Terms of Service & Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

BrotherhoodStays ("we," "our," or "us") is an independent online directory service operated by Brotherhood Stays, LLC, Sioux Falls, SD. Our website is located at brotherhoodstays.com. BrotherhoodStays is an independent service that helps travelers and hosts connect. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any religious organization, including the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania or any of its affiliates.

2. What BrotherhoodStays Is — and Is Not

BrotherhoodStays is a paid listing directory. We provide a platform where hosts can list vacation rental properties and travelers can find and contact those hosts. We are not a travel agency, a booking agent, a property manager, or a party to any rental agreement between a host and a guest.

Specifically:

• We do not process rental payments on behalf of hosts or guests.
• We do not hold, transfer, or manage funds related to any rental transaction.
• We are not a party to any rental agreement between a host and a guest.
• Any rental arrangement, including payment terms, cancellation terms, and house rules, is solely between the host and the guest.

We simply make the introduction. All other arrangements are between you and the other party.

3. Eligibility and Community Membership

BrotherhoodStays is a community-based platform intended for members of the Jehovah's Witnesses community. By registering, you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 18 years of age.
• You are one of Jehovah's Witnesses in good standing.
• The information you provide during registration — including your congregation name, city, and country — is accurate and truthful.

We review each registration before approving access. We reserve the right to approve or deny any registration at our sole discretion, without obligation to provide a reason.

Important: We cannot officially verify membership as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and do not claim to do so. Approval of your registration is based on your attestation and the information you provide. It is not a guarantee of verification.

4. Guest Use of the Directory

Guests may browse the directory and contact hosts directly at no charge. Guests are not charged any booking fee or commission by BrotherhoodStays.

By submitting a stay inquiry through the Calendar system, you agree that:

• You are inquiring about availability only. A submission does not create a confirmed reservation until the host explicitly confirms it.
• Payment for any stay is arranged directly between you and the host. BrotherhoodStays does not process, hold, or guarantee any payment.
• You will treat hosts and their properties with respect and care.

5. Host Responsibilities

As a host, you are solely responsible for:

• The accuracy and completeness of your listing, including photos, descriptions, pricing, house rules, and availability.
• Complying with all applicable local laws, regulations, zoning requirements, tax obligations, and homeowner association rules related to short-term rentals.
• Your rental agreement with guests, including payment terms, deposits, cancellation policies, and liability.
• Carrying appropriate property and liability insurance for short-term rental activity.
• The conduct of guests you welcome into your property.

BrotherhoodStays makes no representations about the legal permissibility of short-term rentals in your area. It is your responsibility to ensure compliance with local law.

6. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Provide false or misleading information in your registration or listing.
• List properties you do not own or have authority to rent.
• Use BrotherhoodStays for any commercial purpose other than listing and renting your own property.
• Attempt to circumvent the subscription system or access features you have not paid for.
• Harass, threaten, or harm other members of the community.
• Use the platform in any way that violates applicable law.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

7. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

BrotherhoodStays is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure. We are not responsible for:

• The conduct, character, or reliability of any host or guest.
• The accuracy or completeness of any listing.
• Any rental transaction, dispute, or outcome between a host and a guest.
• Any loss, damage, injury, or other harm arising from a stay arranged through BrotherhoodStays.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of BrotherhoodStays shall not exceed the total subscription fees you paid to us in the three months preceding the claim.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Brotherhood Stays, LLC, its members, officers, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising out of your use of BrotherhoodStays, your listings, your rental transactions, or your violation of these Terms.

9. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms, for conduct that we believe harms the community, or for any other reason at our discretion. You may close your account at any time by contacting us. Closing your account does not entitle you to a refund of any prepaid subscription fees.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered users by email when material changes are made. Continued use of BrotherhoodStays after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of South Dakota, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any dispute arising from these Terms shall be resolved in the courts of South Dakota.

12. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at:

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us:

• Account information: your full name, email address, phone number, and password when you register.
• Community confirmation information: your congregation name, congregation city, and country. This information is used solely to confirm you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is not shared publicly or sold.
• Listing information: property title, description, photos, location, pricing, amenities, and contact preferences for host listings.
• Inquiry information: name, email, phone, guest count, dates, and messages submitted through the stay inquiry form.
• Payment information: we do not store your full card details. Payment is processed securely by Stripe. We retain only billing identifiers (Stripe customer ID, subscription ID) needed to manage your subscription.

We also collect information automatically:

• Usage data: pages visited, search queries, clicks, and time spent on the site.
• Device and browser information: IP address, browser type, operating system.
• Cookies and similar technologies: used for session management, preferences, and analytics.

2. Sensitive Information — Religious Affiliation

We collect congregation information as part of our verification process. This constitutes sensitive personal data relating to religious belief under applicable privacy laws.

We commit to the following protections for this information:

• It is used only to confirm your membership as one of Jehovah's Witnesses during our manual registration review.
• It is not displayed publicly on your profile or listing.
• It is not sold, shared with advertisers, or provided to third parties except as required by law.
• It is stored securely with access limited to authorized administrators only.
• You may request deletion of this information at any time by contacting us.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account.
• Review and approve member registrations.
• Display host listings to guests browsing the directory.
• Facilitate the stay inquiry and confirmation flow between hosts and guests.
• Process and manage subscription billing through Stripe.
• Send transactional emails (booking inquiries, confirmations, declines, subscription receipts, password resets).
• Respond to your questions and support requests.
• Improve and maintain the platform.
• Enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not use your information for targeted advertising. BrotherhoodStays does not display ads and does not sell your data to advertisers.

4. How We Share Your Information

We share your information only in these limited circumstances:

• With hosts and guests: when a guest submits a stay inquiry, their name, email, and phone are shared with the host. When the host confirms a stay, their contact information is shared with the guest. This is necessary to facilitate the connection.
• With Stripe: your billing information is shared with Stripe to process subscription payments. Stripe's privacy policy governs their use of this data.
• With service providers: we use Supabase for database and file storage. These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only to provide services to us.
• As required by law: we may disclose information if required by a court order, subpoena, or other legal process, or to protect the rights and safety of our users or the public.

We never sell your personal information to third parties.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active. If you close your account:

• Your profile and listing data are deleted within 30 days of your request.
• Congregation and community verification information is deleted within 30 days of your request.
• Billing records may be retained for up to 7 years as required for tax and accounting purposes.
• Inquiry and booking records may be retained for up to 2 years for dispute resolution purposes.

6. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: you may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: you may update or correct your account information at any time through your account settings.
• Deletion: you may request deletion of your account and personal information by contacting us. Note that some information may be retained as described in Section 5.
• Objection: you may object to certain uses of your information, including community verification data, at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@brotherhoodstays.com. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to maintain your session, remember your preferences, and understand how the site is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling cookies may affect the functionality of BrotherhoodStays.

8. Children's Privacy

BrotherhoodStays is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we become aware that a minor has registered, we will delete their account promptly.

9. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all data transmission.
• Row-level security controls limiting database access to authorized users.
• Secure, token-based links for booking confirmations.
• Limited administrative access to sensitive data.

No system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information, and you use the service at your own risk.

Data Breach Notification: In the event of a security breach that compromises your personal information, we will notify affected members within 60 days of discovery, as required by South Dakota law (SDCL 22-40-20). If more than 250 South Dakota residents are affected, we will also notify the South Dakota Attorney General. Notification will be provided by email to the address on your account.

10. Third-Party Links

Our site may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users by email when material changes are made. The "Last updated" date at the top of this policy reflects the most recent revision.

12. Contact Us

Questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy? Contact us at: