Privacy Policy

About this Privacy Policy
 

National Real Estate is a real estate agency operating in Sydney, New South Wales. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal information in an open, transparent and lawful way.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information in connection with our real estate sales, property management, leasing, appraisal, marketing, open home, client relationship and business activities.
 

We aim to handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, where those laws apply to us. We also take into account other laws that may apply to real estate agencies, including property, tenancy, consumer, anti-money laundering, electronic marketing and record-keeping obligations.
 

2. What personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on your dealings with us. It may include:

  • name, address, phone number and email address;
  • property address and property ownership details;
  • open home and private inspection attendance records;
  • buyer, seller, landlord, tenant and prospective tenant enquiry details;
  • property preferences, budget, inspection feedback and offer details;
  • identification information where required for verification, compliance or transaction purposes;
  • rental application information, such as employment, income, references, rental history and emergency contact details;
  • information required to manage a tenancy or property, including maintenance requests and communication history;
  • bank account or payment details where required for deposits, rent, bond, invoices, trust accounting or disbursements;
  • records of communications with you, including emails, SMS messages, telephone notes and correspondence;
  • website usage information, cookies, enquiry forms and online interaction data; and
  • other information you provide to us or that we are required or authorised to collect by law.

We will generally only collect sensitive information, such as health information or government identifiers, where it is reasonably necessary, where you have consented, or where required or authorised by law.
 

3. How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information directly from you when you:

  • attend an open home or private inspection;
  • submit an enquiry through our website, a property portal or social media;
  • call, email, text or visit our office;
  • request an appraisal or market update;
  • apply to rent a property;
  • make an offer to purchase or lease a property;
  • enter into an agency agreement, lease, management agreement or sales contract;
  • subscribe to property alerts, newsletters or marketing updates;
  • interact with our staff, contractors or representatives.

We may also collect information from third parties where reasonably necessary, including property owners, landlords, vendors, tenants, buyers, referees, employers, property portals, tenancy databases, identity verification providers, conveyancers, solicitors, strata managers, government agencies, tradespeople and service providers.
 

4. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information

We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes connected with our real estate agency services, including to:

  • conduct open homes and private inspections;
  • manage security, access and attendance at properties;
  • respond to enquiries about properties or services;
  • provide sales, leasing and property management services;
  • appraise, market, sell, lease and manage properties;
  • communicate with vendors, landlords, buyers, tenants and prospective tenants;
  • process rental applications and tenancy documentation;
  • assess offers, applications and property enquiries;
  • arrange maintenance, repairs, inspections and contractor access;
  • manage trust accounting, invoices, rent, deposits, bonds and payments;
  • comply with legal, regulatory, licence, audit, insurance, taxation, trust accounting and professional obligations;
  • conduct identity verification, customer due diligence and compliance checks where required by law;
  • prevent fraud, identity misuse, unlawful activity and security risks;
  • send property alerts, market updates, newsletters or promotional material where permitted by law;
  • improve our services, systems, website and customer experience;
  • respond to complaints, disputes, claims and legal matters.
     

5. Open homes and inspection registers

When you attend an open home or private inspection, we may ask you to register your name and contact details before entry.

We collect this information to manage property access, protect the safety and security of the property, owner, occupier and our staff, keep inspection records, respond to your enquiry and follow up with you about the property.

If you do not provide your details, we may be unable to allow you to inspect the property or provide further information about it.

We should not use your open home attendance details for ongoing marketing unless you have consented or it is otherwise permitted by law. You may opt out of marketing at any time.
 

6. Direct marketing

We may use third-party digital advertising and marketing platforms, including Meta, Google and similar providers, to deliver property advertising, market updates, promotional content and relevant services to individuals who have previously interacted with us, enquired about properties or services, attended inspections, requested appraisals or otherwise engaged with our business.

This may involve the secure use of contact information such as email addresses or phone numbers in hashed or encrypted form for audience matching, retargeting or advertising personalisation purposes in accordance with applicable privacy laws and the policies of those platforms.

Individuals may opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us directly.

We may use your contact details to send you property alerts, market updates, appraisal information, newsletters or details of services that may be relevant to you.

We will only send electronic marketing where we have your consent or where permitted by law. Each commercial electronic message will identify us and include a functional unsubscribe option.

You may opt out of marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails, replying “STOP” to SMS where available, or contacting us directly.
 

7. Who we may disclose personal information to

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:

  • vendors, landlords, property owners and their authorised representatives;
  • buyers, tenants and prospective parties where required for a transaction or tenancy process;
  • our employees, contractors, agents and related entities;
  • property portals and listing platforms;
  • CRM, inspection, property management, trust accounting, payment, communication, cloud storage and IT service providers;
  • identity verification and compliance service providers;
  • tenancy database operators, where permitted by law;
  • tradespeople, maintenance providers, strata managers, building managers and utilities providers;
  • solicitors, conveyancers, accountants, auditors, insurers and professional advisers;
  • financial institutions and payment processors;
  • NSW Fair Trading, AUSTRAC, Revenue NSW, courts, tribunals, law enforcement agencies, regulators or government bodies where required or authorised by law;
  • any other person or organisation you authorise us to disclose information to.

We do not sell your personal information.
 

8. Overseas disclosure

Some of our technology, website, CRM, email, cloud storage, property management, marketing or data processing providers may store or process information outside Australia.

Where we are likely to disclose personal information to overseas recipients, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is handled appropriately. The countries may vary depending on the systems we use, but may include countries such as the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Singapore or other locations used by our service providers.

You should update this section once you confirm where your CRM, website hosting, email, inspection app and property management software store data.
 

9. Security of personal information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

These steps may include secure systems, password protection, access controls, staff training, confidentiality obligations, multi-factor authentication, secure document storage, data retention controls and secure destruction or de-identification of information when it is no longer required.

If a data breach occurs and it is likely to result in serious harm, we will take steps required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, including notifying affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner where required.
 

10. Retention and deletion

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, for our business and legal requirements, or as required by law.

Inspection registers, enquiry records, rental application records, agency agreements, tenancy records, trust accounting documents and transaction records may be kept for different periods depending on legal, audit, insurance, dispute and compliance requirements.

When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it securely.
 

11. Access and correction

You may request access to personal information we hold about you.

You may also ask us to correct personal information if you believe it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

We may need to verify your identity before responding. In some cases, we may be unable to provide access or make a correction, but if that happens, we will explain why where reasonable and lawful to do so.
 

12. Privacy complaints

If you have a privacy concern or complaint, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it.

Privacy Officer: Chris Kaltoum/Director

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 9721 1611

Postal address: 358 Guildford Road, Guildford

Please include your name, contact details and a clear description of your concern. We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to respond within a reasonable time.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
 

13. Cookies and website tracking

Our website may use cookies, pixels, analytics tools or similar technologies to improve website performance, measure traffic, understand user behaviour, personalise content and support marketing.

You can adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being used. Some website features may not work properly if cookies are disabled.
 

14. Third-party websites

Our website and communications may contain links to third-party websites, including property portals, social media platforms, payment platforms or service providers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.
 

15. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business, systems, legal obligations or privacy practices.

The latest version will be available on our website.