Privacy Policy

EPS Property Services Trading as Southern Horizons Property
Last updated: March 2025
This policy applies to all personal information collected by Southern Horizons Property ABN 77 661 309 600, a real estate agency operating in Tasmania, Australia.

1. Our commitment to your privacy

Southern Horizons Property is committed to protecting the privacy of every person who interacts with our agency. We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in Schedule 1 of that Act, which govern how we collect, use, hold, and disclose personal information.

We also comply with relevant Tasmanian legislation where applicable, including the Personal Information Protection Act 2004 (Tas) (PIP Act) and the Property Agents and Land Transactions Act 2005 (Tas).

This policy applies to all staff, contractors, and agents of Southern Horizons Property, and to all personal information we handle in connection with our real estate services.

2. What is personal information?

Personal information means any 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 the context of real estate services, personal information we handle may include:

• Your full name, date of birth, and contact details (address, phone number, email)
• Financial information, including income, assets, liabilities, bank account details, and credit history
• Identity documents such as driver’s licence or passport details
• Employment details and references
• Tenancy history and rental references
• Information about your property interests, buying or selling intentions, and property preferences
• Photographs or images of you or your property
• Information you provide when completing application forms or signing agreements
• Records of your communications and interactions with our agency

We may also collect sensitive information (as defined under the Privacy Act) in limited circumstances, such as information about your health if it is relevant to a tenancy application or property access. We will only collect sensitive information with your consent or where otherwise permitted by law.

3. How we collect personal information

We collect personal information in a number of ways depending on the nature of our relationship with you.

Direct collection

Wherever reasonable and practicable, we collect personal information directly from you. This may occur when you:

• Contact us by phone, email, or in person
• Complete a property rental, purchase, or sales appraisal inquiry
• Submit a tenancy application or lease agreement
• Sign a property management agreement or sales agency agreement
• Attend an open home or property inspection
• Register on our website or subscribe to property alerts
• Provide feedback, make a complaint, or respond to a survey

Collection from third parties

In some circumstances it may be necessary to collect your personal information from third parties. This may include:

• Previous landlords, property managers, or referees you have nominated
• Credit reporting bodies (for tenancy application assessment)
• The Real Estate Institute of Tasmania (REIT) or regulatory bodies
• Government agencies, including the Tasmanian Land Titles Office
• Other real estate agencies involved in a transaction
• Solicitors, conveyancers, or financial institutions
• Property listing portals such as realestate.com.au or Domain

Where we collect your information from a third party, we will take reasonable steps to notify you of this collection unless doing so would be impracticable or is not required under the Privacy Act.

Website and digital collection

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information including your IP address, browser type, referring URLs, and pages viewed. This information is collected to improve our website experience and is generally not linked to your identity. Our website may use cookies — you can disable cookies through your browser settings, though this may affect some website functionality.

4. Why we collect and use your personal information

Southern Horizons Property collects and uses personal information only for purposes that are directly related to our real estate functions and activities, or where you have otherwise consented. Our primary purposes include:

• Property management: Managing rental properties on behalf of owners, including processing tenancy applications, conducting inspections, arranging maintenance, and managing arrears
• Sales and purchases: Facilitating the sale and purchase of residential and commercial properties, including conducting appraisals, managing vendor and purchaser relationships, and facilitating settlement
• Tenancy applications: Assessing the suitability of applicants for rental properties, including conducting reference checks and credit checks with your consent
• Client communications: Keeping you informed about properties, market updates, listings, and our services
• Legal and regulatory compliance: Meeting our obligations under Tasmanian and federal legislation, including record-keeping, audit, and reporting obligations
• Identity verification: Verifying your identity as required for compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing legislation
• Dispute resolution and complaints handling: Investigating and responding to complaints and disputes
• Business administration: Managing our internal records, processing payments, and improving our services

We will not use your personal information for purposes other than those described in this policy without first obtaining your consent, unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.

5. Disclosure of personal information

We may disclose your personal information to third parties where this is necessary to provide our services or where we are required to do so by law. Third parties to whom we may disclose your information include:

• Property owners and landlords — for the purpose of processing tenancy applications or managing tenancy arrangements
• Tenants and applicants — to the extent necessary to manage a property
• Solicitors and conveyancers — to facilitate property transactions
• Financial institutions and mortgage brokers — where relevant to a property transaction
• Tradespeople, maintenance contractors, and property inspectors — to arrange property maintenance or inspections
• Credit reporting bodies — to assess tenancy applications (with your prior consent)
• Property listing portals — such as realestate.com.au and Domain, for advertising purposes
• The Real Estate Institute of Tasmania (REIT) — for industry regulatory purposes
• Government agencies — including Tasmania’s Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS), the Tasmanian Land Titles Office, and the Australian Taxation Office, where required by law
• Insurance providers — for the purpose of arranging landlord or property insurance
• Technology and software providers — who assist us in managing our business systems, including property management and CRM software (these providers are bound by confidentiality obligations)

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

Disclosure overseas

Some of our service providers and software platforms may store or process data on servers located outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients handle your information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles. By using our services, you consent to your information being processed by overseas-based service providers where necessary for the delivery of our services. We will not disclose your information to overseas recipients without your consent unless required to do so by law or where the APPs otherwise permit.

6. How we store and protect your information

Southern Horizons Property takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security measures include:

• Secure physical storage of paper records with restricted access
• Password-protected and encrypted digital systems
• Use of reputable property management software with built-in security controls
• Staff training on privacy obligations and data handling procedures
• Limiting access to personal information to staff members who need it to perform their role

Despite these measures, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You provide information to us electronically at your own risk.

Personal information is retained only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Tenancy records, financial records, and transaction documents are typically retained for a minimum of seven years in accordance with Australian legal and taxation requirements. When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.

7. Credit information

In assessing tenancy applications, we may obtain a consumer credit report from a credit reporting body such as Equifax, Illion, or Experian. We obtain this information with your written consent (provided as part of your tenancy application). This credit information is used solely to assess your suitability as a tenant and is not disclosed to the property owner or any other third party without your consent, except where permitted by law.

We handle credit information in accordance with the credit reporting provisions of Part IIIA of the Privacy Act and the Credit Reporting Privacy Code.

8. Marketing communications

From time to time we may send you information about properties, market trends, and our services. We will only send you marketing communications where we have your consent to do so, or where we are permitted to do so under the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) or applicable marketing laws.

You may opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by:

• Clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send you
• Contacting us directly using the details set out in section 11 below

Opting out of marketing communications will not affect the delivery of service-related communications that are necessary for us to carry out our obligations to you.

9. Accessing and correcting your personal information

Under the Privacy Act and the PIP Act, you have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to request correction of that information if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading.

To make an access or correction request, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details in section 11 below. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before we provide access to your information.

In most cases we will provide access free of charge. However, in some circumstances we may charge a reasonable fee to cover the administrative cost of retrieving and providing information. We will advise you of any fee before processing your request.

We may decline to provide access in limited circumstances where permitted by the Privacy Act — for example, where providing access would unreasonably affect the privacy of another individual, or where it would be unlawful to do so. If we decline your request, we will give you written reasons for our decision and information about how you can complain.

10. Complaints

If you believe that Southern Horizons Property has interfered with your privacy or has not complied with the Privacy Act or the PIP Act, we encourage you to contact our Privacy Officer in the first instance. We will investigate your complaint and respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with:

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
  Website: www.oaic.gov.au
  Phone: 1300 363 992
• Ombudsman Tasmania (for complaints relating to the PIP Act)
  Website: www.ombudsman.tas.gov.au
  Phone: 1800 001 170
• Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) (for complaints relating to property agent conduct)
  Website: www.cbos.tas.gov.au

11. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise your rights under the Privacy Act or the PIP Act, please contact our Privacy Officer:

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. The current version of this policy will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our services after any update constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

This Privacy Policy was prepared in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, and the Personal Information Protection Act 2004 (Tas). Southern Horizons Property recommends seeking independent legal advice if you have specific concerns about how your information is handled.