Privacy Policy

Brussels International Housing is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal data when you visit our website, submit an enquiry or application, or otherwise interact with our accommodation services. It is provided in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, “GDPR”) and the Belgian Act of 30 July 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data.

1.Who we are

Brussels International Housing is a trading name operated by Fifth Avenue Real Estate SA. Fifth Avenue Real Estate SA is the data controller responsible for your personal data.

2.Scope of this policy

This policy applies to personal data we process about: visitors to this website; prospective tenants (students, trainees, PhD researchers, interns and young professionals) who enquire about or apply for accommodation; parents and family members who contact us on behalf of an applicant; and representatives of universities, international offices, agencies, employers and other institutional partners. Where we process data on behalf of a landlord or property manager who determines the purposes of processing, that party may act as a separate or joint controller; in such cases their own privacy notice may also apply.

3.What personal data we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Identity and contact data: first and last name, email address, telephone/WhatsApp number, postal or home country address, nationality and date of birth.
• Profile and request data: your status (student, trainee, intern, researcher, professional, parent, partner), the institution or programme you are joining, arrival and departure dates, budget, location and accommodation preferences, and any special requirements you choose to share.
• Verification and supporting documents (where relevant to a specific accommodation): copy of passport or identity document, proof of enrolment or acceptance letter, proof of income or funds, and information about a guarantor.
• Correspondence: the content of messages, emails, application forms and call notes exchanged with us.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information and usage data collected through cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy).
• Consent records: a record of the consent you give (for example, the consent checkbox on our forms and your cookie choices).

We apply the principle of data minimisation: we ask only for the information needed to handle your enquiry and, if applicable, to arrange suitable accommodation. We do not seek to collect special categories of data (such as health, religion or political opinions). Please do not include such information in free-text fields unless it is strictly necessary; where it is, we will rely on an appropriate legal basis under Article 9 GDPR.

4.Why we collect your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry and communicate with you;
• To assess your accommodation request and identify suitable housing options;
• To carry out applicant screening and identity verification where required for a specific property;
• To coordinate accommodation with property owners and managers and to prepare housing documentation;
• To provide onboarding support (for example, guidance on municipality registration and arrival logistics);
• To manage our relationship with institutional partners;
• To comply with our legal and accounting obligations and to prevent fraud and misuse;
• To maintain the security of, and to improve, our website and services;
• To send service-related communications and, where you have consented, occasional relevant information.

5.Legal basis for processing

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under Article 6 GDPR:

6.Applicant screening process

To help ensure that accommodation is allocated responsibly and to meet the reasonable requirements of property owners and managers, we may carry out a proportionate screening of applicants. Screening may include verifying the consistency and plausibility of the information you provide, confirming your enrolment or programme where relevant, and assessing affordability (for example, proof of funds or a guarantor) for a specific property.

Screening is carried out on the basis of our and the property owner’s legitimate interests and, where applicable, the steps necessary to enter into a tenancy. We limit screening to what is necessary and relevant, we do not make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you by solely automated means (see section 14), and the final decision on a tenancy rests with the property owner or manager.

7.Identity verification procedures

For certain accommodation, the property owner or manager may require verification of your identity before a tenancy can be arranged. Where this applies, we may ask you to provide a copy of your passport or national identity document and, where relevant, proof of enrolment, income or a guarantor. We collect these documents only when necessary for a specific accommodation, we use them solely to confirm identity and eligibility, and we store them securely and delete them once they are no longer needed for the purpose or required by law. You should redact any information that is not necessary (for example, you may obscure a document’s machine-readable zone where the visible identity details are sufficient), and we will tell you what is required.

8.Sharing your personal data

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only where necessary, with:

• Property owners, landlords and property managers — to assess your request, arrange a viewing or tenancy, and prepare housing documentation. We share only the information relevant to your accommodation.
• Service providers acting as our processors — including our website host (Netlify), form and document tools (including Google, which hosts our online application form), and email and communication providers. These providers process data on our instructions under a data-processing agreement.
• Your institution or partner — only where you or they have asked us to coordinate, or where you have consented.
• Professional advisers and authorities — such as accountants, legal advisers, and public authorities, where required to comply with the law or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

9.International transfers

Some of our service providers (for example, Google and Netlify) may process personal data outside the European Economic Area. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards under the GDPR, such as an adequacy decision of the European Commission or the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, together with supplementary measures where needed. You may request more information about these safeguards using the contact details below.

10.How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above, and to meet our legal obligations. Indicative retention periods are:

11.How we protect your data

We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure. These include encryption in transit (HTTPS), restricted access on a need-to-know basis, vetted service providers, and secure handling and deletion of documents. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your data and to respond appropriately to any incident.

12.Your rights

Subject to the conditions set out in the GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you and obtain a copy;
• Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data;
• Erase your data (“right to be forgotten”) in certain circumstances;
• Restrict processing in certain circumstances;
• Data portability — receive certain data in a structured, machine-readable format;
• Object to processing based on our legitimate interests, and to object to direct marketing at any time;
• Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal;
• Not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that produces legal or similarly significant effects (see section 14);
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (see section 16).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in section 16. We will respond within one month, as required by the GDPR. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

13.Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website and, with your consent, for analytics. Non-essential cookies are only set after you consent. For full details and to manage your choices, see our Cookie Policy or open the cookie settings.

14.Automated decision-making

We do not make decisions that produce legal effects concerning you, or similarly significantly affect you, based solely on automated processing or profiling. Decisions about accommodation involve human review, and the final decision on a tenancy rests with the property owner or manager.

15.Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The current version is always available on this page, with the “last updated” date shown above. We encourage you to review it periodically.

16.Contact and complaints

For any question about this policy or to exercise your rights, please contact us:

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Belgian supervisory authority: