Privacy Policy

Last updated: [date]

1. About this policy

Shane Anthony Howell (ABN 38 255 024 019) trading as Shane Howell ("we", "our", "us") respects your privacy.

We are committed to handling your personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

This policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information. We may update it from time to time, and any changes take effect when published on our website.

2. Why we collect your information

As a buyer's agent, we act for people buying property. We collect personal information so we can:

• Understand your property goals, brief and budget
• Search for, assess, negotiate and secure property on your behalf
• Liaise with selling agents, vendors, solicitors, conveyancers, building and pest inspectors, valuers and finance brokers involved in your purchase
• Verify your identity where required by law
• Prepare engagement agreements, invoices and process payments
• Respond to your enquiries and provide ongoing support
• Send you market updates and other communications you have agreed to receive
• Improve our services and our website
• Meet our legal, licensing and record-keeping obligations

3. What we collect

The information we collect depends on how you deal with us. It may include:

• Your name, address, email address and phone number
• Your property requirements, preferred locations and purchase timeframe
• Financial information relevant to your purchase, such as your budget, deposit and finance pre-approval status
• Identification documents, such as a driver licence or passport, where verification is required
• Payment details
• Details of your solicitor, conveyancer, broker or other advisers

We do not intentionally collect sensitive information (such as health information, religious beliefs or ethnic origin). If you choose to share it with us, we will only use it for the purpose you provided it and will handle it with care.

You do not have to give us all the information we ask for. However, without it we may not be able to act for you effectively, or at all.

4. How we collect it

Wherever possible, we collect information directly from you, including when you:

• Complete an enquiry form on our website
• Call, email or meet with us
• Sign an engagement agreement
• Subscribe to our updates
• Interact with us on social media

We may also collect information from third parties with your consent, such as your mortgage broker, solicitor or conveyancer, or from publicly available sources.

5. Website, cookies and analytics

When you visit our website, we may collect general information such as your IP address, browser type, device, the pages you view and the site you came from. We use cookies and analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to understand how the site is used and to improve it. This information is generally aggregated and not used to identify you.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, although some parts of the site may not work as intended.

6. Who we share it with

We only share your personal information where it is needed to provide our services, or where required or permitted by law. This may include:

• Selling agents and vendors, when making enquiries, submitting offers or negotiating on your behalf
• Your solicitor, conveyancer, mortgage broker, accountant or financial adviser
• Building and pest inspectors, valuers and other property professionals engaged for your purchase
• Service providers who support our business, such as IT, website hosting, email, cloud storage, accounting and payment providers
• Government bodies, regulators or law enforcement when required by law

We expect any third party receiving your information to protect it and use it only for the purpose it was provided.

7. Overseas disclosure

Some of our service providers, including our website host and cloud-based software, may store data on servers located outside Australia, such as in the United States. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure those providers handle your information in a way that is consistent with the APPs.

8. Marketing communications

With your consent, we may send you market insights, property updates and news about our services. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails or by contacting us directly. Even if you opt out, we may still contact you about matters relating to services we are providing to you.

9. How we keep your information secure

We store personal information electronically, using secure systems and service providers, and in hard copy where necessary. We take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, loss, and unauthorised access, change or disclosure. When information is no longer needed, and we are not required to keep it by law, we destroy or de-identify it securely.

10. Accessing and correcting your information

You can ask to access the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it if you believe it is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. Please contact us in writing using the details below. We will need to verify your identity and will aim to respond within 30 days. In limited circumstances permitted by law we may refuse access, and if so we will explain why.

11. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us in writing. We will look into it and aim to respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

12. Contact us

Shane Howell
Email: shane@shanehowell.com.au
Phone: 0448 289 377
Post: PO Box 1879, Buderim QLD 4556