MCGRATH PRIVACY POLICY - ASCOT

 

1. Introduction

 

This Privacy Policy describes how Momah Pty Ltd T/as McGrath Ascot (ABN 73 687 778 945), and its subsidiaries and related bodies corporate and our independent contractor real estate agents (McGrath Ascot) may collect, use, disclose and handle your personal information, including how we may indirectly collect from, and share your personal information within, the McGrath franchise network.

 

Not all of the entities listed above are related. However, this Privacy Policy applies to each of them.

For any entity whose obligations under the Privacy Act arise solely in connection with its AML/CTF obligations, this Privacy Policy applies in relation to the personal information handled for those purposes

 

In this Privacy Policy, “you” and “your” refer to any individual about whom we collect personal information.

 

We respect the importance of protecting your privacy. We handle your personal information in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

 

A. About McGrath Ascot and the McGrath Franchise Network

 

McGrath Ascot, is an independently owned and operated real estate office, which operates as a franchisee of the McGrath franchise network operated by McGrath Limited (ABN 61 608 153 779) (McGrath).

 

McGrath is one of Australia’s leading residential real estate groups and operates a franchise network that consists of a number of real estate offices, some of which are owned by McGrath and others that are independently owned and operated by its franchisees (Franchisees). McGrath and its Franchisees are separate legal entities and may each be subject to the Privacy Act in their own right.

 

Other privacy notices may apply to how your personal information is handled within the McGrath franchise network:

  • McGrath Privacy Policy: McGrath maintains its own Privacy Policy, available here: McGrath Privacy Policy. As part of operating within the McGrath franchise network, we share certain personal information with McGrath and its related bodies corporate for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. McGrath provides us with a range of back-end services, systems and support, including IT and administration support, to help us provide our services. McGrath handles personal information in accordance with its own Privacy Policy and other practices.
  • Other Franchisee Privacy Policies: Some McGrath real estate offices may also have their own privacy policies, which are generally available on their office page on the McGrath website. In limited circumstances, we may also share your personal information with another office as described in this Privacy Policy. These real estate offices may handle personal information in accordance with their own privacy practices or privacy policies.  
  • Other privacy notices and terms: Other privacy-related terms may also apply, including privacy provisions in our terms and conditions and any privacy collection notices provided when we, McGrath or another real estate office in the McGrath franchise network collect your personal information.

 

This Privacy Policy does not apply to McGrath or any other Franchisee real estate offices.

 

B. Updates to this Privacy Policy

 

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time when our information handling practices change or when required. However, where we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will provide notice to you. The current version will be made available to you through our office page on the McGrath website. You can also obtain a copy of our Privacy Policy by contacting us and requesting a copy.

 

2. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information

 

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. How and what we collect will depend on our relationship with you and the type of products and services you request from us.

 

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

  • Providing our real estate services
    - To provide and administer our products and services, including to market properties for vendors and landlords, facilitate transactions for sales and leasing, provide property concierge services, verify your identity, and process payments if applicable.
    - To respond to your enquiries about our products and services and property listings.
    - To provide customer support, including conducting, investigating and responding to surveys, feedback, comments and complaints.
  • Operating within the McGrath franchise network
    - To comply with our obligations as a Franchisee.
    - To enable McGrath to administer and support us including by providing back-end systems and technical and operational support services.
    - To enable McGrath to perform its functions as franchisor, including to support the McGrath franchise network.
  • Marketing, communications and events
    - To send you our newsletters and other communications about us, either alone or with the assistance of service providers, including about our conferences, training and events, our property listings and our related products and services.
    - To plan, market, host and facilitate conferences, training sessions and events.
  • Research, analytics and business improvement
    - To inform and conduct marketing activities including to promote our products and services.
    - To conduct research about your interests and attitudes towards our products and services to improve our products and services, marketing activities and customer experience.
    - To assess and improve the performance of our website and online services.
    - To perform data analyses and generate customer insights which may include combining personal information received from reputable data sources and public sources of information.
  • Managing our business
    - To manage and carry out our business and operational functions, including recruitment, human resources management and workforce management.
    - To facilitate or implement a transfer or sale of all or part of our assets or business or if we undergo any other kind of corporate restructure, acquisition or sale.
  • Legal, regulatory and risk management purposes
    - To maintain records and comply with our legal obligations.
    - To meet our obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth), the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Rules and related legal and regulatory obligations (AML/CTF Laws).

 

3. What is personal information?

 

Personal information is defined in the Privacy Act, and means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable:

  • whether the information or opinion is true or not; and
  • whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not.

 

In this Privacy Policy, whenever we use the term “personal information”, we are referring to this legal definition.

 

Personal information does not include:

  • aggregated or de-identified data; or
  • if you are a contractor or real estate agent, business information that does not identify a person or reasonably identify you (i.e. in certain circumstances, your business payment details).

 

In some circumstances, you may be able to interact with us, including online via social media, without identifying yourself.

 

4. What information do we collect and how do we collect it?

 

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for us to perform our functions and activities. Normally, we collect your personal information from you directly, however, there may be occasions when we may collect information about you from other people or organisations. For example, in limited circumstances, we may also indirectly collect personal information from other McGrath real estate offices (for example, where you request your information to be shared with us).

 

You may also provide us with personal information which relates to another person, for example your emergency contact or a family member you are inspecting a property with. Where you provide us with personal information about a third party, please ensure you have that person's permission to do so and make them aware that their personal information may be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

 

We have set out in the summary below of the types of personal information we may collect from you and how we may collect this information.

 

Personal and contact details

This may include your:

  • name;
  • address;
  • postcode;
  • email address; and
  • telephone number.

 

This may include details, or a record, of your interactions with us. For example, information you provide us when you make an enquiry or complaint or your chat transcripts when you interact with our online services.

 

We may collect this information directly from you in person or online via phone, email, social media, our website, or other applications (which, in some circumstances, may use artificial intelligence):

  • when you contact us to make an enquiry or request us to provide our products and services or information about our products and services, including sales, and leasing;
  • when you contact us to provide feedback, comments or suggestions on our functions and activities or complete one of our surveys;
  • when you subscribe to communications from us such as updates, publications or newsletters (including to receive rental or property inspections, availability or news);
  • when you complete a survey or enter a promotion or competition conducted by us;
  • when you register, attend or present in-person or virtually at one of our conferences, training sessions and events; 
  • when you otherwise interact with us or disclose your personal information to us; and

 

We may also collect this information indirectly from third parties, including from:

  • McGrath, who provides a range of back-end services to us;
  • other real estate offices in the McGrath franchise network where you have requested or intended for your information to be shared with us; and
  • our service providers, including those that provide marketing and data analysis services to us and that conduct our surveys for us.

 

Details of lifestyle and preferences

This may include:

  • your living circumstances;
  • your buyer type e.g. owner or investor;
  • your family demographics;
  • your current employment status;
  • details of the property that you are interested in or have agreed to purchase;
  • housing or lifestyle amenities that are of interest to you or your family;
  • the distance you travel for work; and
  • what prompted you to inspect the property.

 

We will collect this information directly from you during our interactions with you which may be online, over the phone or in person. This includes when you tell us about your preferences when making an enquiry or using our products and services.

 

Open home, auction, inspection and attendance information

This may include:

  • personal and contact details (as above);
  • inspection registrations;
  • attendance logs;
  • your feedback and opinions on a property; and
  • your communication preferences.

 

We may collect this information directly from you:

  • in person, either manually (in writing) or via digital tools when you attend property inspections at one of our listed rental or for-sale properties or visit our offices, including via manual in-person sign-in and security surveillance of our offices; or
  • when you contact us to make an enquiry or application about our listed properties, including online (including via social media or through our third party providers), over the phone or in person.

 

We may also collect this information indirectly from third parties, including from:

  • service providers that assist us with scheduling property inspections, such as Domain, Realestate.com.au and other similar providers; and
  • someone whom you have authorised to attend a property inspection on your behalf (for example, a family member, friend or buyer’s agent who may provide us with your information).

 

Property management and tenancy information (where applicable)

This may include:

  • rental applications and supporting information, including rental and employment history;
  • tenancy details and inspection reports;
  • maintenance requests and communications;
  • payment and arrears‑related correspondence; and
  • landlord instructions and records.

 

We may collect this information when:

  • you apply for a rental property;
  • ou enter into a tenancy;
  • ou communicate with us as a tenant or landlord;
  • ou request or approve maintenance;
  • ou attend or participate in routine inspections; or
  • you otherwise interact with us in connection with property management services.

 

We may also collect this information indirectly from third parties, including your nominated referee or employer when you apply to rent a property with us.

 

We may also use third party service providers to collect this information on our behalf to assist us in managing your tenancy.

 

We adopt a staged approach to collecting tenancy application information, which means that we only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant stage of the tenancy process. If you become a preferred or conditionally approved tenant, we may require further information to verify your identity, finalise the tenancy and satisfy any insurer screening requirements. For further information, please see our separate tenancy application privacy collection notice that will be provided to you at the time of your application.

 

Property and transaction information

This may include:

  • property addresses;
  • inspection enquiries;
  • appraisals, offers, sale or lease details;
  • contract information; and
  • settlement milestones.

 

We will collect this information when:

  • you enquire about, inspect, offer on, buy, sell, lease or manage a property;
  • you request an appraisal;
  • you negotiate or enter into an agency agreement, authority or contract; or
  • you communicate with us about a property transaction.

 

AML/CTF information

This may include:

  • information used to verify your identity, including your full name, date of birth and residential address;
  • document numbers or other limited information from identity documents where required or permitted by law;
  • information about persons acting on your behalf and their authority to act;
  • information about companies, trusts, partnerships, self-managed superannuation funds or other entities involved in a transaction, including directors, trustees, beneficiaries, shareholders, beneficial owners and persons who own or control the entity;
  • information about the nature and purpose of a sale, purchase or transfer of real estate;
  • source of funds or source of wealth information and supporting documents where required on a risk basis;
  • politically exposed person, sanctions, adverse media and risk assessment information;
  • transaction, payment, settlement and trust account information relevant to a real estate transaction; and
  • records of customer due diligence, ongoing monitoring, escalations, decisions and reports required under AML/CTF Laws.

 

We may collect this information directly from you when we provide, or are asked to provide, services connected with the sale, purchase or transfer of real estate, or when we are otherwise required to complete customer due diligence or related AML/CTF checks under AML/CTF Laws.

 

We may also collect this information indirectly from your authorised representatives, through our service providers that support identity verification and AML/CTF compliance and from reliable and independent sources, public registers, government or regulatory sources, financial institutions, legal or professional advisers and other parties to a transaction, where permitted or required by law.

 

We collect this information to comply with our obligations under the AML/CTF Laws.

 

AML/CTF checks and customer due diligence are completed on relevant parties to a designated service (such as vendors and successful purchasers) and are not conducted on all prospective buyers, attendees at open homes or persons who request to inspect a property. This is undertaken for each relevant transaction, meaning that if you subsequently engage another McGrath office for a separate transaction, you will need to complete AML/CTF checks separately with that office, even if you have previously completed AML/CTF checks with us.

 

For more information about McGrath and our AML/CTF processes, please visit McGrath’s website: Anti-Money Laundering Obligations | McGrath Estate Agents.

 

Online and digital services information (including behavioural information)

This may include:

  • network and device information (such as IP address and details of your device);
  • URL information,
  • other activity data such as pages visited, content viewed, session duration,
  • your other online interactions with our services,
  • information about your interactions with property listings online (for example if you browse a listing); and
  • information about your interactions with marketing emails and other electronic communications (for example, if you open an email we sent).

 

We may collect this information indirectly when you use our online services via the use of online technologies, such as cookies, third party tracking pixels, tracking technologies and session tokens. For more information about how we use online technologies, please see Section 7.

 

Because we operate as part of the McGrath network, you may also interact with the McGrath website when searching for properties or contacting our office. McGrath may use cookies, analytics tools and other technologies to operate and improve its website and conduct marketing activities. For example, McGrath uses the Google Places API to offer address autocomplete functionality within its website and may show you ads for our properties on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Google. For more information, see McGrath’s Privacy Policy.

 

Job applicants and employees

This may include:

  • your contact details;
  • details of your employment history and experience;
  • information about your education, qualifications and certifications;
  • details about your referees;
  • your tax file number;
  • your criminal record (if applicable);
  • health information; and
  • other employment related information.

 

This may include sensitive information about you and you consent to us collecting this information.

 

We may collect this information directly from you through our recruitment process when you apply for a position with us, or otherwise during your employment.

 

We may also collect this information about prospective employees indirectly from third parties, including:

  • your nominated referee, when you apply for a role with us;
  • law enforcement agencies for police checks (where necessary); and
  • intermediaries such as recruitment agents and personnel providers.

 

Suppliers and service providers

This may include:

  • information about your company’s employees, contractors or suppliers; and
  • company information, such as director details.

We will collect this information directly when you become a supplier or contractor that provides a product or service to us.

 

Information required to be collected by law

We may collect this information directly from you as permitted or required by law.

 

Publicly available information

 

This includes personal information which is publicly available online, such as information contained in:

  • publicly accessible social media profiles;
  • professional networking platforms;
  • business websites and property marketing websites;
  • publicly available ASIC records;
  • professional licensing registers; and
  • other publicly available databases.

 

We may collect this information through online platforms and services, online forums, social media channels and websites.

 

This includes platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Google. Users of these platforms and services may elect to send information to us from these platforms. We use this information strictly in accordance with the terms imposed by that platform, this Policy and the purposes for which the information was collected.

 

Unsolicited information

Unsolicited personal information is personal information we receive that we have taken no active steps to collect (for example, an employment application sent to us by an individual on their own initiative, rather than in response to a job advertisement).

 

We may collect this information directly from you when you contact us.

 

We may keep records of unsolicited personal information to the extent that it is permitted by the Privacy Act (for example, if the information is reasonably necessary for one or more of our functions or activities).

 

If not, we will destroy or de-identify the information as soon as practicable, provided it is lawful and reasonable to do so.

 

5. Automated decision making

 

Decisions made by computer programs which may significantly impact your rights and interests

 

We do not currently engage in automated decision-making that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect the rights or interests of an individual. If this changes, we will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.

 

 

Other types of automated processing

 

We may also use a chatbot that uses generative artificial intelligence on McGrath’s website to respond to your questions about our property listings. It does not provide professional advice and its responses are provided for general information only. At times it may direct you to external support resources. You can interact with this chatbot without providing any personal information. However if you identify yourself or provide your contact details to the chatbot, McGrath and our office will respectively handle your personal information in accordance with McGrath’s Privacy Policy and our Privacy Policy.

 

6. What happens if you do not provide your personal information?

 

You don’t have to give us all the information we request. However, if you do not provide us with some or all of the personal information required, we may not be able to perform our functions or activities. For example:

  • we may not be able to provide you with the products and services or information you request, to the requested standard or at all; and
  • we may not be able to commence, continue or complete certain services connected with a real estate transaction, including listing, marketing, brokering, negotiating, exchanging or progressing a sale, purchase or transfer, until required AML/CTF customer due diligence has been completed.

 

7. Cookies and other analytics tools: how we use them

 

We may use cookies and online behavioural tracking tools, such as web beacons, pixels, device identifiers and web server logs to collect information about how you use our website and online services. This may include combining information collected through cookies and other third-party tracking technologies to better understand how visitors interact with our website and services.

 

We use these technologies to:

  • operate, maintain, secure and improve our website and online services;
  • understand how visitors use our website, including by collecting information about browsing behaviour, website interactions, engagement metrics, IP addresses and approximate location information;
  • personalise and improve your experience when using our website and online services;
  • better understand customer interests and preferences, improve our products and services, and develop customer insights and segment audiences for marketing and business purposes, and provide more relevant content and communications;
  • measure and improve the effectiveness of our marketing, communications and advertising activities; and
  • provide more relevant information about properties, recruitment opportunities and other products or services that may be of interest to you, where permitted by law and in accordance with your marketing preferences.

 

You can adjust and opt out of cookies and tracking technologies by following the instructions set out in Section 10.

 

Details below describes the types of cookies and technologies we use and how they work.

 

Type of Technology

 

Cookies

Cookies are small data files which are placed on your computer that allow our website to “remember you” when you return to our website.

 

Third party cookies

Cookies placed by third-party providers, such as analytics or advertising partners, to help measure website usage, improve services and support advertising and marketing activities.

 

The information collected by these tools may include geolocation data, the IP address of the device you are using and information about the website that the IP address has come from, the pages accessed on our website and the next website visited.

 

Tracking technologies

Technologies such as pixels, web beacons and device identifiers are used to help us understand how visitors interact with our website and communications.

 

8. Who may we disclose personal information to?

 

We may generally disclose your personal information as part of our functions and activities to the following recipients:

 

McGrath

To comply with our obligations as a Franchisee.

 

To enable McGrath to administer and support us within the McGrath franchise network, including by providing back-end systems and technical and operational support services.

 

To enable McGrath to perform its functions as franchisor, including to support the McGrath franchise network.

 

Other real estate offices and agents within the McGrath franchise network

To facilitate referrals within the McGrath franchise network where you have requested that your information be shared, including where another McGrath real estate office is better placed to assist with your property needs.

 

Transactional recipients

To facilitate transactions with the other parties in any real estate transaction including developers, vendors, landlords, purchasers and tenants, and their authorised representatives.

 

Guarantors, other mortgage intermediaries, lenders, financial institutions, insurers, valuers

To facilitate property transactions, arrange or assess finance, insurance or guarantees, obtain valuations, verify identity, manage risk, comply with legal or regulatory obligations, or otherwise support the provision of our real estate services.

 

Suppliers and service providers

To assist us to perform our functions and activities such as AML/CTF verification, marketing, analytics, events, recruitment and HR.

 

Debt collectors and utility companies

To manage or recover outstanding amounts, arrange or transfer utility services, connect, disconnect or change accounts, confirm occupancy details, or otherwise administer tenancy or property‑related services.

 

McGrath sales consultants and travel-related providers

If you are an employee or contractor, to McGrath sales consultants when on secondment or to hotels, airlines and other providers when you travel.

 

Government and law enforcement agencies

(for example, AUSTRAC, financial crime regulators, and other authorities)

 

To comply with our legislative and regulatory obligations, including AML/CTF Laws.

 

Authorised representatives

(for example, lawyers, mortgage brokers, accountants and financial advisers)

 

To facilitate property transactions, arrange finance or related services, or otherwise support you in connection with our real estate services.

 

People or entities in connection with a corporate restructure or a potential corporate restructure

To facilitate or implement a transfer or sale of all or part of our assets or business, or if we undergo any kind of corporate restructure or any potential corporate restructure. In this context, your personal information may be transferred to another entity.

 

Referees

To validate details you have provided us with, including your rental history, resume, qualifications, experience, training or abilities with your nominated referees.

 

9. Do we disclose personal information overseas?

 

Yes. It is likely that your personal information will be transferred outside of Australia. This is because some of McGrath’s service providers that provide us and McGrath with back-end services have servers located overseas in various countries, including the United States, Europe, India, Japan and the Philippines. These service providers handle, process or store your personal information on our behalf. 

 

We will only share your personal information outside of Australia where we are permitted to do so, and in accordance with our obligations, under the Privacy Act. This means that we will generally take reasonable steps to ensure that any such overseas recipients do not hold, use or disclose your personal information in a way that is inconsistent with the obligations imposed under the Privacy Act and the APPs.

 

10. Direct marketing and how to opt-out

 

We and our third party service providers may, from time to time, send direct marketing communications to you about our products and services, our property listings and other material that we consider you would find interesting or useful.

 

These communications may be sent in various forms, including by telephone, email, SMS, social media, targeted online advertisements on certain websites, mobile applications and social media channels, or any other form of electronic communication, in accordance with the Privacy Act (including APP 7) and the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).

 

If you do not wish to receive such direct marketing communications, you can opt-out at any time using the methods described in the details below.

 

Direct marketing via email or SMS

You can opt-out by following the unsubscribe instructions in the relevant email or SMS communication. You can also opt-out by contacting us using our details at Section 15 below.

 

Cookies or other third party tracking technologies

Depending on the technology used, you may be able to opt-out of these types of cookies and tracking technologies by adjusting your device settings and online privacy settings (for advertising on certain websites, mobile applications and social media channels).

 

However, opting out of certain cookies might mean your access to parts of our website or online services are limited, or you may experience reduced functionality when accessing certain website or online service functions.

 

Google Analytics

If you use YouTube, Google or any other platforms owned by Alphabet, you can manage how tracking technologies are used by checking your browser or account settings and adjusting your ‘privacy & safety’ and ‘search personalisation’ settings.

 

To stop receiving other direct marketing communications from us, you can contact us via any of the channels listed above.

 

Importantly,

  • if you choose to opt-out of all direct marketing communications, please note that we may still contact you for other reasonable purposes, including information that we are legally required to send, notifications of changes to our products and services or policies and information regarding the use, rights, benefits or obligations of customers of our products and services; and
  • each real estate office in the McGrath franchise network operates its own mailing lists (for email and SMS). If you have signed up to multiple McGrath mailing lists (for example, you have signed up and subscribed to McGrath Paddington and are also separately signed up to McGrath Pyrmont), even if you opt out from receiving direct marketing communications from one office (e.g. McGrath Paddington), this will not mean you are opted out from receiving direct marketing communications from another office that you are still subscribed to (e.g. McGrath Pyrmont).

 

11. How do we hold and secure personal information?

 

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to ensure that the personal information we hold is protected from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

 

We hold your personal information both electronically, on our own servers and those of our service providers, and in hard copy at our secured offices. Some of your information may be stored on servers hosted by McGrath.

 

Paper-based files

We store personal information in paper-based files in secure storage, and maintain physical security measures to ensure that such personal information is protected, such as physical locks and security systems at our premises.

 

Electronic records

Your personal information will be stored on databases held on servers located in a technologically secured environment, accessed only by authorised personnel or contractors (with login and password protection).

 

We also maintain physical security measures in relation to storage of our electronic records (such as locks and security systems), and maintain computer and network security, by using firewalls, anti-virus software and other security systems to control access to our computer systems. We ensure encryption of personal information sent and received.

 

Our website

Our website uses encryption and other technologies to ensure that your personal information is securely transmitted via the internet.

 

We will only keep your personal information for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, or as required to comply with any applicable legal obligations.

 

Where we collect personal information for AML/CTF purposes, we are required to keep AML/CTF records for a minimum of seven years after the end of the relevant transaction or business relationship, or such longer period as required by law. Access to AML/CTF records is restricted to authorised personnel and service providers who require access for compliance purposes. At the end of the required retention period, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify the information unless it must be retained for a longer period under another Australian law, regulatory requirement or court order.

 

When we no longer require personal information (and in accordance with any applicable laws), we will take steps to destroy or de-identify that information.

 

12. Links to other websites

 

When you access communications from us, our website or other online services, we may provide as a convenience to you links to other websites, including sites operated by our partners, associates, or independent third parties. Each website has its own privacy practices, which may be described in that website’s privacy policy. Those practices may be different from the practices described in this Privacy Policy, and we encourage you to read each website’s privacy policy carefully before you use or submit information to that site.

 

Additionally, to the extent that you follow a link to a website operated by an independent third party, please be aware that we exercise no authority or control over that third party, and cannot be and are not responsible for any information that you may submit to that site.

 

13. How to correct and access your personal information

 

You are entitled to request access to any of your personal information that we hold. To make such a request, please contact us using the relevant contact details set out below in Section 15.

 

It is important to us that the information we hold about you is up-to-date, accurate and complete. If any of your details change, please notify us as soon as you can. If you believe we are holding information about you that is inaccurate, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, you can ask us to correct it, or have it de-identified (subject to any retention obligations we may have under law).

 

If you would like to access your personal information, or ask us to update or correct it, you can do so by contacting us in writing and verifying your identity. We will do our best to respond to your request within 30 days. If we require additional time because the matter is complex or further information is required, we will let you know and provide an updated timeframe. In some circumstances, we may charge a reasonable fee for searching for, and providing access to, your information on a per request basis. We may also share information relating to your request with McGrath to support the ongoing administration, management and oversight of the McGrath franchise network.

 

We will only refuse access or correction in certain circumstances in accordance with applicable privacy laws and if this is the case, we will advise you of our reasons for doing so in writing. If we refuse your request for correction, we will include a statement about your request with the personal information we store.

 

If you are dissatisfied with our refusal to grant access to, or correct, your personal information, you may complain to us using the contact details at Section 15 below.

 

14. Privacy complaints and further information

 

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we have handled your personal information, you may contact us using the contact details set out below in Section 15.

 

If you make a complaint about privacy, the following will occur:

  1. We will first consider your complaint to determine who it should be directed to, as the complaint may relate to another office in the McGrath franchise network that is not owned or operated by us, in which case we may ask whether you would like us to refer the complaint to them or provide you with its contact details.
  2. We will generally acknowledge your complaint within a week.
  3. We will consider whether there are simple or immediate steps which can be taken to resolve the complaint.
  4. If your complaint requires more detailed consideration or investigation, we may ask you to provide further information about your complaint and the outcome you are seeking.
  5. We will then typically gather relevant facts, locate and review relevant documents and speak with the individuals involved.
  6. We will investigate your complaint and will endeavour to provide a response, setting out our decision in writing within 30 days of receipt of your complaint.
  7. In most cases, we will respond to your complaint within 30 days from when we receive your complaint. If the matter is more complex or our investigation may take longer, we will let you know.

 

Please note:

  • we may share information relating to your complaint with McGrath to support the ongoing administration, management and oversight of the McGrath franchise network.
  • real estate offices in the McGrath franchise network may be independently owned and operated and may have their own separate processes for handling privacy related complaints.

 

If we are unable to satisfactorily resolve your concerns, or if you believe that we have breached the Privacy Act (including the APPs), you are entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by telephone on 1300 363 992 or on their website www.oaic.gov.au.

 

15. Our contact details

 

If you require any further information or have any questions about this Privacy Policy or if you wish to access or correct your personal information or make a complaint about our handling of that information, please contact our Privacy Officer.

 

Email: ascot@mcgrath.com.au

Telephone: 07 3111 4500

Post: 4/68 Racecourse Road, Hamilton, QLD, 4007