PrestoStay Privacy Policy

1. Who we are
2. Information we collect
3. How we use it
4. Our legal grounds
5. The WhatsApp assistant
6. Who we share it with
7. Transfers outside Ghana
8. How we protect it
9. How long we keep it
10. Your rights
11. Cookies and analytics
12. Young people
13. Changes to this policy
14. Contact us

1. Who we are

1. PrestoStay is operated by Presto Solutions ("Presto", "we", "us"), 50 3rd Road, Ablekuma, P.O. Box DS 55, Dansoman Estates, Accra, Ghana.
2. This policy explains how we handle your personal information when you use PrestoStay: the website at stay.prestoghana.com, tenant sign-in, the payment pages and the PrestoStay WhatsApp assistant.
3. Your hostel decides what tenant information it needs for your tenancy, and we hold and process that information on its behalf. Presto is responsible for your PrestoStay account, the platform fee, payment processing and the WhatsApp assistant. Your hostel may also have its own privacy notice.
4. We handle personal information in line with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).

2. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Identity: first, middle and last names, gender, and a profile picture if you add one.
• Contact: phone number and email address.
• Academic details: index number, programme or course, level and hall, where your hostel asks for them.
• Emergency contact: the name, phone number and relationship of your emergency contact or parent. Please make sure they are happy for you to share these.
• Payments: amounts you pay, the mobile money number or bank details used, transaction references, images of bank receipts you send us, and refund requests.
• Messages: what you send the WhatsApp assistant (including images), complaints and support requests.

Information we create or collect as you use PrestoStay

• Tenancy: your hostel, room, sign-up and room-assignment dates, academic period and status.
• Account balance: amount due, amount paid, balance, and the confirmation, approval or decline of each payment.
• Security: one-time sign-in codes, your PIN (stored only in scrambled, "hashed", form) and a log of account activity, such as sign-ins and room changes, which may include your IP address and device or browser type.
• Technical: cookies and basic usage information (see section 11).

We do not collect or store your full card number. Card details are entered on, and handled by, our payment partners.

3. How we use it

• to create your account, verify your phone number and let you sign in securely;
• to show available rooms, reserve and assign rooms, and keep your tenancy records for your hostel;
• to take, confirm and record your payments, pass them on to your hostel, and handle bank receipts, declines and refunds;
• to run the WhatsApp assistant and answer your questions;
• to send you sign-in codes, payment confirmations, reminders and notices from us or your hostel, by SMS, WhatsApp or email;
• to pass complaints and maintenance issues to your hostel;
• to prevent fraud, such as fake or duplicate receipts, and keep PrestoStay secure;
• to fix problems and improve PrestoStay; and
• to meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations.

4. Our legal grounds

We use your information because it is needed to provide the service you signed up for; because we and your hostel have a legitimate interest in running the hostel and preventing fraud; because the law requires it, for example financial records; or because you have given consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

5. The WhatsApp assistant

1. When you message the PrestoStay assistant, your messages pass through WhatsApp (provided by Meta) and are processed by an AI service provider so the assistant can understand and reply to you.
2. The assistant recognises you by the WhatsApp number you message from and links it to your PrestoStay account. Only message it from your own number.
3. We keep a record of your conversation so the assistant can follow it and our team can help you if something goes wrong.
4. Please do not send the assistant information it does not need, such as passwords, card numbers or health information.

6. Who we share it with

We share only what each party needs:

• Your hostel: its managers and staff can see your profile, academic details, emergency contact, room, payments, receipts, complaints and refund requests. They may also receive alerts about your payments by SMS or Telegram.
• Your roommates: tenants assigned to the same room can see your name and phone number through PrestoStay, so roommates can reach each other.
• Payment partners: payment processors, mobile network operators, card processors and banks, to process and confirm payments and refunds.
• Messaging partners: SMS providers, WhatsApp (Meta) and Telegram, to deliver messages.
• AI provider: to process messages to the WhatsApp assistant.
• Hosting, storage and analytics providers: including Google (Firebase), to host PrestoStay, store files and understand how the website is used.
• Authorities: where the law requires it, or to protect people from fraud or harm.
• A buyer or successor: if Presto's business is sold or reorganised, under the same protections.

Our partners may use your information only to provide their services to us. We do not sell your personal information.

7. Transfers outside Ghana

Some of our partners, such as cloud, messaging and AI providers, store or process information outside Ghana. Where this happens, we use reputable providers and take reasonable steps to ensure your information is protected to a standard similar to that required in Ghana.

8. How we protect it

• Sign-in uses one-time codes that expire, or a PIN that is stored only in hashed form.
• Access to tenant records is limited to your hostel's authorised staff and the Presto staff who need it, and manual changes to balances are logged.
• Connections to PrestoStay are encrypted, and payment details are handled by our payment partners.

No system is completely secure. If we become aware of a breach affecting your information, we will take steps to contain it and notify you and the authorities where the law requires it.

9. How long we keep it

• We keep your account and tenancy information while you are a tenant on PrestoStay, and afterwards for as long as your hostel needs it for its records, for example for returning tenants and settling balances.
• We keep payment and financial records for as long as tax, accounting and other laws require.
• If your hostel stops using PrestoStay, we return its tenant records to it on request and then delete or anonymise them, unless the law requires us to keep them.
• Information we no longer need is deleted or anonymised.

10. Your rights

Under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), you can ask us to:

• tell you whether we hold information about you, and give you a copy of it;
• correct information that is wrong or incomplete;
• delete information we no longer have a reason to keep;
• stop using your information for a particular purpose, such as non-essential messages; and
• withdraw any consent you have given.

Contact us using the details in section 14. We may need to confirm your identity first, and we will respond within a reasonable time. Some requests may affect your tenancy records, which your hostel also needs, so we may involve your hostel. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Data Protection Commission of Ghana.

11. Cookies and analytics

PrestoStay uses cookies to keep you signed in and remember your session, and to protect forms from abuse. We also use analytics (Google Firebase Analytics) to understand how the website is used so we can improve it. You can clear or block cookies in your browser, but some parts of PrestoStay, such as signing in, may then not work.

12. Young people

PrestoStay is meant for students and other tenants aged 16 or over. If you are under 18, please make sure a parent or guardian knows you are using it. If you believe we hold information about a child under 16 without a parent's or guardian's knowledge, please contact us.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the new version and its effective date on this page and, for significant changes, tell you by SMS, WhatsApp or on your account, and may ask you to agree to it again.

14. Contact us

For privacy questions or requests, contact:
Presto Solutions (PrestoStay)
50 3rd Road, Ablekuma, P.O. Box DS 55, Dansoman Estates, Accra, Ghana
Phone: 0546407492 · Email: support@prestoghana.com

See also our Terms and Conditions.