Privacy policy
How The Vacation Door handles the information you give us when you look, book, stay or list a home.
The short version
We collect what we need to book your stay, run the home and keep the books. We don't sell your information, and we don't share it for advertising.
Card payments go straight to Stripe; we never see or store your full card number.
What we collect
From guests: your name, email, phone, the dates and size of your stay (guests, pets, vehicles), the rental agreement you sign, messages with us, and any damage or deposit records from the stay.
Payments: Stripe collects your card or bank details and tells us the result, the last four digits and the card brand.
ID check: when a home requires it, Stripe Identity checks a photo ID and a selfie. Stripe holds the images; we receive whether the check passed and the name on the ID.
From owners: contact and payout details, the home's details, photos and access notes (stored encrypted).
Automatically: basic technical data (IP address, browser, pages requested) that our hosting provider logs for security, and a bot check when you request a booking.
Why we use it
To quote, book and confirm your stay; to collect rent, taxes and the deposit; to send check-in details and door codes; to answer you; to handle damage, deposit and cancellation decisions under your agreement; to file lodging taxes and keep accounting records; and to keep the site and the homes safe.
We don't use your information for automated decisions that have legal effects on you, and we don't build advertising profiles.
Who processes it for us
Stripe: card and bank payments, refunds, payouts and (when on) ID checks.
Cloudflare: hosting, storage, security and the bot check on booking requests; email delivery once it's turned on.
Google: sign-in for our staff only. Guests and owners don't sign in with Google.
A text-message provider, only once texts are turned on, to send stay updates you've asked for.
Airbnb and Vrbo receive only which nights are taken, so a home isn't booked twice. They don't receive your details from us.
Each of these works under its own privacy terms and only for the job we give it. We may also share information when the law requires it, or to protect a guest, an owner or a home.
How long we keep it
Booking, payment and tax records: as long as tax and accounting rules require, generally seven years after the stay.
Messages and stay details not needed for those records: about two years after the stay.
ID-check images stay with Stripe under its own retention rules; we keep only the result.
Owner records: for as long as we manage the home and the record-keeping period after that.
Your California privacy rights
If you live in California (CCPA, as amended by the CPRA), you can ask us to tell you what personal information we have about you and how we use it, to give you a copy, to correct it, and to delete it, subject to what the law lets us keep (for example tax records).
We don't sell or share personal information as those laws define it, so there is nothing to opt out of. We use ID-check results only to verify who is staying. We won't treat you differently for using any of these rights.
To ask, email hello@thevacationdoor.com with "Privacy request" in the subject. We'll confirm who you are (usually by matching the email and a booking), answer within 45 days, and tell you if we need more time. You can name an authorized agent; we'll ask for your signed permission.
Guests from other states can make the same requests the same way.
Security and children
Access notes and lock codes are encrypted, staff screens need a staff sign-in, and every change to a booking or payment is logged.
The site isn't meant for children, and the person who books must be at least the minimum age the listing states.
Changes and contact
If we change this policy, we'll update the date below. Questions: hello@thevacationdoor.com.
Last updated November 4, 2026.