This Web site (the "Site") is operated by Apartments.com, a division of Classified Ventures, LLC ("Apartments.com"). The Privacy Statement (the "Statement") that follows describes Apartments.com's collection, use and disclosure of information practices in connection with the Site. This Statement applies to the national version of the Site, located at www.apartments.com, as well as to any other versions or pages of the Site that Apartments.com operates, including versions or pages that Apartments.com co-brands or private labels with its newspaper and broadcast affiliates and other partners (collectively, "Affiliates"). For example, you may have arrived at a co-branded version of the Site from an Affiliate's Web site, in which case, that Affiliate will be clearly identified at the top of the home page of this Site. In this Statement Apartments.com may refer to those versions of the Site as "Affiliate Versions." Please be aware that Apartments.com may share any information you submit through this Site with Affiliates, as described below. During your visit to any Affiliate Version, the Affiliate may independently collect other information from you.

This Statement does not describe Apartments.com's collection, use and disclosure of information through means other than this Site (e.g., offline) or the collection, use and disclosure practices of any third party, including Affiliates. For information on a third party’s information collection, use and disclosure practices, please review the privacy policy on the applicable third party’s Web site. Also, please note that this Site contains links to other Web sites. Apartments.com is not responsible for the Web sites, content or privacy practices of any third party. By using this Site, you acknowledge that you have read this Statement and agree that you are subject to the Apartments.com Terms of Service. http://www.apartments.com/terms.htm

The policy that follows is applicable to apartments.com's information collection, use and disclosure practices. For information on the policy applicable to the affiliate's information collection, use and disclosure practices, please review the privacy statement on the affiliate's Web site (this may be the site from which you linked to get here). Also, please note that this Web site contains links to other Web sites. Apartments.com and its affiliates are not responsible for the content or the privacy policies of any Web sites to which this site may link.

Collection of Personally Identifiable Information

You are not required to provide any personally identifiable information to visit the Site. Apartments.com automatically collects Usage Data (as described below) and may collect ZIP codes and other information in connection with your use of the Site (e.g., the type of apartment you are looking for). Apartments.com collects personally identifiable information on the Site only when you provide it. You may be required to provide personally identifiable information to use certain services on this Site.   In addition, you may submit personally identifiable information through the Site in other ways, including: (a) participating in online surveys, promotions, contests and sweepstakes; (b) subscribing to newsletters, editorial content, or promotional content sent via email (which have opt-out instructions if you wish to unsubscribe); and (c) in connection with other products, services, features, or requests made available through the Site. We also publish toll-free phone numbers for many of the properties that list apartments for rent on the Site. If you dial one of these phone numbers, Apartments.com or a service provider operating on Apartments.com's behalf may record the date, time and length of your call and the phone number from which the call originated, along with other information that may be captured. Any Usage Data and/or personally identifiable information resulting from such calls may be used as described in this Statement. The types of personally identifiable information collected will depend on the nature of the submission or the features of the Site used, but could include your name, address, phone number, email address and credit card information. In the event that you purchase an ad in a print/online package through a newspaper Affiliate, the Affiliate is required to share your name, phone number and email address with Apartments.com in order to allow Apartments.com to process and maintain your ad.    

Passive Information Collection

The Site automatically collects information and may also customize your visit through technical means, including the following:

Cookies: Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer's hard drive by computers (or servers) to identify your computer.

Web Beacons: Web beacons (also known as pixel tags, Internet tags, clear GIFs, or single-pixel GIFs) are electronic images embedded into a Web page.

IP Address Logs: Apartments.com also logs Internet Protocol (IP) addresses — the location of your computer on the Internet.

Cookies allow Apartments.com to recognize you when you visit the Site, to personalize your experience and generally to serve you better. For example, if you enter your name, address or ZIP code on one of the Site's forms, it may be stored in a cookie so you do not have to enter it again on other forms on the Site. Cookies and Web beacons can tell us what advertising you have seen on the Site, which allows Apartments.com to offer you a more diverse selection of advertising information and may also be used together to measure the effectiveness of Apartments.com advertising campaigns. Cookies, Web beacons and IP addresses are also used to compile data regarding Site usage (what Web site you came from, what pages of the Site you visit, how long you were on the Site, what type of browser you are using, what Web site did you go to, etc.). Web beacons may also be included in emails sent by Apartments.com to determine when and if such emails are opened or forwarded. You can disable cookies or otherwise manage them through tools provided with your browser software and with third-party software packages. If you turn off cookies, many of the Site's features will not work as well or at all. Anonymous information regarding usage of our Site and services that is collected and/or aggregated by or on behalf of Apartments.com through the use of such technical means or otherwise is referred to in this Statement as "Usage Data."

Information Use

Personally Identifiable Information. Personally identifiable information collected by Apartments.com through your use of the Site may be stored on servers or in a cookie on your computer and may be used by Apartments.com for any of the following purposes:

• To confirm or fulfill a request that you make (e.g., in order to send you apartment information you have requested, Apartments.com may share your contact information with a participating Apartments.com property owner and/or management company).
• To follow up on any request that you have previously made (e.g., Apartments.com may contact you to determine whether the property owner and/or management company responded to your original request).
• To communicate with you regarding the Apartments.com service (e.g., Apartments.com may send you emails or call you to confirm an apartment availability inquiry or to notify you that you have received a lead regarding an apartment you have advertised or to request that you participate in a survey).
• To send promotional materials, newsletters, or other content via email or otherwise, unless you have indicated that you do not wish to receive such materials.
• To permit third parties to whom Apartments.com may disclose personally identifiable information specifically for direct marketing purposes to send you promotional or informational messages, but only if you have first affirmatively agreed to receive such messages.
• To improve your user experience.
• To manage its relationships with Affiliates, customers, and other third parties to which Apartments.com may disclose personally identifiable information pursuant to this Statement (e.g., to provide reporting to Affiliates and customers, to provide customer support, and to resolve disputes).
• For Site administration, analysis, research, development, optimization and other internal purposes, including, without limitation, to compile Usage Data.

Usage Data: Usage Data is used by Apartments.com for administrative, analytical, research, optimization and other purposes. For example, Apartments.com may use statistical analyses of Usage Data in order to measure interest in the various areas of the Site, for development purposes and to inform advertisers and partners in aggregate and anonymous terms about consumers who click on their advertising or other messages. IP Addresses are also used for systems administration and troubleshooting purposes.

With respect to promotional materials and newsletters that Apartments.com may send via email from time to time, Apartments.com will not continue to send you such communications if you ask us not to, as described below in the Section entitled "Accessing, Changing or Deactivating Information Collected by Apartments.com." However, you agree that Apartments.com may send to you, and you cannot opt out of, communications of a transactional or relationship nature, including, but not limited to, communications regarding fraudulent or illegal activity, account status, changes to this Statement or the Apartments.com Terms of Service, as well as communications to confirm, fulfill and follow up on your registration, service or a request submitted through the Site.

Information Sharing

Apartments.com may share personally identifiable information that you provide with third parties in the following cases:

1. Affiliates. Apartments.com may share your personally identifiable information with Affiliates on the condition that the Affiliates' disclosure and use of the information is consistent with this Statement.
2. Requests. Apartments.com maintains relationships with third party providers for some of the products and services offered through the Site.  If you request information or services through the Site, you agree that Apartments.com may share personally identifiable information as may be necessary to provide such information to or perform such services for you. For example, if you request information about a unit or floorplan for a property advertised on the Site, Apartments.com will share the information collected through such request with that property (or its designee) and any other parties providing that listing (e.g., if a third party management company provides the listing to us on behalf of the property).  In some cases, the information that you provide through the Site may be collected directly by a third party or its designee (e.g., through forms hosted by such third party or on a page framed with Apartments.com branding).  Personally identifiable information also may be shared with the specific third parties that can respond to your requests in the form of reporting and other follow-up communications. The subsequent use or disclosure of any information collected by or provided to third parties is subject to their privacy policies and practices. 
3.  Sweepstakes/Promotions. In the event that you participate in a sweepstakes, contest, or other promotion on the Site that is sponsored by Apartments.com and a third party, Apartments.com reserves the right to share personally identifiable information collected in conjunction with the sweepstakes, contest or promotion with the third party. After the information is provided to such third parties, the subsequent use or disclosure of such information is subject to those third parties’ privacy policies and practices.
4. Direct Marketing. Except as provided herein, it is Apartments.com's policy not to disclose personally identifiable information of our customers to third parties specifically for the third parties' direct marketing purposes. If you are 18 years of age or older and have affirmatively agreed to receive third party direct marketing materials, Apartments.com may share your personally identifiable information with third parties for direct marketing purposes. Although Apartments.com will endeavor to notify all third-party direct marketers that the information provided to them is confidential, the subsequent use or disclosure of information is subject to those third parties’ privacy policies and practices.
5. Service Providers. Apartments.com may work with third parties that provide services on its behalf.  Examples include providers of analytical, development, promotional, research, credit card processing and other services. For example, Apartments.com may ask that a third party conduct an online survey or sweepstakes or send newsletters on its behalf. Similarly, if you make a payment to Apartments.com by credit card, Apartments.com may share your personally identifiable information and credit card information with a third party in order to process credit card transactions, or such information may be collected directly by the credit card processing service provider on Apartments.com’s behalf. In such cases, Apartments.com requires that the third party maintain your personally identifiable information as confidential and use the information only to perform the services specified by Apartments.com.
6. Email List Opt-Outs. In the event Apartments.com sends promotional emails to you on behalf of third-party advertisers and you inform Apartments.com you wish to opt out of future promotional emails from a particular third party, Apartments.com may share your email address with that third party so the third party may add you to its opt-out lists.
7. Other. Apartments.com expressly reserves the right to release any personally identifiable information or other information you provide to third parties under the following circumstances: (a) when required by law or legal process, (b) to investigate and/or take action against illegal activity, suspected abuse, or unauthorized use of the Site and/or Apartments.com services, (c) to protect the property or safety of our users or others, (d) to enforce our Terms of Service and (e) in connection with any sale or other transfer of ownership of all or a part of Apartments.com or any of its businesses.  If you make any personally identifiable information publicly available on the Site (e.g., by posting a listing which contains personally identifiable information), anyone may see and use such information and Apartments.com is not responsible for such use.  Apartments.com reserves the right to share any personally identifiable information you post on the Site with third parties.  To the extent Apartments.com does so, the subsequent use and disclosure of such information is subject to the privacy policies and practices of those third parties. 

Please note that the messages that Apartments.com sends to you to confirm, fulfill, or follow up on a request may incidentally include promotional material or other content from Apartments.com or its partners. In the case of these messages, Apartments.com is not sharing your personally identifiable information with those third parties. Apartments.com reserves the right to share Usage Data with any third party for any reason.

“For Rent By Owner” Ads

When purchasing a “For Rent By Owner” online classified listing (a “FRBO Ad”), it is important to note that any information you choose to include in a FRBO Ad may be made publicly available via the Site and other media in which Apartments.com listings are published, including third party Web sites and print publications. For example, you may include a phone number and/or an email address to allow users to contact you regarding your FRBO Ad. As such, you may receive unsolicited phone calls and emails from third parties, even after your FRBO Ad is no longer on the Site. Except for required information, you should not include any contact or other information in a FRBO Ad that you do not want other parties to see or use.  If you wish to access, verify the accuracy of, or change the personally identifiable information in your FRBO Ad account, you can use the interface available at https://secure.apartments.com/common/emaillogin.aspx

Message Boards

Apartments.com also may offer message boards, bulletin boards, chat rooms, comments areas, or other forums ("Forums") on the Site that are intended for use by visitors who are 18 years of age or older. Any information you disclose when posting a message in these Forums may become public. You should not include any information in your posting that you do not want other parties to see or use. Moreover, if you post any messages in the Forums that include your email address or phone number you may receive unsolicited email or calls from third parties.

Email a Friend

The Site offers you the ability to email certain pages or content of the Site to a friend or other third party. If you choose to use the “Email a Friend” functionality, your name, email address and any message you are allowed to include will be visible to the recipient of the email.  Apartments.com does not use the names and addresses stored through the "Email a Friend" functionality for any purpose other than sending a one-time email to your friend. The "Email a Friend" functionality is for informational purposes only and you may not use it for any unlawful purpose, including any harassment or threats.

Changes to this Statement

Notification of Changes: Any changes to this Statement will be posted on the Site in this location and this Statement will be identified as "Updated". Your continued use of the Site after such notice constitutes acceptance of such changes.

Security

Your personally identifiable information is one of our most valuable assets. We take steps to keep it physically secure in our data centers and it is accessible only to authorized personnel as needed to perform operations governed by this policy. In addition, when Apartments.com collects credit card information from you, Apartments.com uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, the industry standard for protecting privacy in Web transactions. Please keep in mind that despite these measures, Apartments.com cannot guarantee or warrant 100% security of its servers and databases. Moreover, Apartments.com cannot guarantee that personally identifiable information that you submit through the Site will not be intercepted or otherwise disclosed.

Children

Apartments.com believes that it is especially important to protect children's privacy online. Apartments.com does not knowingly collect or use any personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13 and Apartments.com does not knowingly provide any personally identifiable information, regardless of its source, to any third party for any purpose whatsoever from visitors younger than 13 years old. No information should be submitted to or posted at Apartments.com by visitors younger than 13 years old.

Links

This Site contains links to other sites. While Apartments.com encourages our business partners to adopt privacy policies and practices that build users' trust and confidence in the Internet, Apartments.com is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of third parties or any of the content of Web sites linked to the Site or any third-party products or services offered through the Site.

Collection of Information by Third Parties

As noted above, Affiliates and other third parties may collect information about you when using the Site through the use of cookies and Web beacons. For example, Apartments.com uses third-party companies to serve advertisements when you visit the Site and to collect statistical information regarding Site usage. Third-party advertising companies may collect non-personally identifiable information about your visits to the Site and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. In addition, Apartments.com may share statistical and behavioral data about visitors to our Sites with these third-party advertising companies for the purpose of managing and targeting advertisements on the Site and/or on other Web sites. These third-party advertising companies may note some of the pages you visit on the Site through the use of Web beacons. In the course of serving advertisements to you, these third-party advertising companies may also place or recognize a unique "cookie" on your computer to allow them to recognize Web beacons and otherwise improve advertising effectiveness.

If you would like more information about the information collection practices of some of these third party advertising companies and learn which of these companies allow you to opt-out of this type of information collection, please click here.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Statement, please email us at
feedback@Apartments.com.

© 2007 Classified Ventures, LLC, 175 West Jackson, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60604

Last updated on 11/15/07