Privacy Policy

Types of personal information we collect

The personal information we collect may include:

• name.
• email address.
• telephone number.
• mailing address, street address, property address and other contact details.
• username, password and account login details.
• business name, agency name, trade name, service category, licence details, registration details, insurance details, qualifications, service areas and other business profile information.
• property information, listing information, appraisal request information, quote request information, enquiry details, lead information, inspection information, agency information, agent information, trade information and related communications.
• REAXML feed data, listing data, images, videos, floorplans, logos, branding, listing descriptions, property attributes and other material supplied by or on behalf of subscribers.
• profile information, reviews, ratings, testimonials, messages, comments, uploaded content, advertising material, priority placement material and other content you upload, post, submit, send, receive, display or share through the platform.
• for Member accounts, the items you save (the listings, trades and agents you have shortlisted), which record what you are interested in.
• payment, billing, subscription and transaction information, where you purchase paid subscriptions, advertising, priority placements or other paid features.
• information collected or generated as part of trade, service provider, agency, agent, licence, insurance, account, fraud prevention, security or verification checks.
• information you provide when you contact us, respond to surveys, participate in promotions, submit complaints, request support or make enquiries.
• information about your use of the website and platform, including device identity and type, IP address, browser type, operating system, page view statistics, usage data, advertising data, analytics data and standard web log information.
• approximate location information, where collected through your device, browser, IP address or use of the website or platform.
• information collected through cookies, analytics tools, server logs and similar technologies.
• information about third parties, if you provide that information to us.
• any other information provided by you to us, generated through your use of the website or platform, or otherwise reasonably required for us to provide, operate, secure and improve the website, platform and our services.

We do not intend to collect sensitive information unless it is reasonably necessary for our functions or activities and permitted by law. If we need to collect sensitive information, we will only do so where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent.

Information such as licence details, registration details, insurance details, qualifications, service areas, agency details, trade details and business verification information may be collected to assess, approve, verify or manage subscribers, listings, profiles and platform access, but is not treated as sensitive information unless it is sensitive information under applicable privacy law.

Home Scene does not currently use biometric identity verification, facial verification, passport verification, driver licence verification or Stripe Identity. If we introduce identity verification or similar checks in the future, we will update this privacy policy and obtain any consent required by law.

Where verification is performed by a third-party provider, that provider may collect, generate, process or store some information directly. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that any third-party provider handles personal information consistently with this privacy policy and applicable privacy laws.

Personal information of minors

The website and platform are not directed at children.

Consumers may browse publicly available parts of the website without creating an account. However, accounts, subscriptions, property listings, trade profiles, appraisal request features, quote request features and other restricted platform features are intended for users who are at least 18 years old, unless we approve a different arrangement in writing.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 years old without the consent of a parent or guardian, unless permitted by law.

If you are under 16 years old, you must not provide personal information to us unless your parent or guardian has consented or the collection is otherwise permitted by law.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 16 years old in circumstances where we should not have collected it, we will take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify that information, unless we are required or permitted by law to retain it.

Parents or guardians may contact us using the details set out at the end of this privacy policy to request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information relating to a child, where permitted by law.

How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information directly from you, from third parties, or automatically through your use of our website, platform and services, where reasonably necessary for our functions or activities or otherwise permitted by law.

We may collect personal information when you:

• access or use our website or platform;
• create, update or use an account;
• subscribe to a plan or purchase paid services, advertising, priority placement or other paid features;
• enable, configure or use REAXML syndication or another listing feed;
• upload, approve, syndicate, update or remove a property listing;
• create, update or maintain an agency profile, agent profile, trade profile or local service profile;
• submit, receive or respond to an enquiry, appraisal request, quote request, lead, review, message or other communication through the platform;
• provide listing information, property information, business information, licence information, insurance information, verification information, images, videos, floorplans, logos, profile content, advertising material or other content to us or through the platform;
• contact us through our website, platform, email, telephone, social media or otherwise;
• submit an enquiry, complaint, support request, survey, questionnaire, promotion entry or online form;
• interact with our website, platform, social media pages, services, content, emails, advertising, priority placements or marketing material; or
• otherwise provide personal information to us.

We may also collect personal information from third parties, including:

• real estate agencies, individual agents, trade professionals, builders, brokers, local service providers and other subscribers;
• homeowners, consumers and other users who submit enquiries, appraisal requests, quote requests, reviews, messages or other information through the platform;
• CRM providers, REAXML feed providers, listing feed providers and related software providers;
• payment processors, billing providers and fraud prevention providers;
• hosting, authentication, analytics, mapping, security, email, SMS, customer support and technology providers;
• advertising, marketing and social media platforms;
• government registers, licensing bodies, public databases and publicly available sources, where permitted by law; and
• other third parties where permitted by law.

Our third-party providers include Stripe for payment processing, Amazon Web Services for hosting, storage and account authentication, Resend for transactional email, Mapbox for mapping, and Umami for privacy-preserving website analytics, together with other providers we use from time to time.

We may collect personal information automatically when you use or access our website, platform, social media pages, content or emails, including whether or not you create an account or log in. This may include information collected through cookies, analytics tools, server logs and similar technologies.

Cookies are small files stored on your computer, mobile phone or other device that help websites and platforms recognise your device, remember your preferences, understand how you use the website or platform, improve functionality, analyse performance and support security.

Our website analytics are cookieless: our analytics provider does not set analytics or advertising cookies and does not track you across other websites. You can usually control cookies and similar technologies through your browser or device settings, although disabling cookies may affect the functionality, availability or security of the website or platform and may prevent some features from operating properly. Our Cookies Policy explains this in more detail.

Use of your personal information

We collect and use personal information for the following purposes:

• to provide, operate, maintain, secure and improve our website, platform and services;
• to create, manage, verify, suspend or cancel accounts where reasonably necessary to operate, secure or enforce the website, platform or our services;
• to assess, approve, administer and manage subscriptions, subscription tiers, paid services, advertising, priority placement and other paid features;
• to enable real estate agencies, agents, trade professionals, builders, brokers, local service providers and other subscribers to create and manage profiles, listings, directory entries and related platform content;
• to receive, process, display, syndicate, troubleshoot and manage property listings, REAXML feed data, listing data, images, videos, floorplans, agency branding, agent details and related content;
• to provide appraisal request, quote request, enquiry, lead generation, notification, messaging and related platform functionality;
• to disclose relevant appraisal request, quote request, enquiry, lead or contact information to the applicable agency, agent, trade professional, local service provider, subscriber or other intended recipient;
• to process payments, issue invoices, manage billing, administer transactions, process failed payments and manage refunds, chargebacks, disputes and payment records;
• to verify licence, registration, insurance, authority, eligibility, payment, fraud prevention, safety, security and account access matters where reasonably required for the platform;
• to allow users to browse listings, search trades, view mapping information, submit enquiries, request appraisals, request quotes, save items to a Member account, leave reviews, interact with profiles and use platform features;
• to respond to enquiries, complaints, support requests, disputes and other communications;
• to review, moderate, restrict, remove or manage listings, profiles, reviews, advertisements, priority placements, leads, enquiries, user activity and other content on the platform;
• to detect, prevent and respond to misuse, fraud, scams, scraping, bots, fake listings, bait advertising, unlawful conduct, security incidents, harmful content, breaches of our terms and other inappropriate activity;
• to improve and optimise our website, platform, services, advertising, user experience and business operations;
• to conduct analytics, reporting, research, testing, product development and service improvement;
• to send you marketing and promotional messages and other information that may be of interest to you, where we have your consent or are otherwise permitted to do so under the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and other applicable laws;
• to personalise content, features, search results, recommendations, advertising and user experience, where permitted by law;
• to comply with our legal obligations, respond to lawful requests, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements;
• for record keeping, administrative, insurance, audit and business management purposes;
• to assess or complete a business sale, restructure, merger, acquisition, investment or other corporate transaction; and
• to consider an application for employment or engagement with us.

Direct marketing

We may use email, SMS, telephone, social media, platform notifications or other methods to send you direct marketing communications. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications from us by using the opt-out facility provided, such as an unsubscribe link, or by contacting us using the details set out at the end of this privacy policy, but we may still send you non-promotional service, transactional, security, account, billing and administrative communications where permitted by law.

When we disclose personal information

We may disclose personal information to our employees, contractors, consultants, professional advisers, related entities, real estate agencies, agents, trade professionals, builders, brokers, local service providers, subscribers, cloud providers, hosting providers, CRM providers, REAXML feed providers, analytics providers, payment processors, subscriber verification providers, account verification providers, fraud prevention providers, email and communications providers, security providers, marketing providers, customer support providers, moderation providers, advertising platforms, social media platforms, regulators, law enforcement bodies, courts, tribunals, insurers, prospective purchasers or investors, and other third parties who assist us to provide, operate, secure, enforce, administer, restructure, sell or improve our website, platform, business and services, or where otherwise required or permitted by law.

We may disclose personal information to subscribed real estate agencies, agents, trade professionals, local service providers or other intended recipients where you submit an enquiry, appraisal request, quote request, lead form, message, review or other communication intended for that recipient.

Member account holders are held in a separate AWS Cognito user directory from our agent, trade and administrator accounts, and the items a Member saves are held by us. Our email provider handles the address and message content of any notification we send to a Member.

Overseas disclosure

Some of the third parties described above may be located inside or outside Australia. Where we disclose personal information overseas, we will take reasonable steps required by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) to ensure that the overseas recipient handles personal information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles, unless an exception applies under applicable privacy laws.

Our infrastructure is hosted in the Amazon Web Services Asia Pacific (Sydney) region. Personal information may nonetheless be disclosed to, stored by, or accessible from overseas recipients, including:

• Stripe: payment processing and billing. Stripe is a United States company and processes payment and subscriber billing information overseas.
• Resend: transactional and commercial email delivery. Mail is dispatched from a Tokyo region, but account data, delivery logs and email metadata, including recipient addresses and message content such as names and enquiry details, are stored in the United States.
• Amazon Web Services: hosting, storage and account authentication. Support, administration and certain managed services may be accessed from outside Australia.
• Mapbox and Umami: mapping and cookieless website analytics, which may process technical and approximate location data overseas.

The countries in which overseas recipients are likely to be located may include the United States of America, Japan and other countries where our service providers store, process or access personal information from time to time, and we will update this privacy policy where reasonably practicable if those countries materially change.

Automated decision-making

We may use automated systems, artificial intelligence tools or third-party technology providers to assist with decisions or processes connected with the website, platform and our services.

This may include automated processes that use personal information, account information, listing information, profile information, enquiry information, lead information, uploaded content, usage information, technical information or interaction data to:

• detect, prevent or respond to fraud, scams, scraping, bots, fake listings, bait advertising, misuse, unlawful conduct, security incidents or breaches of our terms;
• assess whether an account, subscription, listing, profile, review, advertisement, priority placement, enquiry, appraisal request, quote request or lead should be approved, restricted, removed, suspended or reviewed;
• assist with importing, formatting, displaying, matching, ranking, routing, filtering or managing listings, profiles, enquiries, appraisal requests, quote requests, leads, search results, advertising or priority placements;
• moderate, restrict, remove or manage content, listings, profiles, reviews, advertisements, leads, enquiries or account activity;
• personalise platform functionality, content, search results, recommendations, advertising or user experience;
• assist with analytics, reporting, fraud prevention, security, product improvement and service optimisation; and
• provide automated tools, suggested content, generated marketing videos or other platform functionality that helps users navigate, manage or use the platform.

Some automated processes may affect your ability to access or use the platform, receive leads, publish listings, maintain a profile, appear in search results, use advertising or priority placement features, or continue using particular platform features.

Where required by law, you may request human review of an automated decision that significantly affects you by contacting us using the details set out at the end of this privacy policy, but we are not required to reverse, suspend or delay any platform safety, security, fraud prevention, moderation or account restriction measure while that review is pending unless required by law.

You are responsible for reviewing, verifying and approving any generated marketing video, suggested content, automated output, listing content, profile content or other platform output before using, publishing, syndicating or relying on it, and you must not use, publish, syndicate or rely on any such output unless you have confirmed that it is accurate, lawful, not misleading or deceptive, and suitable for your intended purpose.

We do not currently use personal information, user inputs, uploaded content, listing data, REAXML feed data or profile data to train third-party artificial intelligence models. If this changes, we will update this privacy policy and obtain any consent required by law.

Cookies and tracking technologies

We use cookies, analytics tools, server logs and similar technologies to operate our website and platform, remember your preferences, support account and platform security, understand how users interact with our website and platform, improve performance, analyse usage, support lead generation, support appraisal requests and quote requests, and support other functions described in this privacy policy.

The cookies we set are strictly necessary or functional: they support sign-in and session security, payment and checkout, and mapping. We do not set advertising cookies, and our website analytics are cookieless.

Cookies and similar technologies may collect information such as your IP address, device information, browser type, operating system, pages viewed, links clicked, searches, listing views, trade profile views, enquiry activity, referral source, approximate location, usage patterns and other technical or analytics information.

Our Cookies Policy contains more information about the types of cookies and similar technologies we use, why we use them and how you can control them.

You can usually control cookies and similar technologies through your browser or device settings, although disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the website or platform.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, unauthorised modification and unauthorised disclosure.

The steps we take may include administrative, technical and organisational measures such as access controls, password protection, security monitoring, staff and contractor access restrictions, third-party service provider controls, secure hosting arrangements and processes for managing suspected data incidents.

Where we use third-party service providers to host, store, process or secure personal information, we take reasonable steps to select appropriate providers and require them to handle personal information consistently with this privacy policy and applicable privacy laws.

You are responsible for keeping your account login details secure and confidential and for notifying us promptly if you become aware of any unauthorised access to, or use of, your account.

If you are a subscriber, you are responsible for maintaining appropriate security measures for your own systems, devices, personnel, CRM, REAXML feed, listing processes, business records and any personal information you collect, receive or access through the platform.

While we take reasonable steps to protect personal information, no method of transmission, storage, hosting or electronic processing is completely secure. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we do not guarantee that personal information, the website or the platform will be secure, uninterrupted, error-free or free from unauthorised access, cyber incidents or data loss.

If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information, we will take reasonable steps to contain, assess and respond to the breach. Where required by law, including under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), we will notify affected individuals and any relevant regulator.

Retention of personal information

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide the website, platform and services, manage accounts, administer subscriptions, process payments, manage listings, profiles, enquiries, appraisal requests, quote requests and leads, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, maintain security, prevent misuse and enforce our agreements.

The period for which we retain personal information may depend on the type of information, the purpose for which it was collected, whether an account or subscription remains active, whether the information relates to a listing, profile, enquiry, lead, payment, dispute, complaint, legal obligation or security matter, and whether we are required or permitted by law to retain it.

When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to delete, de-identify or securely destroy it, unless we are required or permitted by law to retain it.

De-identified and aggregated information

We may create and use de-identified, anonymised or aggregated information from personal information, platform usage information, listing data, REAXML feed data, enquiry information, lead information, search activity, listing views, trade profile views, appraisal request activity, quote request activity and other information generated through use of the website or platform for analytics, security, reporting, service improvement, product development, fraud prevention, misuse detection, benchmarking and business purposes.

We will take reasonable steps to ensure that de-identified, anonymised or aggregated information does not reasonably identify you or any other individual.

We may use and disclose de-identified, anonymised or aggregated information for any lawful business purpose, provided that the information does not reasonably identify you or any other individual and we do not knowingly attempt to re-identify it except where required or permitted by law.

Links

Our website, platform, emails, content, listings, trade profiles, maps, advertising or communications may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, services or resources. Those links are provided for convenience only and may not remain current, available or maintained.

Third-party links may include links to real estate agency websites, agent websites, trade or local service provider websites, government websites, planning authority websites, mapping or property information websites, payment providers, social media platforms, advertising platforms and other third-party services or resources.

We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices, content, security, availability, accuracy, completeness or currency of any third-party websites, platforms, services or resources.

The inclusion of a link does not mean that we endorse, approve, verify, recommend or accept responsibility for the linked website, platform, service, resource, operator, agency, agent, trade professional, local service provider or any goods or services offered by them.

If you access a third-party website, platform, service or resource, you do so at your own risk and should review the relevant privacy policy, cookie policy, terms and notices before using it, relying on it or providing personal information.

Requesting access to or correcting your personal information

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you by contacting us using the details set out at the end of this privacy policy.

You may request that we correct personal information we hold about you if you believe it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

You may also contact us to request deletion of personal information associated with your account. We will respond to deletion requests within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

In some circumstances, we may be required or permitted by law to retain certain information, including for security, fraud prevention, misuse prevention, dispute resolution, legal compliance, backup, audit, insurance or record keeping purposes.

When you make an access, correction or deletion request, we may ask you to provide information to verify your identity before responding to the request.

In some circumstances, we may be unable to provide access to all personal information we hold about you, may be unable to correct personal information in the way you request, or may be unable to delete certain personal information. If this occurs, we will explain why, to the extent it is reasonable and lawful for us to do so.

If we correct personal information about you and we have previously disclosed that information to a third party, you may request that we notify the third party of the correction, where required or permitted by law.

If you are a subscriber, agency, agent, trade professional, local service provider or other business user, you are responsible for ensuring that the personal information connected to your account, subscription, listings, REAXML feed, profile, enquiries, leads and other platform activity is accurate, complete and up to date.

If you provide us with personal information about another person, you must take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is accurate, complete, up to date and provided with all notices, consents, permissions and lawful authority required under applicable privacy laws, and you indemnify us against any loss, claim, liability, cost or expense arising from your failure to do so, except to the extent caused by our negligence, wilful misconduct or breach of applicable law.

Complaints

If you wish to complain about how we handle personal information, or you believe your privacy has been seriously invaded, please contact us using the details set out at the end of this privacy policy and provide your name, contact details and reasonable details of your complaint.

We will take reasonable steps to investigate your complaint promptly and respond within a reasonable timeframe, generally within 30 days unless the matter is complex or we require further information from you or a third party.

We may ask you to provide further information to help us investigate and respond to your complaint.

If your complaint relates to personal information connected with an account, subscription, listing, REAXML feed, profile, enquiry, appraisal request, quote request, lead, review or other platform activity, we may need to review relevant account, usage, communication, technical or transaction information to investigate and respond to the complaint.

If your complaint involves another user, subscriber, agency, agent, trade professional, local service provider or third-party provider, we may need to disclose limited information to that person or provider where reasonably necessary to investigate, respond to, resolve or manage the complaint, subject to applicable privacy laws.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or another relevant privacy regulator. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner generally expects you to raise your complaint with us first and allow us a reasonable opportunity to respond before making a complaint to it.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may change this privacy policy from time to time by publishing an updated copy on our website. Where the change materially affects how we handle your personal information, we will take reasonable steps to notify you or seek your consent where required by law; otherwise, your continued access to or use of our website or platform after the updated privacy policy is published constitutes your acknowledgement of the updated privacy policy, and we encourage you to check our website regularly to ensure that you are aware of our current privacy policy.

Contact us

For further information about this privacy policy or our privacy practices, or to request access to, correction of or deletion of your personal information, make a complaint, or request human review of an automated decision where available, please contact us using the details set out below:

• Name: Home Scene Pty Ltd
• Email: support@homescene.com.au
• Address: 8/35 McCoy St, Myaree WA 6154
• Website contact form: homescene.com.au/contact