Timely deletion of applicant data is a GDPR obligation (Art. 17, Art. 5(1)(e)). Locari deletes either automatically after a rental case is completed or immediately on withdrawal, decline, or expiry — always with a complete deletion sequence.
What Locari deletes automatically: applicant data of a completed rental case once the retention period ends; on withdrawal, decline, or expiry of consent, deletion happens immediately. What you decide: whether to delete an applicant early and manually, whether to approve a deletion request before the process ends.
Common Tasks
- Understand automatic deletion after completion
- Manually delete an individual applicant
- Handle an applicant's deletion request
- What is actually removed in a deletion
- Understand the proof of a deletion
- Understand statutory retention obligations
Automatic Deletion
After a Rental Case is Completed
Once a rental case is completed, Locari schedules automatic deletion of the associated applicant data after a retention period of 180 days. This period serves evidence preservation under German anti-discrimination law (AGG) and is fixed — you don't configure or activate anything.
On Withdrawal, Decline, or Expiry of Consent
Regardless of the process stage, Locari deletes immediately when:
- an applicant withdraws their consent,
- an applicant declines consent,
- an applicant does not respond within 10 days of the consent email (expiry).
In these cases the deletion sequence starts without any action on your part.
Manual Deletion
Delete an Individual Applicant
- Open the rental case > Consents tab.
- Find the applicant in the table (Pending or Completed tab).
- Click Delete data in the row and confirm in the dialog.
Manual deletion is immediate and irreversible. If consent had already been granted, only the anonymized consent record remains as an audit trail; if consent was still pending, that record is removed as well. Do not delete an applicant before an active process is concluded.
Deletion on Request
When an Applicant Requests Deletion
If an applicant requests deletion, first check whether the process is still active:
- Process still active: inform the applicant that their data will be deleted after completion — they can withdraw their application themselves at any time via the withdrawal link, which triggers immediate deletion.
- Process completed: delete immediately via Delete data in the Consents tab.
The easiest route for the applicant remains the withdrawal link in every consent email — one click triggers the full deletion sequence.
What Gets Deleted?
Complete Deletion Sequence
Locari carries out deletion in a defined order:
- Confirmation email to the applicant (for withdrawal, decline, or expiry — not for a direct manual deletion you perform)
- Collect storage paths (document files and email attachments)
- Delete database records in an atomic transaction:
- Applicant profile and contact data
- All uploaded documents
- Communication history (emails and attachments)
- Notes and evaluations
- Clarification requests and appointment bookings
- AI conversation logs
- Remove files from storage (via a secured deletion queue)
- Anonymize consent record — the email is replaced by an anonymized identifier; timestamps and status are retained for authority requests
What Remains Anonymized
After complete deletion, the anonymized consent record remains (no personal data, timestamps retained — Art. 7(1) GDPR) as proof. If a still-pending consent was deleted, that record is removed entirely.
Documentation
Every consent — including grant, withdrawal, and the subsequent anonymization — is documented with timestamps in the Consents tab of the rental case. The detail view of a record shows the full history. This keeps the proof to supervisory authorities available even after deletion.
Retention Obligations
As a landlord you may be subject to your own statutory retention obligations. These concern the signed lease and tax/commercial documents — not the application data of rejected prospects, which Locari deletes per the periods above:
- Tax-relevant documents: typically up to 10 years
- Contract documents: typically 6 years
You manage these obligations outside of applicant deletion in Locari.