SimpleumSafe for landlords
Protect rental documents.From first contact to handover.
Keep applicant documents, tenancy agreements, statements, handover records and correspondence encrypted on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Confidential documents accompany every tenancy
An application form for a prospective tenant, a signed tenancy agreement, a service charge statement or photographs from a handover record: letting property creates files containing personal, financial and property-related information.
If you organise selected documents yourself on Apple devices, SimpleumSafe provides a separate encrypted space for them. Keep documents together by property or process and find them quickly when needed.
Everyday tasks
Organise documents by property
Keep tenancy agreements, statements, records and correspondence together for each property. File names stored in the Safe remain encrypted too.
Prepare for appointments
Keep selected documents ready on your own Mac or iPad. If you use optional synchronisation, allow the files you need to finish transferring before the appointment.
Document handovers and damage
Save paper documents, meter readings or supplementary property photographs directly into the Safe without storing them in the general photo library. Then return the captures to the intended property management workflow.
A protected space alongside your property management system
SimpleumSafe supplements your existing records with an encrypted space for selected files. The Finder-like interface on Mac makes storing and organising them easier. No cloud is required for local use; encrypted synchronisation between your own devices is optional.
Decide which version of a tenancy agreement, statement or record is authoritative and how edited documents return to the intended workflow. Primary property management, accounting and communication, together with deadlines, access, retention and deletion, remain in the systems and processes intended for those functions.
Collect less and delete on time
Credit reports, proof of income and application forms contain personal data. Their confidentiality alone does not make them special categories of personal data under Article 9 GDPR. Article 5 requires personal data to be limited to what is necessary for its purpose and kept no longer than necessary. German data protection authorities distinguish between a viewing, a specific intention to rent and the decision for a particular applicant; different information is necessary and permissible at each stage. Encryption protects the storage, but does not justify unnecessary collection or indefinite retention.57
Article 32 GDPR names encryption as one possible measure within risk-appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. The software alone does not make the entire letting process GDPR-compliant.5
Data protection and security in detail
How does SimpleumSafe protect your documents, and what still needs attention when letting property? Open the topic you would like to explore. The legal references below concern the EU GDPR.
Encrypt files and file names
SimpleumSafe protects file contents and associated information, such as file names, using AES-256. A closed Safe therefore does not reveal which applicants, tenants or properties it contains through its file list. You can use multiple Safes, for example for selected properties or to separate business and private documents.1
Protect access to confidential documents
You open your Safe with your Safe password or, where supported and configured, biometric authentication. A strong, dedicated password and a protected, up-to-date device go hand in hand. Keep recovery and setup information safe too.
Readable content may be accessible on an unlocked or compromised device. Encrypted storage therefore does not replace device protection or clear access rules for owners, staff or contracted service providers.1
Check stored data for errors
The integrity checker examines the Safe's internal structure and the links to stored file data. Additional options also allow you to check whether files can be read and decrypted.
A successful check applies to the areas examined. It does not replace a backup or confirm the accuracy of a statement or the completeness or evidential value of a handover record.2
Prepare backups and emergency access
Back up your Safes regularly and independently of your working device, for example to a separate storage device. Files stored in the Safe remain encrypted in a complete Safe backup too. Check that the backup can be restored.
Create a recovery password in advance and store it safely, separate from your device. It allows you to reset a forgotten Safe password. It does not replace a backup or restore deleted files.1
Assess a loss or theft correctly
If a device or a copy of a Safe is stolen, effective encryption can prevent unauthorised people from reading the contents. Whether access credentials, key material or an unlocked device are also affected is crucial to the assessment.
Communication to affected individuals is generally required where a personal data breach is likely to result in a high risk. Under the conditions of Article 34(3)(a) GDPR, effective encryption can make that communication unnecessary. Notification to the supervisory authority under Article 33 must be assessed separately; the incident still needs to be documented.5
Synchronise your own devices in encrypted form
SimpleumSafe can be used locally without a cloud. You can optionally synchronise changes between your configured Apple devices in encrypted form, through iCloud or directly between devices; a shared folder is also possible between Macs. Each configured device has its own local Safe.
Normal synchronisation data does not contain the separate Safe key file. Copied synchronisation data and the Safe password alone are therefore insufficient for decryption. This statement does not apply unchanged if setup information, key material or a configured device is also compromised.
Synchronisation also propagates deletions and unwanted changes and does not replace a backup. For cloud services, contractual arrangements and data protection requirements must still be assessed separately. Encryption does not automatically remove the need for a required data processing agreement.36
Photograph records and damage directly into the Safe
Using the camera in SimpleumSafe for iOS, you can capture paper records, meter readings or supplementary property and damage photographs and save the images directly in the Safe. They are not stored in the general photo library.4
Taking a photograph alone does not replace an agreed handover, damage or documentation process. Limit the frame and content to what is necessary, avoid unnecessary images of people or private areas, and assign captures clearly to the property, process and date.5
Account for originals, editing and exported copies
Importing brings a file into the Safe. Depending on the import method and settings, the original may remain in its previous location. Importing does not retroactively protect copies in an email inbox, Downloads folder or property management portal.
A file must temporarily be readable for editing. On Mac, SimpleumSafe can provide a working copy in a protected temporary area. The editing application may create its own copies or cloud backups. Exporting or sharing creates a decrypted copy outside the Safe. Choose a storage and transfer method appropriate to the file's confidentiality and include these copies in your retention and deletion process.45
Sources and product documentation
- SimpleumSafe: Security and Encryption method – access, file information, backups and recovery passwords.
- SimpleumSafe: Integrity checker – scope and additional options.
- SimpleumSafe: Extreme secure synchronisation – device synchronisation, key material and limitations.
- How SimpleumSafe works and Take photos directly into the Safe.
- GDPR, particularly Articles 5, 9, 28 and 32–34.
- EDPB Guidelines 07/2020, “Hosting services” example, p. 16 – storing encrypted data on behalf of a controller.
- German Data Protection Conference: guidance on information collected from prospective tenants, version 2.0 – permissible information at each stage of the letting process (in German).
Confidential rental documents on your Apple devices
Would you like to keep selected tenancy agreements, statements, records and correspondence yourself in encrypted form? Explore SimpleumSafe’s features and find the right purchase option for Mac, iPhone or iPad.
What you can do with SimpleumSafe
Learn more about the features and protection for your files on Mac, iPhone and iPad.