We respect your concerns about privacy. This Privacy Statement describes the types of personal information we collect about our consumers, how we collect personal information, the purpose of collecting data, use and disclosure, security, changes and complaints. St Andrews Estate Agents (“St Andrews”) have implemented technology and security policies, rules and measures to protect the personal information that we have under our control. St Andrews will remove personal information from our records where it is no longer required unless such information is required for archiving purposes. St Andrews also encourage you to contact us about any feedback or questions regarding our privacy policy.

From 12 March 2014, the Australian Federal Government’s new Privacy Laws came into effect, embodying the 13 Australian Privacy Principles, covering all personal information held by organisations. These laws regulate, among other matters, the way organisations collect, use, disclose keep secure and give people access to personal information. Protecting your privacy and your personal information is an important aspect of the way in which St Andrews conducts its activities. Our privacy policy supports and endorses the Privacy Commissioner’s Australian Privacy Principles.

WHAT SORT OF PERSONAL INFORMATION IS HELD/COLLECTED GENERALLY

The personal information we collect generally includes:

  • Your name, address, date of birth, contact details and other personal details;
  • Basic financial information. We generally do not seek to collect sensitive information. We would only do so with your consent, or if required by law or if necessary in connection with any claim.
  • In some circumstances, you may deal with us anonymously or using a pseudonym.  However, in most circumstances it is impracticable to do so because if you do not provide us with the Personal Information that we require or if you provide it in a way that does not identify you; we are likely to be unable to carry out the services requested by you. 

HOW PERSONAL INFORMATION IS COLLECTED

We collect your personal information directly from you unless it is unreasonable or impracticable to do so. When collecting personal information from you, we may collect it in ways including:

  • Completion of applications
  • Through your access and use of our website
  • During conversations between you and our representatives
  • Through you giving us your business card
  • When an enquiry is made by telephone, mail, face to face, via our website
  • When you provide your details to us at an "open for inspection" property or an auction
  • When you enquire, apply or negotiate with us with respect to purchasing, selling or renting a property
  • Any other collection of or incidental or directly or indirectly related to a service or product we may be able to provide to you
  • From third parties such as credit reporting agencies.

 

PURPOSES FOR COLLECTING/HOLDING THE INFORMATION

We collect personal information for the following purposes:

  • To supply our products and services to you;
  • Responding to your enquiries and feedback regarding our business, our products and services;
  • To process your application for tenancy;
  • To approve transactions you wish to make;
  • Ensuring compliance with our statutory obligations and conducting appropriate credit checks
  • To confirm details to utility companies, banks, etc. contacting us on your behalf;
  • To provide tradesman for purpose of contacting you to arrange repairs or maintenance.
  • To pay/release your details to rental bond authorities;
  • Completion any necessary documentation to Tribunals, Courts or statutory authorities.

 

HOW PERSONAL INFORMATION IS USED AND DISCLOSED GENERALLY

Your consent

Sometimes we will ask you to consent to a disclosure or use of your personal information for a particular purpose. We may do so in writing or over the phone. Other times, your consent will be taken to be given, where you indicate to us that you wish to obtain information about any of the services that we provide. We do not and will not rent, sell or otherwise disclose your Personal Information to any other company or organisation, without your prior consent, where that consent is required by law.  

We also may disclose or use your personal information without your consent in the following circumstances:

  • To our related companies;
  • To prospective purchasers to negotiate the sale of your property;
  • To organisations which provide services to us;
  • With your consent or where it is necessary to provide you with services;
  • Where required by Law; 
  • To organisations which have requested us to provide services to you or who co-operate with us in offering products or services.
  • To tradesman to undertake repairs or maintenance;
  • To prospective tenants to contact you for an inspection (telephone numbers and names only);
  • To necessary Tribunals, RTBA, statutory bodies for the purpose for fulfilling our legal requirements under the RTA 1997;
  • To lawyers or conveyancing companies to create documentation, leases or contracts; and to debt collection agents for debts incurred.
  • Disclosures of or incidental to promotion and marketing to you of our services and products or St Andrews seeking potential clients.
  • To the general public when advertising or marketing your property (or your home if you are our tenant) including internet advertising or marketing, for the purposes of re-leasing or selling the property;
  • Disclosures to media organisations, on the internet, to potential buyers or to existing or potential clients, to property inspection consultants, to tradespeople, to bodies corporate, financial institutions including our financial services company, government and statutory bodies, legal representatives, accountants, business consultants and other third parties as required by law.
  • Disclosures to our third party consultants such as those consultants who from time to time may manage our database and/or computer system and/or who undertake the advertising and marketing on behalf of the entity known as St Andrews Estate Agents and its related companies, or specifically your property.

DIRECT MARKETING/INTERNET BASED ADVERTISING

You acknowledge that where we reasonably determine it to be appropriate, we may add some of your Personal Information including your name, address, phone numbers, facsimile number and email address to our databases or databases of our related companies. The databases will be used for ongoing marketing and sales related purposes or to advise you of the other services we can offer.

The type of marketing and sales activities that we undertake includes sending material to you so that you are kept updated in relation to various property related issues or other services that we can offer you. 

You always have the option to unsubscribe from any direct marketing communication you receive from us.

We may, from time to time, have or maintain a presence on social media such as Facebook, You Tube, Instagram and LinkedIn. You can interact with us via social media where we maintain a presence. Depending on the particular social media platform, we may collect, use, handle, store and disclose, in the manner described in this Privacy Policy, personal information, including without limitation.

When you interact with us via social media, you consent to any personal information you provide or disclose (including any of the above, as applicable) being collected, used and disclosed by us in the manner described in this Privacy Policy. You should be aware that interactions on social media with us may, depending on the particular social media platform you choose and on the settings you choose on each such platform that relate to privacy and security, be immediately publicly visible to all users of the platform.

We reserve the right to remove any photos, comments or other material that is in any way inappropriate or offensive (in our opinion) from our Social Media Sites.

SECURITY

St Andrews stores your personal information using industry standards for security of information in order to safeguard it from misuse, disclosure, alteration or destruction. By using the St Andrews Internet site you agree that the Internet is inherently insecure and can only use its best endeavours to secure your personal information. 

CHANGES TO PRIVACY POLICY

We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time by posting an updated version of this policy on our web sites. We recommend that you review it regularly for any changes.

COMPLAINTS/CORRECTION/FEEDBACK/QUESTIONS

St Andrews welcomes any feedback you may have regarding our Privacy Policy. If you have any questions or queries relating to the policy, please email admin@standrews.estate. If we become aware of any ongoing concerns or problems you may have with our handling of your personal information, we will work to address these concerns in accordance with our procedures for inquiries and complaints.

If you wish to access or correct any personal information we hold about you or have any feedback or concerns about privacy, please contact admin@standrews.estate. In the case of access and correction requests, please provide as much detail as us as set out below you can about the particular information you seek in order to help us retrieve it.

If your personal information is not provided to us, and you do not consent to the uses to which we may put your personal information, we may not be able to carry out our duties and responsibilities to you as a professional real estate agency.