RoomSearch

Privacy policy

Last updated: 26 October 2026

RoomSearch is an independent, non-profit project that helps students and newcomers find a room in Ireland. This page explains, in plain language, what data we use, why, and how you stay in control.

In short: we show room listings posted in WhatsApp accommodation groups, including the ad text and the contact phone number in the ad. We do not show who posted it or which group it came from. Listings from the groups disappear on their own within 8 days. Want yours removed? Email [email protected] and we will take it down. To see contacts, you sign in with your Google account; your name and email never appear on the site. If you post a room on the site, the WhatsApp number you give is shown to people who ask for that listing's contact.

1. Who is responsible

RoomSearch (roomsearch.ie), an independent non-profit project, is the controller of the data described here. Contact for any privacy matter: [email protected].

2. Data about advertisers (from WhatsApp groups)

We read new messages from a few WhatsApp accommodation groups in read-only mode. When a message offers a room or house, we keep:

We never show the poster's name or the source group. When a listing includes an Eircode, the pin sits on that Eircode's address; without one, the map position is approximate (street or area). Messages that are not offers (chat, people looking for rooms) are discarded.

Legal basis: legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): helping people who need housing find ads that were published precisely to be seen by people looking for a room. You can object at any time (see section 6).

3. Data about visitors

If you create an account

To see an advertiser's contact, you need to sign in with a Google account. In that case we keep:

Legal basis: performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)) to provide the account and show contacts, and legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) for the abuse limit and internal usage statistics. You can delete your account at any time under "My account": everything is erased immediately.

If you post a room on the site

In "Post a room" (roomsearch.ie/advertise), anyone with an account can post a room. In that case we keep:

Before going live, every listing is reviewed by our team, who may contact you on the WhatsApp number given to confirm it is yours. The description is also processed by artificial intelligence (see section 4) to write the summary and flag scam signs. If a listing uses someone else's number or a room that does not exist, the account is banned: we keep an irreversible code of the Google account and of the number so they cannot post again.

Legal basis: performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR) to publish your listing, and legitimate interest (point f) for the review, the limits and banning against fraud.

4. Who we share data with

We do not sell or hand over data to anyone. We rely on a few services to run the site:

5. How long we keep data

DataRetention
Original message textDeleted within 7 days
Listing on the siteRemoved 8 days after it last appeared in the groups
Phone number and ad textDeleted as soon as the listing leaves the site
Other listing details (type, price, area)Deleted within 60 days
Removal and block requestsKept for as long as the site exists, only as an irreversible code, so the ad does not come back
Room posted on the siteLive for 8 days, renewable; phone and text deleted when it comes down; the rest deleted 60 days after it comes down or is rejected, or immediately if you delete your account
Ban (irreversible code of the Google account and phone)3 years
Account (name, email and optional phone)Until you delete the account, or 2 years after your last visit
Record of what you did with your account (listings opened, contacts viewed, chats opened, numbers and Eircodes copied, shares, visits)Deleted after 90 days, or immediately if you delete your account
Hand-made fix of a listing's number60 days
List of people who only shareUntil the person asks to be removed or it is no longer needed
Listing view counts (no personal data)Deleted together with the listing
Daily site usage counts (no personal data)Kept for statistics
Problem reports you sentThe link to your account and your comment: 90 days after being resolved, or immediately if you delete your account. After that only an anonymous record remains (reason, date and listing), for statistics
Alerts and notification addressUntil you delete the alert or your account
Session (rs_sid cookie)30 days, renewed while you use the site; deleted when you sign out

6. Your rights and how to remove your ad

You can ask to access, correct or delete your data, and object to your ads appearing here. To remove an ad, email [email protected] with the listing link (the "Share" button in the listing) or the ad text. We will remove it and, if you ask, block your future ads. We reply within 30 days, usually much sooner.

If you feel we have not resolved it, you can complain to the Irish supervisory authority: the Data Protection Commission.

7. Changes

If this policy changes, the date at the top is updated. Significant changes will also be announced on the site.