1. Our commitment to your privacy

Butler+Co Estate Agents is committed to protecting your personal information and handling it in an open and transparent manner. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information and how you may access and correct your information or make a complaint about a privacy breach.

2. 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 your name, address, email address, phone number, date of birth, identification documents, financial details, tenancy history, and information relating to property transactions.

3. What personal information we collect

Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Full name
  • Residential and postal address
  • Email address and phone number
  • Date of birth
  • Identification documents (for example driver licence or passport)
  • Employment details
  • Financial information relevant to transactions
  • Tenancy history
  • Property ownership details
  • Marketing preferences
  • Communications between you and us
  • Images or video of properties where necessary for marketing or documentation

We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities.

4. How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information when you:

  • Enquire about buying, selling, leasing or renting property
  • Attend open homes or inspections
  • Contact us by phone, email, website or social media
  • Complete forms on our website or third party property portals
  • Enter into an agreement with us
  • Participate in promotions, surveys or competitions
  • Use our website or digital platforms

We may also collect information from third parties such as:

  • Property portals
  • Referees and previous agents
  • Credit and tenancy databases (where legally permitted)
  • Publicly available records
  • Government agencies where required by law

5. Why we collect, use and disclose personal information

We collect, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:

  • Providing real estate services to you
  • Communicating with you about properties and services
  • Managing sales, leasing and property management transactions
  • Conducting identity verification where required
  • Processing payments and trust account transactions
  • Managing tenancy matters and disputes
  • Complying with legal and regulatory obligations
  • Marketing our services where permitted by law
  • Improving our services and client experience
  • Maintaining business records

We only use or disclose personal information for the primary purpose it was collected, or for a related purpose that you would reasonably expect.

6. Direct marketing

We may use your personal information to send you marketing communications about properties or services that may be of interest to you. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

  • Using the unsubscribe link in our emails
  • Replying “unsubscribe” to SMS messages
  • Contacting us using the details below

We comply with the Spam Act 2003.

7. Who we may disclose personal information to

We may disclose personal information to:

  • Buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants involved in a transaction
  • Our employees, contractors and service providers
  • Legal advisers, financial institutions and insurers
  • Tradespeople engaged for property maintenance
  • Property portals and marketing platforms
  • Technology providers such as CRM and website platforms
  • Government agencies where required by law
  • Regulators including the Residential Tenancies Authority
  • Professional advisers including auditors and consultants

We take reasonable steps to ensure third parties handle information appropriately.

8. Overseas disclosure

Some of our service providers, including technology and cloud-based platforms, may store data on servers located outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information.

9. Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. This includes administrative, technical and physical safeguards. Access to personal information is restricted to authorised personnel only.

10. Data retention and disposal

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil our business and legal obligations. When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

11. Accessing and correcting your personal information

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you and request corrections if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. Requests can be made using the contact details below. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within a reasonable time.

12. Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy, you may contact us in writing using the details below. We will investigate your complaint and respond within a reasonable timeframe.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

13. Notifiable Data Breaches

If we experience a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to individuals, we will comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme by notifying affected individuals and the OAIC as required by law.

14. Website use and cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve user experience and analyse website traffic. You can adjust your browser settings to disable cookies, however this may affect website functionality.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version will always be available on our website.

16. Contact us

If you have any questions, requests or complaints regarding privacy, please contact:

Butler+Co Estate Agents
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07 3326 0678
Address: 139 Oriel Road, Ascot, Old, 4007

This policy is effective from the date of publication.