Privacy policy
Privacy Policy and Collection Notice
MH Thomas & Gilgandra Real Estate (ABN 40 611 509 445) is committed to protecting personal information and complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
This document explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information in connection with our real estate business and our website.
What is personal information?
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. This may include contact details, identification information, property, tenancy, employment and financial information relevant to our services.
What personal information do we collect?
We may collect personal information from vendors, purchasers, landlords, tenants and other persons who deal with us.
This may include:
- name, address, phone number and email address
- identification details (such as driver licence details where required)
- property ownership and transaction details
- rental application, employment and income information
- references and tenancy database information where permitted by law
- information provided through enquiries, inspections, applications or contracts
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our business functions.
Anti-Money Laundering and Identity Verification
We may collect and verify personal information to comply with Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) obligations.
This may include:
- verifying identity documents
- conducting risk assessments
- collecting additional information where required
We may use third-party providers to assist with identity verification.
How do we collect personal information?
We collect personal information:
- directly from you in person, by phone, email, forms or applications
- through our website enquiry and rental application forms
- from publicly available sources (such as title searches)
- from third parties where permitted by law, including referees and tenancy databases
If personal information is not provided, we may be unable to provide some or all of our services.
Why do we collect and use personal information?
We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information to:
- provide real estate sales, leasing and property management services
- assess rental applications
- communicate with you about properties and services
- comply with legal and regulatory obligations
- maintain accurate records and business systems
- manage complaints, disputes or legal processes
- conduct internal administration and business operations
Disclosure of personal information
We may disclose personal information:
- to landlords, vendors, purchasers or tenants as required
- to employees and authorised contractors
- to tenancy databases and government authorities where required by law
- to professional advisers and service providers, including IT, CRM and cloud service providers
We do not sell personal information.
Some personal information may be stored electronically or with service providers located outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate privacy protections are in place.
Third-Party Platforms and Software
We use third-party platforms and software systems to manage our business operations.
These may include:
- property management systems (e.g. Reapit PM)
- real estate portals (e.g. realestate.com.au, Domain)
- cloud storage, accounting and email providers
These providers may store or process personal information on our behalf, including outside Australia. We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers comply with privacy obligations.
Some personal information may be disclosed to, or stored with, service providers located outside Australia, including cloud and technology providers.
Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients handle personal information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Website and online services
Our website may collect personal information through enquiry forms and rental applications.
We may also collect limited technical information, such as IP address and browser details, for security, functionality and record-keeping purposes.
Users may browse our website anonymously; however identification is required to access certain services.
Automated decision making
We do not use automated decision-making systems to make decisions that significantly affect an individual’s rights or interests without human involvement.
Security and retention
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Personal information is stored securely in electronic and physical systems accessible only to authorised personnel.
When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify it in accordance with legal requirements.
Access and correction
You may request access to, or correction of, personal information we hold about you.
Requests may be made in writing and may be required to be verified. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.
A Personal Information Request for Access / Correction form is available upon request or at our office.
Direct marketing
We may contact you about properties or services that may be of interest. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us.
We do not use sensitive information for marketing purposes without express consent.
Data breaches
We maintain a Data Breach Response Plan and will respond to any suspected or actual data breach in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act.
Where required, affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner will be notified.
Complaints
If you have a concern about how we handle personal information, please contact us using the details above.
We will endeavour to resolve complaints promptly. If you are not satisfied, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:
GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 1042
Phone: 1300 363 992E-mail: enquiries@oaic.gov.au