Privacy Policy
Hindmarsh & Walsh Property Pty Limited trading as Richardson & Wrench Southern Highlands (A.C.N. 140 536 634) (we, us, our) is committed to complying with its obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Act).
The Act allows personal information to be collected, used and disclosed for the purposes for which it was collected in accordance with the Act.
This Privacy Policy only applies to the extent we collect, use and disclose personal information.
This Privacy Policy may be revised, updated or replaced from time to time and we may subsequently notify users of any changes by posting the revised, updated or replaced Privacy Policy on this website. Any changes take effect on the date the revised, updated or replaced Privacy Policy is posted to this website.
What is your personal information?
In general terms, personal information is any information that can be used to identify you. This may include, but is not limited to, your name, address, contact numbers and email address. In the case of applying for a property, it may also include your current and previous living arrangements and employment history. If the information we collect personally identifies you, or you are reasonably identifiable from it, it will be considered personal information.
What information do we collect?
We collect any information you provide to us as mentioned above, as well as any additional information you provide directly or indirectly through our website and through communications with our representatives.
Where required by law, including in connection with the sale or purchase of real estate, we may also collect personal information and identification documents necessary to verify your identity and comply with our obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) (AML/CTF Act). This may include government-issued identification documents, proof of address, date of birth, information regarding the source of funds or wealth, beneficial ownership information and any other information reasonably required to satisfy our legal obligations.
Why do we collect this information?
We collect personal information about you in order to provide you with the best possible customer service and so that we can perform our daily business activities, including:
- To allow us to perform our duties as agents on behalf of our clients.
- To contact people in relation to properties.
- To update our records and keep your contact details up to date.
- To answer enquiries and provide information or advice about existing and new products or services offered by our company or any affiliated company.
- To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including verifying your identity and conducting customer due diligence as required under the AML/CTF Act when acting in relation to the sale or purchase of real estate.
Automated Decision Making (ADM)
ADM is when:
- we use a computer program to make, or do a thing that is substantially and directly related to making, a decision; and
- the decision could reasonably be expected to significantly affect the rights or interests of an individual; and
the kinds of personal information used in the operation of such computer programs are:
- Names
- Contact details
The kinds of decisions made solely by the operation of such computer programs are:
- To update our records and keep your contact details up to date.
- To provide products and services to you and to send communications.
- To answer enquiries and provide information or advice about existing and new products or services offered by our company or any affiliated company.
The kinds of decisions for which a thing that is substantially and directly related to making the decision is done by the operation of such computer programs are:
- Rex
- PropertyMe
Information disclosed
We will use and disclose personal information only for the purposes for which it is collected in accordance with the Act, including:
- providing services and customer support, including service updates;
- maintaining and updating our records;
- comparing information for accuracy and verifying it with third parties;
- providing information as authorised or required by law or a relevant government body or authority.
In meeting our obligations under the AML/CTF Act, we may use your personal information to verify your identity, conduct customer due diligence and undertake ongoing monitoring where required by law. We may disclose your personal information to electronic identity verification providers, government agencies, regulatory authorities, law enforcement bodies and other third parties where authorised or required by the AML/CTF Act or any other applicable law.
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF)
As part of our real estate services, we are required to comply with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) and associated legislation.
If you are buying or selling real estate through our agency, we may be required to collect, verify and retain personal information and identification documents to confirm your identity and satisfy our customer due diligence obligations. We may also be required to obtain information regarding the ownership of entities, the source of funds or wealth, and the nature of the transaction.
If you do not provide the information requested, we may be unable to provide services or act on your behalf where doing so would place us in breach of our legal obligations.
We will only collect, use, store and disclose this information as permitted or required by law, including for the purposes of complying with the AML/CTF Act and any associated regulatory requirements.
Overseas disclosure
We may at times be required to disclose personal information overseas to perform our duties as agents on behalf of our clients.
We may use cloud storage and IT servers that may be located overseas to store the personal information we hold. As electronic or networked storage can be accessed from various countries through an internet connection, it is not always practical to know in which country information about an individual may be held.
Please note that in some cases, countries to which we transfer information may not have laws or binding schemes that protect your information in a manner substantially similar to the Australian Privacy Principles, and there may not be any mechanism available for you to enforce those protections.
Anonymity and pseudonyms
General users of the website do not need to disclose their identity in order to use this website. This website does not collect personal information about users except in the circumstances described above.
Please note that we may not be able to provide you with some or all of our services if you remain anonymous or use a pseudonym.
Cookies
A cookie is an electronic token passed to your browser and returned to the server whenever a page is requested. Our servers may generate cookies to keep track of the pages users access while using the website. Cookies may also allow data entered into forms to be temporarily stored until the user chooses to save that information.
Cookies generally remain on a user's computer after an internet session has ended and can be read by the server that placed them there during a later visit.
When users visit this website, our server may log certain information, including the type of browser and operating system used, the top-level domain name, the referring website, the server IP address, the date and time of the visit, and the pages viewed or documents downloaded. This information is generally collected for internal statistical analysis and system administration purposes.
Any other information supplied to us, including information submitted by email or through our website, will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Information security
We take reasonable steps to protect all information we hold, including personal information, from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
We may store your information using cloud or other electronic storage services. As these services may be accessed from various countries, it is not always practical to know where your personal information is stored.
Where appropriate, we use secure transmission facilities. However, no transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure and we do not warrant the security of any information transmitted to us via the internet.
Links to other websites
This website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. This Privacy Policy does not extend to linked websites.
Marketing and opt-out
We may use information, including personal information (excluding sensitive information), for marketing and research purposes, to analyse and improve our products and services and to inform users of products, services and benefits offered by us, our related entities, suppliers or sponsors, unless the user has advised us not to do so.
If you do not wish to receive marketing communications, you may contact the Privacy Officer using the details below. We will not use your sensitive information for these purposes without your consent.
Accessing your personal information
Users whose personal information we collect, use or disclose have the right to request access to that information unless we are permitted by law to refuse access.
We may charge a reasonable fee where access to personal information is provided. Requests for access or correction of personal information should be made in writing to the Privacy Officer.
You also have the right to request correction of any personal information that is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading or out of date.
If you require further information about our management of personal information or wish to make a privacy complaint, please contact:
The Privacy Officer
322 Argyle Street
Moss Vale NSW 2577
Telephone: (02) 4868 3236
Email: southernhighlands@randw.com.au
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner can be contacted as follows:
Phone: 1300 363 992 (Monday to Thursday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm AEST/AEDT)
Post: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001
Fax: +61 2 9284 9666
Acceptance of this Privacy Policy
By using this website or accessing any of our products, services or features, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accepted this Privacy Policy. You consent to our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and, where applicable, the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.