WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected by Property Renovation Experts Pty Ltd (we, us or our) via the website located at www.propertyrenovationexperts.com.au (Website).
What information do we collect?
The kind of Personal Information that we collect from you will depend on how you use the website. The Personal Information which we collect and hold about you may include:We collect the following Personal Information from website users and prospective clients: full name, email address, phone number, property suburb or location, property type, information about the property and proposed renovation or sale, anticipated selling timeframe, whether the person has consulted a real estate agent, consultation responses, project objectives, concerns and areas where assistance is sought, budget information, communication preferences, enquiry and consultation history, payment and billing information where services are engaged, IP address and device information, website usage data and analytics, and any other information voluntarily provided through contact forms, consultation bookings or project enquiries. Where you provide information through an open-text field, please do not provide Sensitive Information unless it is reasonably necessary for your enquiry or our services and you consent to us collecting it.
Types of information
The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) defines types of information, including Personal Information and Sensitive Information.Personal Information means information or an opinion about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable:
(a) whether the information or opinion is true or not; and
(b) whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not.
If the information does not disclose your identity or enable your identity to be ascertained, it will in most cases not be classified as “Personal Information” and will not be subject to this privacy policy.
Sensitive Information is defined in the Privacy Act as including information or opinion about such things as an individual's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of a trade union or other professional body, criminal record or health information.
Sensitive Information will be used by us only:(a) for the primary purpose for which it was obtained;
(b) for a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose; and
(c) with your consent or where required or authorised by law.
How we collect your Personal Information
(a) We may collect Personal Information from you when you enter information into the Website, book a consultation, make an enquiry, engage our services, communicate with us, or otherwise provide information to us.
(i) Where you book or participate in a consultation or meeting with us using Microsoft Teams or another video-conferencing platform, we may record the call for purposes including preparing consultation notes, maintaining accurate records, quality assurance, staff training and providing our services to you. We will tell you before recording begins. You may choose not to participate in a recorded call, and may contact us to discuss an alternative arrangement where reasonably practicable. Recordings may capture your name, image, voice, contact details, property information and matters discussed during the consultation. We will handle recordings in accordance with this Privacy Policy and retain them only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described above, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law.
(b) We use cookies and similar technologies to operate, secure and improve the Website, understand how it is used and, where you have consented, tailor advertising and marketing content.
Cookies are small data files stored on your device when you visit the Website. They may collect information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed, actions taken on the Website and the date and time of your visit. Our use of cookies is governed by the following:
Types of Cookies We Use: We use the following categories of cookies on the Website:
Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Website to function properly, including security, page navigation, form submission and access to secure areas. These cookies cannot be disabled through our cookie preference tool.
Analytical/Performance Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use the Website, including pages visited, time spent on pages and technical errors. We use this information to improve Website performance and user experience.
Functionality Cookies: These cookies allow the Website to remember choices you make (such as your preferred language or region) and provide enhanced, personalised features.
Marketing/Targeting Cookies: These cookies record your visit to the Website, the pages you have visited, and the links you have followed. This information may be used by us and selected third parties to measure advertising performance and display advertising that is more relevant to your interests.
Managing Cookie Preferences: We will seek your consent before placing analytics, functionality or marketing cookies on your device, unless the cookie is strictly necessary for the operation or security of the Website.
You can accept, reject or change your preferences for non-essential cookies through the cookie preference tool available on the Website. You may also manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the availability or functionality of parts of the Website. You may manage your cookie preferences at any time through the following means:
Adjusting your browser settings to refuse some or all cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Please refer to your browser's help documentation for instructions specific to your browser;
Using our cookie consent tool (where available on the Website) to select your preferred cookie categories; and
Opting out of specific third-party cookies via the relevant third-party provider's opt-out mechanism.
Maintaining records of your cookie consent selections, including timestamps, to verify compliance; you may withdraw consent for non-essential cookies at any time by accessing the cookie preference centre or contacting team@propertyrenovationexperts.com.au.
Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Website and limit your ability to access some features or services.
Third-party cookies: Some cookies may be placed by third-party providers, such as analytics and advertising providers. These providers may collect information about your use of the Website and, in some cases, combine it with information collected from other websites or services.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of third-party providers used on the Website. Where required, we will obtain your consent before enabling third-party analytics or marketing cookies.
(c) Cookies may be session cookies, which expire when you close your browser, or persistent cookies, which remain on your device for the period specified in the relevant cookie or until you delete them through your browser or cookie preference settings. We will provide further details of the cookies used on the Website, including their purpose and retention periods, through the cookie preference tool or a separate cookie notice.
(d) We generally don’t collect Sensitive Information, but when we do, we will comply with the preceding paragraph.
(e) Where reasonable and practicable we collect your Personal Information from you only. However, sometimes we may be given information from a third party, in cases like this we will take steps to make you aware of the information that was provided by a third party.
4. Purpose of collection
(a) We collect Personal Information to provide you with the best service experience possible on the Website and keep in touch with you about developments in our business.
(b) We customarily only disclose Personal Information to our service providers who assist us in operating the Website. Your Personal Information may also be exposed from time to time to maintenance and support personnel acting in the normal course of their duties.
(c) We only disclose Personal Information to service providers who have entered into Data Processing Agreements requiring compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles. Such service providers are obligated to maintain confidentiality, implement security measures equivalent to our own, refrain from using your data for their own purposes, and permit audits of their compliance upon reasonable notice. We conduct annual reviews of service provider compliance and maintain records of all data access.
(d) By using our Website, you consent to the receipt of direct marketing material. We will only use your Personal Information for this purpose if we have collected such information direct from you, and if it is material of a type which you would reasonably expect to receive from use. We do not use sensitive Personal Information in direct marketing activity. Our direct marketing material will include a simple means by which you can request not to receive further communications of this nature, such as an unsubscribe button link.
(e) We will only send you direct marketing communications if you have provided express consent by affirmatively opting in at the point of collection, such as by ticking a consent checkbox on our contact or enquiry form. You may withdraw your consent at any time by using the unsubscribe mechanism included in each communication or by contacting us directly, and we will promptly update our records accordingly.
5. Security, Access and correction
(a) We store your Personal Information in a way that reasonably protects it from unauthorised access, misuse, modification or disclosure. When we no longer require your Personal Information for the purpose for which we obtained it, we will take reasonable steps to destroy and anonymise or de-identify it. Most of the Personal Information that is stored in our client files and records will be kept for a maximum of 7 years to fulfil our record keeping obligations. To protect your Personal Information, we implement the following security measures:
Specific Security Measures: The Website is hosted by Squarespace, Inc., which maintains industry-standard physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards across its platform. These include secure server infrastructure, firewall protection, intrusion detection systems, and regular security monitoring. Squarespace processes data primarily in the United States and may transfer Personal Information to countries outside Australia, including to third-party service providers connected to the Website. Where such transfers occur, we rely on Squarespace's contractual and technical safeguards to protect your Personal Information. We do not accept responsibility or liability for the security practices of Squarespace or any connected third-party service providers beyond the steps we have taken to engage reputable providers.
Data Encryption Standards: Personal Information transmitted to and from the Website is protected using industry-standard Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption. Squarespace, as our hosting provider, applies encryption protocols to data in transit and at rest across its platform. Where we use additional third-party integrations, including payment processors, analytics tools, or form submission services, those providers apply their own encryption standards in accordance with their respective privacy policies, which we encourage you to review.
Access Control Protocols: Access to your Personal Information held by us is strictly limited to authorised personnel who require access in the ordinary course of their duties. We implement role-based access controls and require unique user credentials for all systems storing Personal Information. All personnel with access to Personal Information are bound by confidentiality obligations. Access privileges are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain appropriate. Where Personal Information is accessible to Squarespace or connected third-party service providers in
the course of providing website services, such access is governed by the terms of our agreement with those providers and their applicable privacy policies.
(b) The Australian Privacy Principles:
(i) permit you to obtain access to the Personal Information we hold about you in certain circumstances (Australian Privacy Principle 12); and
(ii) allow you to correct inaccurate Personal Information subject to certain exceptions (Australian Privacy Principle 13).
(c) Where you would like to obtain such access, please contact us in writing on the contact details set out at the bottom of this privacy policy.
6. Complaint procedure
If you have a complaint concerning the manner in which we maintain the privacy of your Personal Information, please contact us as on the contact details set out at the bottom of this policy. All complaints will be considered by us and we may seek further information from you to clarify your concerns. If we agree that your complaint is well founded, we will, in consultation with you, take appropriate steps to rectify the problem.
All complaints should be submitted in writing, and we will document each complaint and its resolution in our privacy complaint register for compliance monitoring purposes.
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within a reasonable time and aim to investigate and respond to it within 30 days. If we cannot respond within that period, we will let you know the reason for the delay and the expected timeframe for our response.
If you remain dissatisfied following our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992. We do not charge any fees for handling or investigating privacy complaints.
7. Overseas transfer
We may disclose Personal Information to service providers located outside Australia where this is reasonably necessary to operate the Website, provide our services, host data, process payments, provide technical support, conduct analytics or manage communications.
The countries in which those recipients are located may include countries where our service providers host or process data. Where practicable, we will identify the countries in which overseas recipients are likely to be located in our cookie notice, collection notices or on request.
(a) Protection of Personal Information
Before disclosing Personal Information to an overseas recipient, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient does not breach the Australian Privacy Principles in relation to that information, unless an exception under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) applies.
Those steps may include assessing the recipient’s privacy and security practices and entering into contractual arrangements requiring the recipient to handle Personal Information in a manner consistent with Australian privacy requirements.
(b) Overseas risks
Privacy and data protection laws in some countries may differ from Australian law. An overseas recipient may be required to disclose Personal Information to government authorities, courts or regulators in accordance with the laws of its jurisdiction.
Nothing in this Privacy Policy limits any rights or obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or other applicable laws.
8. How to contact us about privacy
If you have any queries, or if you seek access to your Personal Information, or if you have a complaint about our privacy practices, you can contact us through: team@propertyrenovationexperts.com.au.
We will respond to privacy enquiries and complaints in accordance with our complaint procedure set out in clause 6.
9. Data Breach Notification Procedure
(i) If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to any individual whose Personal Information is involved, we will take immediate steps to contain the breach and assess its nature and scope. We will notify affected individuals as soon as practicable after confirmation, target within 72 hours of confirming the breach, using their last known
email address, phone contact, or a prominent notice on the Website.
(ii) Our notification to affected individuals will include: the nature of the breach; the types of Personal Information involved; the steps we have taken to mitigate harm; and any remedies available to the affected individual. Where the assessment determines that the breach is likely to result in serious harm to one or more individuals, the organisation will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and affected
individuals in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
(iii) All data breaches, whether or not they meet the threshold for notification, will be recorded in an internal incident register documenting the date, scope, and remedial actions taken. We will conduct annual reviews of this procedure and provide staff training to ensure ongoing compliance with our breach notification obligations.