The Rightside Estate Agency (ABN: 30 983 225 879) and its related agents and brokers (Rightside, we, our, us) respect the importance of protecting your privacy. We comply with our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) (AML/CTF Act).

This Privacy Policy describes how Rightside collects, holds, uses and discloses your personal information. By dealing with Rightside, you acknowledge that we may collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy and as otherwise permitted or required by law.

We will update this Privacy Policy when our information handling practices change, or when required. Any revised Privacy Policy will take effect when it is published on our website.

1. Our functions and activities

We collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information so that we can perform our functions and activities and provide the best possible customer service. Our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information will depend on our relationship with you, the circumstances of collection, and the products and services you request from us.

We may collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide and administer our products and services, including marketing properties for vendors and landlords, and facilitating sales and leasing transactions;
• To verify your identity and, where required, conduct customer due diligence, sanctions screening and ongoing monitoring, including for buyers and sellers under our obligations as a reporting entity under the AML/CTF Act;
• To respond to your submissions and enquiries about our products, services and property listings;
• To provide customer support, including conducting, investigating and responding to enquiries, surveys, feedback, comments and complaints;
• To distribute our newsletters and other communications, either alone or with the assistance of service providers, about us, our property listings and our related products and services;
• To conduct marketing activities, including to promote our products and services;
• To assess the performance of our website and improve its operation;
• To manage and carry out our business and operational functions, including human resources management and business decisions;
• To maintain records and comply with our legal obligations, including under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002 (NSW) and the AML/CTF Act.

As a reporting entity under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), Rightside may be required to identify and verify certain customers, conduct customer due diligence, maintain records and report certain matters to AUSTRAC. Where these obligations apply, we may be unable to provide our services if you choose not to provide the information we reasonably request.

2. Information we collect

Personal information is any information about you from which you can be identified. We may collect your name, address, email address, date of birth, telephone number, property details, payment details, and government-issued identity documents, including your driver licence, passport or other identification documents required to verify your identity.

For buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords, this may also include identity verification documents, proof of ownership, income and rental history, employment information, trust or company information and, where required under our AML/CTF obligations, information used to assess and screen for money laundering or terrorism financing risk.

We generally do not collect sensitive information about you unless you provide it voluntarily, for example, health information you choose to share with one of our agents. We will only use sensitive information for the purpose for which you provided it, with your consent, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

You do not have to give us all the information we request. However, if you do not, we may not be able to provide you with the products, services or information you have asked for, to the standard you would expect or at all.

3. How we collect information

Where we can, we collect information directly from you, for example, when you:

• Ask us to provide our products and services, or information about them;
• Contact us about a listed property or make another enquiry;
• Submit an enquiry through an online property portal such as realestate.com.au, Domain or another property platform;
• Subscribe to our communications;
• Give us feedback, comments or complete a survey;
• Interact with us through our website or social media;
• Attend an open home, property inspection or visit our office, including through sign-in systems and security surveillance;
• Apply for a job with us, or become an employee, contractor or supplier.

We may also collect information about you from other people or organisations, including:

• Credit reporting bodies, electronic identity verification providers, law enforcement bodies and government agencies, where permitted or required, including to verify your identity;
• Your representatives, including solicitors, accountants and financial advisers;
• Your nominated referee or employer, when you apply to rent a property;
• Tenancy application platforms, online property portals and other third-party platforms used in connection with our services;
• Service providers that provide marketing, technology, identity verification or data analysis services to us.

Where we receive information about you indirectly, we expect the provider to have collected and disclosed it in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

4. Cookies and analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar tools, such as web beacons and device identifiers, to understand visitor traffic and improve the website. These tools do not ordinarily record your name or contact details directly.

Our website uses Google Analytics and may use similar analytics services, which use cookies to help us understand how visitors use the website and improve its performance. These services may collect information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and time spent on the website.

Information collected by Google is handled in accordance with Google’s Privacy Policy. Third-party providers may also use cookies to measure website performance or personalise advertising. You can disable cookies through your browser settings, although doing so may limit some website functionality.

5. Disclosure of personal information

We may disclose your personal information:

• To the other parties in a real estate transaction, including vendors, purchasers, landlords, tenants and their authorised representatives;
• To your authorised representatives, including solicitors, accountants and financial advisers;
• To regulatory bodies, government agencies and law enforcement bodies, including NSW Fair Trading and AUSTRAC, where required or authorised by law;
• To our service providers who support our operations, including property management, customer relationship management, electronic signing, marketing, identity verification, cloud storage and information technology providers;
• Where otherwise required or authorised by law.

Where reasonably practicable, we require third parties who handle personal information on our behalf to protect it appropriately and use it only for the purposes for which it was disclosed.

Rightside never sells your personal information.

Some of our service providers use cloud-based systems and may store or process personal information overseas, including in the United States, New Zealand or other jurisdictions where their infrastructure is located. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure those providers handle personal information in a manner consistent with Australian privacy laws.

6. Direct marketing

We may send you direct marketing communications about our products, services and property listings. We comply with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), and you can opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time. Email communications include an unsubscribe option, or you can contact us using the details below.

If you opt out of marketing, we may still contact you where legally required, to administer services you have requested, or to notify you of changes to our services or this Privacy Policy.

7. How we hold and secure your information

We hold your personal information electronically, including through approved systems used by our team, and in hard copy at our secured office where necessary.

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These measures may include restricting access to authorised staff, using secure cloud-based systems, encryption where appropriate, multi-factor authentication and other technical and organisational security measures designed to safeguard your information.

8. Access and correction

It is important to us that the information we hold about you is accurate and up to date. If your details change, please let us know. If you believe information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or outdated, you can ask us to correct it.

To request access to, or correction of, your personal information, contact us in writing using the details below and verify your identity. Where appropriate, and where we are not required by law to retain it, we may also securely destroy or permanently de-identify your personal information upon request.

We aim to respond within 30 days. We may refuse access or correction in circumstances permitted by law and, where required, will explain our reasons.

9. Retention of personal information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our services, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. Where personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or permanently de-identify it, unless we are required by law to retain it.

10. Privacy complaints

If you believe Rightside has breached the APPs, or you have a complaint about how we have handled your personal information:

1. Send your complaint, in writing, to our Privacy Officer using the details below.
2. Our Privacy Officer will investigate and aim to respond in writing within 30 days.
3. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au .

11. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or want to access, correct or complain about the handling of your personal information, contact our Privacy Officer:

• Email: hello@rightside.io
• Telephone: (02) 8240 3200
• Post: The Privacy Officer, Rightside, PO Box 486, Manly NSW 1655

12. Disclaimer

Rightside endeavours to ensure the information on this website is correct at the time of publication, but doesn't warrant or guarantee its currency or accuracy. Use of this website, and reliance on any information within it, is at your own risk.

While copyright in the information on this website belongs to Rightside, you're welcome to use it for non-commercial purposes. Commercial use without our permission may result in action for breach of copyright.