Phone 1300 200 615
Privacy
About Us
We are a member of the National Community Titles Institute (NCTI) which is a
national representative association for parties involved in the professional,
full-time administration of community and strata schemes. We deliver management
services and products to a great number of strata, community and body corporate
schemes. In doing so we hold a lot of information about the property owners in
the schemes. We also produce and send out direct marketing materials relating to
the services we are able to offer. We are committed to protecting the privacy of
your personal information and acting in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988
(Cth.)
PERSONAL INFORMATION
What is "personal information"?
Personal information is any information about you that identifies you or
information by which your identity can be reasonably discovered. Examples are
your name, address, lot number, unit entitlement, marital status, taxation
information, income, email address, credit card information etc.
Why we collect
personal information
The agreement between your scheme and us means we have to collect and hold
personal information about you as a lot owner. Collecting your personal
information is essential for us to be able to perform our job under the
agreement. Our obligations to the scheme are to keep and maintain the books and
records of the scheme that we represent. By collecting personal information we
are able to:
- maintain the strata roll and minute book
- maintain a correspondence file
- issue notices of meetings
- distribute minutes of meetings
- issue levy notices
- arrange for recovery of levy arrears
- attend to routine repairs, maintenance and replacement of scheme property
- recover arrears of maintenance contributions
- make insurance claims
- arrange for legal advice
- allow for installation of satellite or broadband services
- arrange for development applications on behalf of the scheme
We are also able to:
- give you the option of receiving our publications to include you in our functions
We are unable to perform functions under our agreement for your scheme if we do not
collect and make use of your personal information.
How do we collect your personal information? Where possible we collect your personal information
directly from you but personal information is generally collected during the
course of our relationship with the scheme. For example, we may have a
responsibility to maintain an owners register which includes your name and
address. Or if you have an interest giving you a right to vote, you have to
notify us in writing of that interest and this notification will include your
name, your address, your lot and how your interest in the lot was acquired.
Sometimes personal information may be collected about you from other sources.
Examples where we may receive personal information about you from another source
and why this would happen are:
- An insurance company - where we are making an
insurance claim
- A real estate agent - where you are buying or selling your lot
to a solicitor or conveyancer - where you are buying or selling your lot
- a rental agent if you let your property to a previous manager - where the scheme
changes agents In most cases we will need you to specifically consent to any
collection, use or disclosure of your personal information by us. We will
usually need your consent in writing but we may accept your verbal consent in
some circumstances. Sometimes we will assume you have given your consent by your
conduct with us. However, no matter how your personal information is collected
it is dealt with by us in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
NOT HAVING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
Consequences to you of us not having that information The
nature of the service we provide means that, in most cases, if we do not collect
your personal information, we will not be able to provide your scheme with the
services agreed under our agency agreement. For instance, we would not be able
to issue agenda or levy notices to you if we did not hold your personal
information. We would not be able to attend to repairs and maintenance of scheme
or property which benefit you if we did not hold your personal information. Nor
would we be able to make insurance claims on the scheme's behalf.
USE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
How we use your personal information We use the personal information that we
collect to provide the management services to you and your scheme that were
agreed upon under our agreement. As an example, we, as manager for your scheme,
may have to allow the inspection of the records we hold on the scheme's behalf.
These records will contain personal information about you. We may also have to
provide certificates in relation to the financial position of your lot. This may
include whether any debts or contributions are owed by you. Our direct marketing
database and client databases may also include your personal information. To
enable us to do this we may share your personal information within our
organisation nationally and/or across your state. How else do we disclose your
personal information? On occasion the law allows or forces us to disclose your
personal information. For example, we may disclose your personal information to
a prospective purchaser of your property who requires a certificate from us
about the financial position of your lot. We may also disclose your personal
information where you have consented to us doing so. Your consent may be given
explicitly such as in writing or verbally or from your conduct we may assume you
have given it. Where we have to disclose your personal information to third
parties in order that we can provide management services to you (eg. a
contractor to the scheme providing maintenance services to common property
adjoining your lot), we will assume your consent has been given when we are
engaged to contract with the third party unless you tell us otherwise. Generally
however we do not disclose your personal information to a party outside our
organisation, unless that party is contracted to us to provide management
services on our behalf and that party is bound by the same privacy rules that
bind us. Some examples of parties outside our organisation to whom we may
disclose your personal information and the reasons for disclosure are:
- specialist trades and services providers such as builders, engineers,
architects, plumbers
- insurance companies for whom we act as agents
- mail service providers for the mailing of direct marketing material
Direct marketing
Now and then we may use your personal information to provide you with
information about our products and services. Just contact us by phone or email
if you do not want to receive any of this information. We will not send you any
further material once you have told us you no longer wish to receive information
about our products and services. You can, however, change your mind about
receiving information about our products and services at any time - you just
need to let us know. We do not disclose your personal information to a party
outside our organisation for the purposes of allowing them to market their
products or services to you.
ACCURACY AND SECURITY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
Ensuring your personal information is up-to-date We rely on the personal
information we hold about you so that that we can efficiently do our job under
our agreement with your scheme. For this reason, it is very important that the
personal information we collect from you is accurate, complete and up-to-date.
During the course of our relationship with your scheme we will ask you to tell
us of any changes to your personal information. However, you can contact us at
any time to update your personal information or to tell us that the information
we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete. Is my personal information
secure? We take all reasonable precautions to safeguard your personal
information from loss, misuse or unauthorised access, modification and
disclosure. We employ a number of means to protect your personal information
including:
- external and internal premises security
- restricting access to personal information
- maintaining technology products to prevent unauthorised
computer access
- regular reviewing and testing of our technology in order to
improve the level of security
- internal policies in relation to our computer
use.
It is our practice to securely destroy your personal information or delete
it from our systems when we no longer require it or you ask us to destroy it. A
record holding your personal information must be kept for at least 3 years after
it is made (subject to any different legal requirements). Generally we would
destroy your personal information after that time. Access to our services via
the Internet When you access our website you can view the privacy statement
relating to internet use. Security of your personal information online
Generally, e-mail is not a secure way to communicate and you should be aware of
this when sending personal information to us via e-mail.
ACCESS TO YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
Can I access my personal information? You may request access to any
of the personal information we hold about you. In most cases, a summary of
personal information such as your name and address details, contact telephone
numbers and the matters your scheme has engaged us on are freely available to
you by contacting your manager, For more detailed requests for access to
personal information (for example, access to information held in archives), a
fee may be charged to cover the cost of retrieval and the supply of this
information to you. All requests for access to personal information will be
handled as quickly as possible and we will endeavour to process any request for
access within 30 days after receiving it. Some requests for access may take
longer than 30 days to process depending upon the nature of the personal
information being sought. Can your request to access your personal information
be denied? We do not always have to provide you with access to your personal
information on request. We may refuse you access to personal information in a
number of circumstances. For example, we may refuse your request where the
information you seek is mixed with other information that would disclose
personal information or sensitive information about any other owner or
individual in the scheme. Another example where we may refuse access is where
denying access is required or authorised by law or where the request for access
is frivolous or vexatious. If we deny your request for access to your personal
information or refuse your request to correct your personal information, we will
explain why.
PERSONAL INFORMATION IDENTIFIERS
What is a Commonwealth identifier?
A Commonwealth identifier is a Commonwealth Government or Commonwealth
Government agency designated identification number such as your Tax File Number
(TFN) or Medicare number. We do not use Commonwealth identifiers as a way of
identifying the personal information that we may have collected about you. Do I
have to be identified at all? Wherever it is lawful and practicable to do so, we
may offer you the opportunity to deal with us anonymously. For example, when
making an inquiry about the type of services we offer. Otherwise, the nature of
the job we perform under our agency agreement with your scheme is such that
anonymity cannot be maintained. Does my personal information leave Australia? We
do not send personal information outside Australia unless it is allowed to do so
under the law or you have consented to it as part of the service we are
providing to your scheme. Sensitive information If personal information concerns
particular matters it is regarded as sensitive information.
Sensitive information can be information about your:
- racial or ethnic origin
- political opinions
- membership of a political association
- religious beliefs or affiliations
- philosophical beliefs
- membership of a professional or trade association
- membership of a trade union o sexual preferences or practices
- criminal record
- health
We only collect, use or disclose sensitive information
about you as allowed by law, where we have received your consent to do so, or
the collection is necessary for us to do our job under our agreement with your
scheme.
OUR PRIVACY POLICY AND COMPLAINTS
Our Privacy Policy may change from
time to time We regularly review all our policies and procedures. As a result we
may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. This Privacy Policy was last
amended in December 2002. Concerns or requests for access? If you have a
question about this Privacy Policy or wish to lodge a request to access your
personal information you can contact us in any of the following ways: By
visiting the offices that manages your scheme By telephoning us By writing to
your manager By emailing us Can I complain about a breach of my privacy? If you
believe that we have not protected your personal information as set out in this
Privacy Policy you may lodge a complaint with us in any of the following ways:
By telephoning us By writing to us By emailing us What if I am not satisfied
with the response? If you are not satisfied with the result of your complaint to
us you can refer your complaint to the Federal Privacy Commissioner. You can
contact the Federal Privacy Commissioner: By telephoning 1300 363 992 or By
writing to - Director of Complaints, Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner
By visiting the website - http://www.privacy.gov.au
