Privacy Policy

Last updated: 16 April 2026

1. Who we are

InternStayMalta is a housing service that helps international interns find short-term rental accommodation on Malta. The website internstaymalta.com is operated by Mijn Malta Stage, based in Malta.

For any questions about this privacy policy or your personal data, you can contact us at: yvo@internstaymalta.com

2. What data we collect and why

Contact form

When you use the contact form on our website, we collect your name, email address, and message. We use this data solely to respond to your enquiry about rental accommodation. The legal basis for this processing is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in responding to your request (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Rental enquiries

If you enquire about rental accommodation, we may collect additional information such as your preferred location, budget, arrival and departure dates, and internship details. This information is necessary to match you with suitable properties. The legal basis is performance of a contract or pre-contractual steps at your request (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Reviews

If you leave a review on our website, we store your name and review text. Reviews are published on the site to help other interns. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You may request removal of your review at any time.

3. Cookies

Our website uses cookies. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device when you visit our site.

Essential cookies (always active)

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They include:

  • Cookie consent — remembers your cookie preference so you are not asked again (expires after 1 year)
  • LiteSpeed Cache — ensures pages load quickly by serving cached content
  • WordPress session cookies — used only if you log in to the website

Analytics cookies (only with your consent)

If you accept cookies via our cookie banner, we may use Google Analytics (GA4) to understand how visitors use the website. These cookies collect anonymous, aggregated data such as pages visited, time on site, and referring website. Google Analytics data is processed by Google LLC. Google may transfer data to servers outside the EU/EEA; Google relies on Standard Contractual Clauses for such transfers. You can read Google’s privacy policy here.

Analytics cookies are never loaded unless you click “Accept” on the cookie banner. If you click “Deny” or ignore the banner, no analytics cookies are placed.

4. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We may share your data in the following limited circumstances:

  • Landlords and property owners — if you proceed with a rental, we share the information needed to arrange your tenancy (name, contact details, rental dates)
  • Hosting provider — our website is hosted on servers within the EU. The hosting provider processes data on our behalf under a data processing agreement
  • Google Analytics — only if you have given cookie consent (see section 3)

We will never share your data with third parties for marketing purposes.

5. International data transfers

Your data is stored on servers located within the European Union. If any data is transferred outside the EU/EEA (for example via Google Analytics), this is done under appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

6. How long we keep your data

  • Contact form messages — retained for up to 12 months after your last communication, then deleted
  • Rental enquiry data — retained for the duration of your stay plus 12 months, unless a longer period is required by Maltese tenancy law
  • Reviews — retained until you request removal
  • Analytics data — Google Analytics retains data for 14 months by default

7. Your rights under the GDPR

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the Maltese Data Protection Act (Cap. 586), you have the following rights:

  • Right of access — you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Right to rectification — you can ask us to correct inaccurate data
  • Right to erasure — you can ask us to delete your personal data
  • Right to restrict processing — you can ask us to limit how we use your data
  • Right to data portability — you can request your data in a machine-readable format
  • Right to object — you can object to processing based on our legitimate interests
  • Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email us at yvo@internstaymalta.com. We will respond within 30 days.

If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC) in Malta:

  • Website: idpc.org.mt
  • Email: idpc.info@idpc.org.mt
  • Phone: +356 2328 7100

8. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Our website uses SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS) for all connections.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.