Privacy Policy

We collect only what we need to run your account, show listings, carry your messages, and take the two payments we handle. Verification is optional; if you choose it, those documents are stored privately, reviewed by a real person, and deleted when they are no longer needed. Rent moves directly between Host and Guest — TravelerShare never holds rent funds. We do not sell your data.

When you sign up we collect your name, email address, password, and whether you are joining as a Host or a Guest. Optionally you can add your traveler type, a phone number, and a short “About you” description. Guests can also post dates and a zip code as a housing request.

A Guest's full profile is visible to a Host only once you are connected — through a message thread or an open request in that Host's area. It is not visible to other Guests or to the public. Housing requests appear on the Host demand map as counts by area and month, without your personal details.

Verification is never required to join, message, or send a housing request. If a Guest chooses to verify:

• Government ID and photo. Processed by Stripe Identity. We receive the result of the check and the verified legal name — never the raw document image. Stripe retains its verification record under its own schedule.
• Work credential. If you upload a badge or license, the file is stored privately in an access-controlled vault, visible only to our review team and, once you are connected, to the Host you are talking with — never to other members or the public.

When the verified ID name does not match the name on the credential, it goes to manual review rather than auto-approval. A reviewer approves or declines and records a short rationale.

• Credential images are kept while your account is active and for 90 days after you close it, to support dispute resolution, then permanently deleted.
• For the ID check we store only the pass/fail status and verified name; the underlying record sits with Stripe.

You can ask us to delete your verification documents early at any time — see “Your choices.” Deleting them removes your verified badge, but you can still use the site normally.

TravelerShare processes two payments: the optional one-time $4.99 Guest verification fee and the $399/year per-house Host plan. Both go through Stripe.

• We never store full card numbers. Stripe handles the card and we keep only a reference to it.
• Rent is settled directly between Host and Guest. TravelerShare never receives, holds, or transfers rent or deposits.
• We keep transaction records (amount, date, status) for the verification fee and Host plans for accounting and tax purposes.

Hosts and Guests can message freely inside TravelerShare and are welcome to exchange phone numbers or emails whenever they choose. Conversations are private between the two parties. Message content is stored so we can show your conversation and support safety reviews; it is never sold or used to train outside models.

We send email notifications about new messages and about your account. These are sent through our email provider, which processes your address on our behalf.

The details Hosts publish — room and bathroom counts, square footage, amenities, the careers of current Guests, photos, rate, and availability — are public so Travelers can find a match. Check-in and house notes are private and shared only in a conversation the Host chooses.

We use cookies and similar browser storage to keep you signed in and remember basic preferences, and we look at aggregate usage to understand which pages help people. We do not sell your browsing data or run third-party advertising trackers.

We share data only with the service providers that make the site work — hosting and database, Stripe for payments and identity checks, our email provider, and map and geocoding services — and when the law requires it. We do not sell personal data.

• Access and export. You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Edit or delete. You can update your profile at any time, clear your housing requests, delete conversations, and ask us to remove your ID and credential data ahead of the standard retention window.
• Close your account. Closing your account deletes your verification data per the schedule above and removes your listings and messages.

To exercise any of these, write to us at support@travelershare.com.

TravelerShare is for adults. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18; if we learn we have, we delete it.

Questions about this policy or your data? Contact us at support@travelershare.com or by mail at TravelerShare, Attn: Privacy, [mailing address on request].

Need to report a listing or a member? Visit our Help Center for reporting and dispute steps.