Privacy Policy
Last updated: 01 November 2026
1. Who we are
bedinbritain.co.uk (the “Site”) is operated by the business trading as Bed in Britain, of:
162 Southampton Street, Reading, RG1 2RD (“Bed in Britain”, “we”, “us”).
You can contact us about this policy or your personal data through the contact options on the Site.
We handle personal data in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
2. How Bed in Britain works, and who is responsible for your data
Bed in Britain is a directory and booking platform where independent hosts list their properties. We do not own or manage the hosts’ properties, and we are not a party to the stay agreement between a guest and a host.
This means two different organisations may hold your data:
- Bed in Britain is the controller of the personal data we collect to run the Site, your account, our communications and our analytics.
- Each host is a separate controller of the guest data they receive from us when you book or contact them. How a host uses your data is covered by that host’s own privacy information, not this policy. Please read it, or ask the host, if you want to know more.
3. The personal data we collect
Account data: your name, email address, telephone number, and a password (stored in encrypted form). You must register an account before you can contact a host or reach their booking link.
Booking and enquiry data: the property, dates, number of guests, messages you send to hosts through the Site, extras, invoices and booking status.
Guest details forms: a host may need certain details from you to comply with the law, or to run the stay. These can include your full name, nationality, and, for guests who are not British, Irish or Commonwealth citizens, passport or other identity document details and your next destination. We may also ask for your home address and a contact number. The form will tell you which details are required and which are optional.
Payment data: where a host takes payment through Stripe, your card details go directly to Stripe. We do not see or store full card numbers. We receive confirmation of payment, the amount and a transaction reference. Where a host takes payment by bank transfer or another method outside the Site, we are not involved in that payment.
Host and listing data: if you are a host, your name, contact details, business details, listing content and photos, payment method settings and calendar information.
Calendar data: if you are a host and connect an Airbnb or other iCal calendar, we receive the booking dates and any reference or partial contact details contained in that feed (for example a reservation code and part of a phone number).
Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, device, operating system, pages visited, time on pages and referring page, collected through cookies and similar technologies (see section 10).
Communications: emails and messages you send us, and your marketing preferences.
We do not knowingly collect special category data (for example health, religion or ethnicity). Please do not include it in messages or forms unless a host specifically needs it, such as an accessibility requirement you choose to share.
4. How we collect it
- directly from you when you register, list a property, book, send a message, complete a guest form or contact us
- from hosts, where they add guest details against a booking
- from Airbnb or other calendar feeds that a host connects to the Site
- automatically through your use of the Site
- from Stripe, which confirms payment status to us
5. Why we use your data and our lawful basis
| What we do | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Create and manage your account | Contract |
| Pass your booking or enquiry and your details to the host | Contract |
| Process payments and send invoices and booking notifications | Contract |
| Collect and pass on identity details a host must keep by law | Legal obligation (for example the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972) |
| Respond to your questions and support requests | Contract / legitimate interests |
| Keep the Site secure, prevent fraud and abuse, fix faults | Legitimate interests |
| Analyse how the Site is used so we can improve it | Consent (analytics cookies) |
| Send you news and offers by email | Consent |
| Keep records for accounting and tax | Legal obligation |
| Deal with disputes and legal claims | Legitimate interests |
| Respond to police, local authority or other lawful requests | Legal obligation / legitimate interests |
Where we rely on legitimate interests we have considered your rights and concluded they do not override those interests. You can ask us about that balancing exercise.
6. Who we share your data with
We do not sell your personal data.
Hosts. When you book or contact a host through the Site, we share the details you have given us with that host so that they can deal with your booking or enquiry. This includes your name, email, telephone number and any guest details you have supplied. The only account detail we never share is your password. This is deliberate: hosts need to be able to contact you and meet their legal obligations. Hosts are then responsible for that data (section 2).
Service providers who act on our behalf: Yorkshire Web Space (website hosting), Stripe (payments), Google (website analytics), our email provider and similar technical suppliers. They may only use your data to provide their service to us.
Calendar platforms. If a host connects their calendar, availability dates are exchanged with platforms such as Airbnb. We do not send guest personal data to those platforms.
Authorities. We may disclose data to the police, local authorities, HMRC or other bodies where the law requires it or to prevent or detect crime.
Business changes. If we sell or reorganise the business, your data may pass to the new owner, who must continue to protect it under this policy.
7. Identity details collected for legal reasons
Under the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972, accommodation providers must record certain details of guests. We collect these through our guest forms on the host’s behalf so that the host can comply.
Identity document details are visible only to us and the host for the relevant stay, and are used only for these legal purposes and to deal with any related query or incident. We keep them for as long as the law requires, normally around 12 months after the end of the stay, and then delete them, unless we or the host must keep them longer to meet a legal obligation or to deal with a claim or investigation. The host may also keep their own copy as a separate controller.
8. How long we keep data
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Account data | While your account is open, and up to 12 months after closure |
| Booking, enquiry and message data | Normally up to 6 years after the stay (accounting and limitation periods) |
| Guest identity details | Normally around 12 months after the stay ends (see section 7) |
| Invoices and payment records | 6 years from the end of the financial year |
| Marketing preferences | Until you withdraw consent |
| Analytics data | As set in the analytics account |
| Enquiries to us | Up to 2 years after the last contact |
We delete or anonymise data when the period ends.
9. Security
The Site uses HTTPS encryption. Passwords are stored in encrypted form. Access to personal data is limited to people who need it, and card payments are handled by Stripe. No online service is completely secure, so please use a strong, unique password and tell us promptly if you think your account has been compromised.
10. Cookies and similar technologies
We use essential cookies the Site needs to work, such as keeping you logged in. We may also use non-essential cookies, for example to see how the Site is used or to improve our services. We only set non-essential cookies if you agree. You can accept or refuse them in the cookie banner and change your choice at any time using the cookie settings link on the Site. Your browser can also block or delete cookies.
11. Transfers outside the UK
Some of our providers, including Google and Stripe, may process data outside the UK. Where they do, we rely on an adequacy decision or on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses. Hosts may also be located outside the UK. Contact us for details of the safeguards in place.
12. Your rights
You have the right to:
- be told how your data is used (this policy)
- access a copy of your data
- have inaccurate data corrected
- have your data erased in certain circumstances
- restrict or object to our processing in certain circumstances
- receive your data in a portable format where we process it by consent or contract
- withdraw consent at any time, which does not affect earlier processing
- not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that has legal or similarly significant effects (we do not make such decisions)
To use any of these rights, write to us at 162 Southampton Street, Reading, RG1 2RD or use the contact options on the Site. We will respond within one month and normally will not charge a fee. We may ask you to verify your identity first. Because hosts are separate controllers, you may also need to contact the host directly about data they hold.
You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link in them or by emailing us.
13. Children
The Site is for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data about children, other than the names of children in a guest party where a booking requires it.
14. Complaints
Please contact us first through the Site so we can try to put things right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
15. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on the Site with the date at the top, and we will tell registered users about significant changes.
