laws) — if you are located in the United States.
- For users elsewhere, we apply the protections in this Policy as a general baseline, supplemented by locally applicable law.
Where this Policy refers to “personal information” and “personal data,” the two terms are used interchangeably.
2. Summary
This section is a general overview only. It must be read together with the full Policy below.
Data controller: CoHostMarket Ltd (UK-registered). See Section 15 for our EU representative.
What we collect: Name, contact details, date of birth, location/address, government ID documents (for verification), social media information, payment and payout details, phone number, booking and messaging content, uploaded digital service/course content, and technical data such as IP address and device information.
How we collect it: Directly from you (registration, bookings, ID upload, messages, payments), automatically through your use of the Platform (cookies, logs), and occasionally from third parties (e.g. identity checks, social login).
How we use it: To operate the marketplace, verify identity, process payments and payouts, enable bookings and digital service sales, provide customer support, secure the Platform, and comply with legal obligations.
Who we share it with: Other users (as part of your public profile and bookings), and service providers who process data on our behalf, including AWS, Stripe, PayPal, Wise, Twilio and Zoom (see Section 9).
Do we sell your data: No. We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising.
Your rights: Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or port your information, and to object to certain processing. See Sections 16–17.
3. Information We Collect
3.1 Account and profile information
When you register as a homeowner, service provider, or HostPro buyer/seller, we collect your name, email address, phone number, address/location, and any profile information you choose to add (bio, photo, service offerings, portfolio).
3.2 Identity verification documents
Where we ask you to verify your identity (for example, before you can offer services or receive payouts), you may need to upload a copy of a government-issued ID document and, where applicable, a selfie or photo for comparison.
- How it's reviewed: ID documents are currently reviewed manually by our team — we do not use a third-party automated identity-verification API.
- Where it's stored: Documents are stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure, with access restricted to authorised personnel who need it for verification or fraud-prevention duties.
- Why we keep it: We retain ID documents for as long as your account is active, to help resolve disputes — for example, if someone disputes that they were the person who subscribed to a membership, or if a homeowner reports an issue with a service provider they hired through the Platform.
See Section 13 for exactly how long we retain this information.
3.3 Payment and payout information
When homeowners pay for services, or when we pay service providers and sellers, payment and payout details are processed through our third-party payment partners: Stripe (including Stripe Connect for payouts), PayPal, and Wise or direct bank transfer. We do not store full card numbers or bank account credentials ourselves — these are handled directly by our payment partners in accordance with their own privacy and security policies.
Membership fees and commissions are currently charged in US Dollars (USD), regardless of your location, unless stated otherwise at checkout.
3.4 Phone number and verification
Where we ask you to verify your phone number, we use Twilio, a third-party communications provider, to send a one-time verification code by SMS. This is separate from, and independent of, any marketing text messages you may separately opt in to receive (see Section 12).
3.5 Video consultations (Zoom)
Where a booking involves a live online consultation, sessions may take place via Zoom. As of the effective date of this Policy, we do not record these consultations. If this changes in the future, we will update this Policy and, where required by law, obtain consent from participants before any recording takes place.
3.6 Digital services, consultations and courses (HostPro)
HostPro allows sellers to offer digital services, consultations, and courses, and allows buyers to purchase them. When you use HostPro, we collect:
- Information about the services or content you list, purchase, or deliver;
- Any files, course materials, or deliverables you upload.
If content you upload includes personal information about other individuals (for example, students in a course you sell), you are responsible for ensuring you have the right to share that information. In that case, you act as the data controller for that content, and we process it on your behalf as a processor.
3.7 Messages between users
We collect the content of messages sent through our in-Platform messaging system. We use automated tools (including pattern-matching and, where images are shared, image-text recognition) to detect attempts to share contact information or move transactions off-Platform, in order to enforce our Terms of Service and protect the marketplace fee structure. We may show you an in-app warning when this is detected.
3.8 Technical and usage information
We automatically collect IP address, browser/device type, pages viewed, referring URL, and similar log data when you use the Platform (see Section 6, Cookies).
4. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- Create and administer your account and public profile;
- Verify your identity and prevent fraud;
- Process bookings, payments, membership fees, and payouts;
- Enable messaging and video consultations between users;
- Facilitate the sale and delivery of digital services and courses through HostPro;
- Rank and display providers in search results, including through verified-badge and performance-based ranking features;
- Provide customer support and respond to enquiries;
- Send service communications and, where you have opted in, marketing communications;
- Maintain the security of the Platform, including detecting attempts to bypass platform fees;
- Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
Where we use automated features such as search ranking or verified-badge scoring that meaningfully affect your visibility or opportunities on the Platform, you may contact us using the details in Section 15 to ask for more information about the logic involved or to request human review of a decision that significantly affects you.
5. Public Visibility of Your Information
CoHostMarket is a marketplace: certain information you provide is visible to other users so that homeowners and service providers can find and evaluate each other. This typically includes your name or business name, profile photo, service area, service categories, ratings and reviews, and any verified badges. It does not include your ID verification documents, full payment details, or private messages, which are never made public.
6. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use essential, functional, analytical and targeting cookies. For details of the specific cookies we use and how to manage your preferences, please see our separate Cookie Policy. You can also control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling some cookies may affect Platform functionality.
7. Disclosure of Your Information to Third Parties
We disclose information to the categories of recipients below, only to the extent necessary for the purposes described in this Policy:
- Other users of the Platform, as part of public profiles, bookings, reviews and messaging (see Section 5);
- Service providers who process data on our behalf, listed in Section 9;
- Professional advisers, regulators, and law enforcement, where required by law or to protect our legal rights;
- A buyer or successor in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of some or all of our business assets.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
8. International Money Transfers and Third-Party Payment Processing
We use Stripe, Stripe Connect, PayPal and Wise to process payments and international payouts to service providers and sellers. These providers process payment data under their own privacy policies and may hold their own regulatory status as payment institutions in the relevant jurisdictions. Links to their policies are provided in Section 9.
9. Third-Party Service Providers (Sub-Processors)
The table below sets out the main third-party providers we use to operate the Platform:
| Provider | Purpose | Data Involved | Location / Transfer Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Hosting and secure storage of platform data, including ID verification documents | Account data, ID documents, platform data generally | Global cloud infrastructure; transfers safeguarded per Section 14 |
| Stripe / Stripe Connect | Payment processing and payouts to providers/sellers | Payment details, payout/banking details, transaction history | US-headquartered; DPF / SCCs as applicable |
| PayPal | Payment processing and payouts | Payment details, transaction history | US-headquartered; DPF / SCCs as applicable |
| Wise | International payouts / bank transfer | Bank account details, transaction history | UK/EU/global; standard contractual safeguards |
| Twilio | SMS phone number verification (OTP) | Phone number, verification codes | US-headquartered; DPF / SCCs as applicable |
| Zoom | Hosting live video consultations | Name, email, video/audio during live session (not recorded) | US-headquartered; DPF / SCCs as applicable |
“DPF” = the EU-U.S. and UK Extension to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, the current adequacy-based mechanism for transatlantic transfers. “SCCs” = Standard Contractual Clauses / the UK's International Data Transfer Agreement, used where DPF does not apply.
10. Disclosure for Legal Reasons
We may disclose your information where necessary to comply with a legal obligation, to investigate suspected fraud, cybercrime, or other unlawful activity, to enforce our Terms of Service or other legal rights, or in connection with an actual or potential legal dispute.
11. Marketing Communications
When you register, make a purchase, or sign up for content, we may use your information to send you related marketing communications, unless you opt out. You can opt out at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” in any marketing email, or by emailing info@cohostmarket.com.
12. SMS / Mobile Messaging
If you separately opt in, we may send SMS/text messages related to:
- Your account, services, transactions, security, or verification;
- Marketing communications (only where you've consented).
A few things to know:
- We do not sell, rent, or share your phone number or SMS opt-in status with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
- Message and data rates may apply.
- Reply STOP to opt out of SMS messages, or HELP for assistance.
- SMS consent is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services.
13. How Long We Retain Your Information
- Server log information: retained for 3 months.
- Order, booking and transaction information: retained for 7 years following the end of the relevant financial year, for tax and accounting purposes.
- ID verification documents: retained for as long as your account remains active on the Platform, and for 90 days after account closure or deactivation, to allow us to investigate and resolve disputes — including disputes regarding the identity of the account holder, and disputes between homeowners and service providers relating to services booked through the Platform. After this period, documents are securely deleted.
- Correspondence and enquiries: retained for as long as needed to resolve your enquiry, plus 36 months, after which it is archived.
- Newsletter and membership information: retained for as long as you remain subscribed or a member.
In other circumstances, we retain information for no longer than necessary, taking into account our legal and contractual obligations, the purposes for which the information was collected, and applicable industry practice.
14. How We Secure Your Information and International Transfers
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including:
- Secure cloud storage on AWS;
- Encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS);
- Restricted access to your information on a need-to-know basis;
- Identity verification before granting access to account information.
Because we operate worldwide and use service providers based outside the UK and EEA (including in the United States), your information may be transferred internationally. Where we transfer personal data from the UK or EEA to a country without an adequacy decision, we rely on appropriate safeguards, currently including:
- The UK and EU extensions to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, for transfers to certified US recipients;
- Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, for other transfers.
We do not rely on the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, which was invalidated in 2020.
15. Our Details and EU Representative
The data controller is:
CoHostMarket Ltd
20-22 Wenlock Road, London, England N1 7GU, United Kingdom
Because we offer services to individuals in the European Union but do not have an establishment there, UK GDPR/EU GDPR generally requires us to appoint a representative in the EU to handle inquiries from EU regulators and individuals. [Insert EU representative name and contact details once appointed.]
You can contact us about this Policy at info@cohostmarket.com.
16. Your Rights — UK and EU Users
If you are located in the UK or EEA, you have the right to:
- Request access to your information and details of how we use it;
- Request correction or deletion of your information;
- Request that we restrict our use of your information;
- Receive your information in a portable, machine-readable format;
- Object to our processing of your information, including profiling related to search ranking or verified badges, and to direct marketing;
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent;
- Lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), or with your local supervisory authority if you are in the EU (for example, the Garante in Italy or the CNIL in France).
17. Your Rights — US Users
If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA gives you the right to:
- Know what personal information we collect, its sources, and our purposes for collecting it;
- Know the categories of third parties we disclose your information to;
- Request access, correction, or deletion of your information.
We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. You may exercise these rights by emailing info@cohostmarket.com.
If you are located in another US state with its own privacy law (for example Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas or Oregon), you may have similar rights of access, correction, deletion, portability and opt-out, which we will honour in accordance with the applicable law.
18. Sensitive Personal Information
We do not intentionally request sensitive personal information such as details of racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, genetic or biometric data, health information, or sexual orientation, except where incidentally contained in an uploaded ID document for verification purposes, which we use solely for that purpose.
19. Children’s Privacy
Our Platform is intended for users aged 18 and over.
- We do not knowingly permit registration by, or collect information from, anyone under 18.
- In relation to children under 13 specifically, we comply with the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which separately restricts the collection of personal information from children under 13.
- If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected information from a person under 18, we will take steps to verify this and delete the information, or obtain appropriate parental consent where required by law.
20. Changes to This Policy and Contact Us
We may update this Policy from time to time. Minor changes take effect from the updated effective date shown at the top of this Policy. Where we make material changes, or intend to use your information for a materially different purpose, we will notify you by email or by posting a notice on the Platform before the change takes effect, and will seek your consent where required by law.
Questions about this Policy can be sent to info@cohostmarket.com or by post to the address in Section 15.
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