Epsilon9 doing business as Staytute (“Staytute,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the marketing website at staytute.com and related software used by local governments and the public for short-term rental information, permitting, compliance, and complaint handling (the “Services”).

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information. It does not cover cookies and similar tracking technologies in detail; see our Cookie / tracking notice. It also does not address Washington consumer health data under RCW 19.373.

1. Who this policy covers

This policy applies to:

Visitors to staytute.com
People who create accounts or submit forms on the Services
Short-term rental operators, owners, managers, and agents who use a municipal instance
Members of the public who submit complaints, tips, or records requests through a municipal instance
Municipal staff who administer an instance

If a city, town, or other public agency (“Government Customer”) operates an instance (for example, westport.staytute.com), that agency may be the controller of data collected for its regulatory program. Staytute may act as a processor / service provider for that Government Customer. The agency’s own privacy notice and the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56) may also apply.

2. Personal information we collect

We collect information you provide, information collected automatically, and information from Government Customers or public sources.

Information you provide

Identity and contact data: name, email, phone, mailing address, account username
Property and program data: parcel or site address, unit identifiers, ownership or operator role, license or permit numbers, listing URLs, occupancy or local-contact information you submit
Complaint and case data: description of the issue, dates, photos or documents you upload, location notes, and follow-up correspondence
Account and support data: passwords or authentication tokens, support tickets, survey responses
Communications: emails, form submissions, and messages you send us

Municipal permit fees on a City instance are acknowledged at City Hall (check, cash, or money order). We do not collect card numbers. Do not submit Social Security numbers, driver’s license images, medical information, or other highly sensitive data unless a Government Customer expressly requires it for a statutory process.

Information collected automatically

Log and device data: IP address, browser type, device type, referring URL, pages viewed, timestamps, and approximate location derived from IP
Cookie and similar data, as described in our Cookie / tracking notice
Security telemetry: failed logins, rate-limit events, and abuse signals

Information from other sources

Government Customers: permit, license, inspection, tax, code-enforcement, and parcel data they load or connect
Public records and listing platforms: publicly posted advertisements, assessor or GIS data, and similar sources used for compliance matching, where authorized
Service providers: hosting, email, mapping, and similar vendors under contract

3. How we use information

We use personal information to:

Provide, operate, secure, and improve the Services
Create and administer accounts
Process applications, registrations, complaints, and case workflows for Government Customers
Communicate about the Services, including operational notices
Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, security incidents, and illegal activity
Comply with law, including lawful requests from Government Customers and public-records processes they administer
Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims
Analyze aggregated, de-identified usage to improve product design

We do not sell personal information. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

4. When we disclose information

We disclose personal information only as follows:

Government Customers. Data submitted on a municipal instance is available to that agency and may become a public record.
Service providers. Hosting, email, backup, mapping, and similar vendors under contract, limited to performing services for us.
Legal and safety. When we believe disclosure is required by law, court order, or to protect rights, safety, or the integrity of the Services.
Business transfers. In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to appropriate confidentiality.
With your direction. When you ask us to share information or make a submission that is designed to be reviewed by an agency or another party.

Complaint submissions, operator contact details, and permit status may be visible to municipal staff and, where the agency so configures or law requires, to the public.

5. Public records

If you submit information through a Government Customer instance, that information may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56 or a similar public-records law. Staytute does not decide what an agency must release. See the Public Records Notice.

6. Retention

We retain personal information as long as needed for the purposes above, including:

Account and billing records: for the life of the account and a commercially reasonable period afterward
Security and throttle logs: 12 months, via a scheduled purge job
Expired unused sign-in tokens: removed with the same purge job once they expire
Notification delivery records (recipient address and message context): 12 months, via the same purge job
Application error log: 12 months, via size and time rotation
Audit history of staff actions: according to the Agency’s retention schedule (not auto-deleted)
Government Customer program data: according to that agency’s retention schedule and our contract with the agency
Marketing-site form data: until the inquiry is resolved, then as needed for legitimate business and legal purposes

When we no longer need personal information, we delete or de-identify it, except where retention is required by law or a Government Customer contract.

7. Security

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the nature of the data, including TLS in transit, access controls, least-privilege administration, and backups. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. Notify us promptly at privacy@staytute.com if you believe your account or a submission has been compromised.

8. Your choices and requests

Depending on your relationship with us, you may:

Update account profile information in the Services
Unsubscribe from non-transactional email using the link in the message
Request access to personal information we control. Municipal staff with user-management permission can export a JSON pack from Staff tools → Privacy requests. We may still need to verify your identity.
Request deletion of personal information we control, subject to legal and contractual limits (including public-records and enforcement-file retention). Agency records are not auto-deleted.

Send requests to privacy@staytute.com. We may need to verify your identity. If a Government Customer controls the data, we will direct you to that agency or process the request as their processor.

We do not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals, except as described in our Cookie / tracking notice.

9. Children

The Services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such information, contact privacy@staytute.com and we will delete it.

10. International visitors

The Services are operated from the United States. If you access them from another country, you understand that your information will be processed in the United States, which may have different data-protection rules than your country.

11. Third-party links

The Services may link to listing platforms, map providers, agency sites, or other third parties. Their privacy practices are their own.

12. Changes

We may update this policy. The “Last updated” date will change, and material changes will be posted on this page or otherwise communicated as required by law.

13. Contact

Epsilon9 DBA Staytute
PO Box 2269
Westport, WA 98595
Email: privacy@staytute.com
Web: https://staytute.com