Open to the World: Rental Platform Misstep Reveals Lease Data

The Challenge

In January 2025, a tenant with UrbanSpace Rentals discovered a shocking privacy breach. After searching their name online, they found a PDF of their lease agreement indexed by a major search engine. The document contained sensitive personal information: full legal name, residential address, identification number, guarantor details, and a scanned photo ID. The tenant had uploaded the file through a mobile leasing application months earlier, unaware that the platform's default settings made uploads publicly accessible.

An internal investigation quickly revealed this was not an isolated case. More than 200 documents had been uploaded by leasing agents through the same application, each without appropriate access controls. Leasing staff had not been trained on the platform’s privacy settings and assumed files were stored securely by default. Unfortunately, the mobile tool lacked basic protections like auto-encryption, private-by-default uploads, or exposure alerts.

This misconfiguration triggered immediate internal and external concerns. UrbanSpace had no written data governance policy for its mobile platforms and had never conducted a risk assessment of third-party tools. Worse, no system existed to monitor or audit how sensitive documents were being shared. Media attention followed after the breach was shared on social media, and the company was forced to notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner under PIPEDA.

Our Solution

Our firm was brought in to manage breach containment and long-term remediation. The first step was to disable public access across all file uploads and remove exposed documents from search engine results. We worked with the mobile vendor to enforce privacy-by-default settings and introduced platform-level encryption for all future uploads.

Internally, we conducted a full audit of affected files, identified at-risk tenants, and offered free credit monitoring services. UrbanSpace adopted a mandatory privacy training program for all leasing and administrative staff. We also helped the company implement a digital privacy policy and onboard a privacy officer responsible for compliance oversight.

The Value

UrbanSpace avoided regulatory fines due to its swift and transparent response. The company strengthened relationships with tenants through open communication and remediation offers. Trust was rebuilt, and the mobile platform is now governed by strict access controls and routine audits.

Implementation Roadmap

1. Disable all public access defaults and remove indexed documents

2. Train leasing teams on secure file handling and mobile app use

3. Enforce encryption and access control for all uploaded documents

4. Designate a privacy officer to oversee vendor compliance

5. Conduct quarterly audits to assess data exposure and app behavior

Info Sheet

(Story 4 text included above in the compiled stories)

Info Sheet

Industry Sector: Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

Applicable Legislation:

  • PIPEDA
  • OPC guidelines on breach reporting and public access

Necessary Action Type: Data Exposure Containment and Privacy Hygiene Reform

Steps to Be Taken:

  • Reconfigure storage settings for privacy and encryption defaults
  • Deploy data loss prevention and sharing monitoring tools
  • Train staff on safe file handling practices
  • Conduct internal privacy audit and exposure review
  • Notify affected users and submit report under PIPEDA

Involved Third Parties:

  • Mobile rental management platform provider
  • Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
  • External privacy consultant