Butterfield Property Pty Ltd (“Butterfield Property,” “we,” or “us”) recognizes the importance of protecting your privacy. Butterfield Property is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and is committed to complying with its obligations. Our franchisees and Related Bodies Corporate are also committed to complying with their obligations under the Privacy Act, to the extent that it applies to them.
This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal information and how you can contact us if you want to access or correct any personal information that we hold about you.
Personal information is information about you, or which identifies you, like your name, contact details, and our records about you. It includes sensitive information about you, such as your health information.
Collection of Your Personal Information
We collect personal information from our clients and customers and other individuals. We only collect personal information by lawful and fair means.
In some cases, where it is unreasonable or impracticable to obtain your personal information directly from you, we will seek to obtain it from others, such as from your representatives (e.g., solicitor, accountant, or financial adviser), from publicly available sources including social media, from Strata or Bodies Corporate, from On-Site Managers, and from vendors, buyers, landlords, and tenants.
The personal information we collect will depend on the service we provide to you, and the circumstance under which we collect the personal information. It may include:
- For clients accessing our Property Services (including prospective clients): your name, age, date of birth, contact details, family details, employment details, your financial information (including assets, liabilities, income, outgoings, spending patterns, credit history, credit reference reports, and property valuations), your tax file number, your insurance details, your credit card and banking details, information relating to a will or estate, references, copies of photo identification, and other information necessary to provide our services.
- For our contractors, service providers, and business associates: your name, contact details, and information relevant to obtaining third-party services or providing our services.
- For applicants for a job with us or with one of our franchisees: your name, contact details, job applications, references, and other information relevant to assessing applicants.
- For applicants for a franchise: your name, age, date of birth, contact details, family details, employment details, your personal financial information and your business financial information (including assets, liabilities, income, outgoings, spending patterns, credit history, credit reference reports, and property valuations), your insurance details, your credit card and banking details, your resume, references, copies of photo identification, results of police or background checks, interview notes, and other information necessary to provide our services.
Why We Handle Your Personal Information
We collect, hold, use, and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:
- To interact with you, maintain our business records, and otherwise run our business.
- To provide you with our Property Services, including providing appraisals of properties, acting as a real estate agent for the buying and selling of properties, leasing properties, advertising properties, business broking, providing conveyancing and property settlement services, and aggregation, connection, and disconnection of utility services.
- For recruitment, employment, franchisee placement, and contracting purposes.
- To provide you with information about services that may be of interest to you.
- For any purpose required or permitted by law.
- For any purpose disclosed to you and to which you have consented.
- For any purpose that you would otherwise reasonably expect.
Disclosing Your Personal Information
We may disclose your personal information to others, such as:
- Your agents or representatives.
- Our employees, contractors, franchisees, and service providers, including IT services, and mailing houses.
- Our related companies and other business partners.
- Our professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants, and auditors.
- Government, regulatory, and law enforcement authorities.
- Other service providers such as energy, telecommunication, fuel, water, and insurance providers for the purpose of those providers providing their services to you at your request.
Security of Your Personal Information
We hold your personal information in both paper-based and electronic files. Electronic information is stored on secure servers that are protected in controlled facilities. Details of our security systems are available by contacting our Privacy Officer.
We seek to ensure that personal information that we hold is protected from misuse, interference, and loss caused by unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. Our employees and agents are obliged to treat any personal information held by us confidentially.
Marketing and Opting Out
We may use the personal information that we hold about you, including your contact details, to provide you with information about products and services that may be of interest to you. You may opt out of receiving all or certain types of marketing information from us at any time by contacting us on the details provided below.
Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information
You have rights under privacy legislation to request copies of the personal information that we hold about you, and to request its correction. If you would like to access or request correction of the information that we hold about you, you can contact us on the details provided below. If we refuse access, we will provide you with a written notice explaining our reasons for refusing access. We may ask you to pay our reasonable costs of providing you with access to the personal information that we hold about you.
We seek to ensure that the personal information that we hold is accurate, up-to-date, and complete. We encourage you to contact us on the details provided below to seek correction of the personal information we hold about you if you believe that it is inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. We are not obliged to correct any of your personal information if we do not agree that it requires correction and we may refuse to do so. If we refuse, we will provide you with a written notice explaining the basis for our refusal.
Questions and Complaints
We welcome your comments regarding this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or if you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about the way in which we have handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details set out below:
Attn: Privacy Officer
Address: 10/73-79 Lamont St, Bermagui, NSW 2546
Email: kristy@butterfieldproperty.com.au
We will investigate any complaint regarding the handling of your personal information and will advise you of the outcome of our investigations in writing. You may also lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by calling 1300 363 992 or sending an email to enquiries@oaic.gov.au.
More information about your rights and our obligations in relation to privacy, and information on making a privacy complaint, are available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which can be contacted at www.oaic.gov.au or by mail to GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 or by email to enquiries@oaic.gov.au.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time, and the current version will be available on our website.