This web site (the "Web Site") is provided by AvalonBay Communities, Inc, subsidiaries and related entities ("Avalon," "we," "our" or "us"). This Privacy Policy describes our privacy practices with regard to information about you that could reasonably be used to identify you personally or that is associated with information that identifies you ("Personal Information"). Unless specifically stated otherwise, this Privacy Policy applies only to Personal Information that we gather or collect via the Web Site and any other Avalon web site that posts a link to this Privacy Policy. It does not apply to any Personal Information collected offline or otherwise outside of the Web Site.
AvalonBay Communities, Inc. does not sell or market to unaffiliated third parties any information you may provide to us through this website. Any personal information you may provide including name, address, phone and email is used by us to verify your residency at one of our communities, and to provide you with information and/or services that may be of interest to you. Should you choose to utilize the Avalon Meeting Place feature of AvalonAccess.com, your profile and email address will be provided to other users of the site. In order to keep this information as up to date as possible, we ask that you update your profile on the site should this information change.
COLLECTION OF INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
Active Information Collection.
We may collect Personal Information from you at various places and through various mechanisms on the Web Site. This may include, for example, when you fill out and submit forms (such as forms requesting information needed to consider you for apartment rentals or potential employment opportunities), when you initiate payments to us through the Web Site, when you participate in promotions, contests, or sweepstakes on the Web Site, when you post to any interactive forum, bulletin board, chat room that we may make available on the Web Site, when you register for e-mail communications, and when you submit a survey response, question or request to the Web Site using a form or the e-mail address links on the Web Site.
Passive Information Collection.
When you visit the Web Site, we automatically collect certain information about your activities ("Web Site Usage Information"). Web Site Usage Information is information about how our visitors use and navigate the Web Site. This includes, for example, the number and frequency of visitors to each web page, the length of their stays, the type of browser each visitor is using to view the Web Site (for example, Internet Explorer, Firefox), the type of operating system each visitor is using, (for example, Windows XP, Mac OS), the domain name of each visitor's Internet service provider (for example, America Online, Earthlink), the visitor's IP address, the address (or "URL") of the web site that the visitor came from before visiting the Web Site, which pages were visited on the Web Site, what was clicked on, and certain other available information. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you access the Internet, which our web servers use to identify where to send the information your computer requests. When you request pages from the Web Site, our servers log your IP address as well as information about your activities on those pages. To collect this Web Site Usage Information, the Web Site and any e-mails sent to you by the Web Site (or otherwise by AvalonBay Communities, Inc.) may utilize cookies, web beacons, embedded scripts or similar technologies.
- A cookie is a small data file sent to your browser when you visit the Web Site, and stored on your computer. Cookies automatically identify your web browser to the Web Site whenever you visit the Web Site, and may make navigating and using the Web Site easier for you. Also, by tracking how and when you use the Web Site, cookies help us determine which areas are popular and which are not. Additionally, accepting cookies may allow you to, among other things, personalize and enhance your experience on the Web Site. If you do not wish to allow for use of cookies, you can generally opt-out of providing this information by setting your browser to reject cookies. However, please be aware that some areas of the Web Site may not provide you with an acceptable user experience if you have disabled the use of cookies.
- A web beacon is a small, often invisible, graphic element included in a web page or e-mail. It allows the party that set the web beacon to monitor and collect certain limited information about the viewer of the web page or e-mail message (such as the type of browser downloading the web beacon, the IP address of the computer that the web beacon is sent to and the time the web beacon was viewed, as well as the URL of the page the web beacon comes from). We may use web beacons for many purposes, such as to count visitors to the Web Site, or to monitor how visitors navigate the Web Site, and we may include web beacons or similar technologies in e-mails in order to count how many e-mails (or particular articles, links, etc.) we sent were actually opened.
- An embedded scrip is programming code that is
designed to collect information about your interactions with the
Web Site. It is temporarily downloaded onto your computer from our
Web server or a third party we work with, is active only while you
are connected to the Web Site, and is deleted thereafter.
Web Site Usage Information is frequently anonymous information, since it is not normally associated with you or your identity. It may be used for a number of purposes, such as system administration, to help us understand the demographics of the visitors to the Web Site, to enhance the performance and usefulness of the Web Site, to report aggregate information to our business partners, or to audit use of the Web Site. If Web Site Usage Information is combined with your Personal Information in a manner that it is directly associated with your identity, then it will be treated as Personal Information under this Privacy Policy.
Offline Collection from You.
AvalonBay Communities, Inc. may also collect Personal Information from you through means other than the Web Site. This may include offline collection, such as when you submit a paper application to rent an apartment, make a rent payment by check, or call or visit the management office at an AvalonBay property. It may also include e-mails that you send to us separate from the Web Site. This Privacy Policy does not apply to Personal Information that you provide to us through means other than the Web Site. However, if we combine the Personal Information we collect from you outside of the Web Site with Personal Information that we collect through the Web Site, we will apply this Privacy Policy to the combined information, unless specifically disclosed otherwise.
Information Collected from Other Sources.
We may receive Personal Information about you from other sources. For example, if you are applying for an apartment, condo, corporate housing, or employment, either via the Web Site or offline, we may obtain information from third parties about your creditworthiness, among other information, as part of the application process. This Privacy Policy does not apply to Personal Information about you that we receive from other sources. However, we may combine the information we receive from these other sources with Personal Information we collect through the Web Site. In those cases, we will apply this Privacy Policy to the combined information, unless specifically disclosed otherwise.
Children.
The Web Site is not directed to children younger than age thirteen (13). We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of thirteen (13) on the Web Site and we will delete any information later determined to be from a person younger than age thirteen (13).
USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We retain and use Personal Information to: (1) provide you with services or process transactions that you have requested; (2) communicate with you regarding information, features or offers that we believe will be of interest to you; (3) respond to your questions or other requests; (4) contact you with regard to the Web Site; (5) process any applications, payments or changes to your account information; (6) process other information or Personal Information that you submit through the Web Site; (7) conduct user surveys; (8) contact you regarding a sweepstakes, contest or promotion in which you have participated, and (9) fulfill other purposes disclosed at the time you provide your Personal Information. We may also use the information you provide to improve the Web Site or AvalonBay's services, to customize your experience on the Web Site, to serve you specific content, or for other business purposes.
SHARING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES
We do not share your Personal Information with third parties for those third parties' marketing purposes. We may share non-personally identifiable information, such as Web Site Usage Information or other aggregated user statistics, with third parties. In addition, we may share your Personal Information as set forth in this Privacy Policy, in any manner in which you expressly consent via the Web Site, or in the following circumstances:
Affiliated or Subsidiary Companies.
We may share Personal Information with our affiliated or subsidiary companies who require access to Personal Information for business purposes related to your tenancy or to process any application, request, inquiry, or other information or Personal Information you submit via the Web Site. This includes the owner of any community where you make application or where you lease, as well as the management company for such community.
Third parties providing services on our behalf.
We may share your Personal Information with third parties who perform services on our behalf or on behalf of the owner of one of our properties. This includes, without limitation, third parties that send communications, process payments, analyze data, assist with utility billing or renters insurance, provide credit checks, resident screening, or collection services, provide marketing assistance, or create, host and/or provide customer service on our behalf. These third parties may have access to Personal information in order to provide these services to us or on our behalf.
Legal Requirements and Law Enforcement.
We may disclose Personal Information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it; at the request of governmental authorities conducting an audit or investigation; pursuant to a court order, subpoena, or discovery request in litigation; to verify or enforce compliance with our Terms of Use or other agreements or policies governing the Web Site and applicable laws, rules, and regulations; or whenever we believe disclosure is necessary to limit our legal liability or to protect or enforce the rights, interests, or safety of the Web Site, its users or other third parties. We also reserve the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that we, in good faith, believe to be unlawful.
Sweepstakes and Promotions.
If you choose to enter a sweepstakes, contest or other promotion, your personal information may be disclosed to third parties in connection with the administration of such promotion, including, without limitation, in connection with winner selection, prize fulfillment, and as required by law, such as on a winners list. Also, by entering a promotion, you are agreeing to the official rules that govern that promotion, which may contain specific requirements of you, including, except where prohibited by law, allowing the sponsor(s) of the promotion to use your name, voice and/or likeness in advertising or marketing associated with the promotion.
Corporate Change.
We reserve the right to disclose and transfer your Personal Information in connection with a corporate merger, consolidation, restructuring, financing, sale of substantially all assets, or other corporate change. In addition, when a potential buyer is interested in purchasing one of our properties, we may provide the potential buyer with information about the property and the tenants who live there, which may include your Personal Information. Upon the sale of the property in which you live, all of your Personal Information may be transferred to the purchaser.
UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION
Depending on the functionality associated with the Web Site feature you are using, you may be able to update certain of your Personal Information on the Web Site.
Please note that in accordance with our routine corporate record-keeping practices, we may delete certain records that contain your Personal Information. We are under no obligation to store such information indefinitely and disclaim any liability arising out of, or related to, the destruction of such information.
SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
While we take reasonable steps to secure your Personal Information, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Likewise, no storage or processing of your Personal Information on the Web Site or on other servers or databases to which the information may be transferred can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Please consider this prior to submitting your Personal Information to us via the Web Site.
THIRD PARTY CONTENT
When you are on the Web Site, certain content may be served by a third party. These third parties may also drop their own cookies and/or use web beacons or embedded scripts, which may be used to identify some of your preferences or to recognize you if you have previously had contact with those third parties. We do not control the use of such technology by third parties, the information they collect, or how they use such information.
LINKS TO OTHER WEB SITES
The Web Site may contain links to other web sites whose information practices may be different from ours. You should consult the specific privacy policies posted on these sites when linking to them.
PRIVACY POLICY CHANGES
We reserve the right to alter, modify, update, add to, subtract from or otherwise change this Privacy Policy at any time, which will become effective as of posting on the Web Site. We will use your Personal Information in a manner consistent with the Privacy Policy in effect at the time you submitted the information, unless we receive your consent to the new or revised policy.
CONSENT TO TRANSFER
The Web Site is operated in the United States. Your Personal Information will be processed and shared in the United States, where data protection and privacy regulations may provide different levels of protection compared with non-United States jurisdictions. If you are located in the European Union, Canada or elsewhere outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you provide to us will be transferred to the United States. By using the Web Site or providing us with your information, you consent to this transfer.
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact us by email at webmaster@avaloncommunities.com.
