Alta & Co

Privacy Policy

INTRODUCTION AND OUR COMMITMENT TO PRIVACY

Catalyst Commercial Real Estate Pty Ltd trading as Alta and Co ('we', 'us', 'our') is committed to protecting the privacy of our clients, prospective buyers, vendors, tenants, landlords, employees and website visitors in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ('the Act') and the Australian Privacy Principles ('APPs') contained in the Act.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use, and disclose personal information while providing our real estate services and operating our website. It also describes your rights regarding your personal information and how you may exercise them.

By engaging our services or using our website, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as set out in this Policy. We encourage you to read this Policy carefully and contact us if you have any questions.

WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

Depending on the nature of your dealings with us, we may collect the following categories of personal information:

Identity and Contact Information

  • Full legal name and any aliases or trading names
  • Residential and postal addresses (current and previous)
  • Phone numbers (mobile and landline)
  • Email addresses
  • Date of birth
  • Gender (where voluntarily provided)

Financial and Transactional Information

  • Bank account details (for processing rental payments, deposits, and settlement proceeds)
  • Tax File Numbers (where legally required, e.g. under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth) for withholding obligations)
  • Income and financial capacity information (for tenancy applications and financing assessments)
  • Trust account transaction details
  • Property purchase and sale prices
  • Rental bond and deposit amounts

Property-Related Information

  • Details of properties owned, occupied, or sought by you
  • Rental history and tenancy references
  • Property inspection notes and reports
  • Maintenance and repair requests and records
  • Body corporate and strata information (where applicable)

Identification Documents

  • Copies of government-issued identification (e.g. driver's licence, passport) collected for identity verification and compliance purposes
  • Visa and residency status documentation (where relevant to tenancy eligibility)

Sensitive Information

In limited circumstances, we may collect sensitive information as defined in the Act (s 6), including:

  • Health information (e.g. where a tenant requests reasonable adjustments to a property due to a disability)
  • Criminal record information (only to the extent permitted by law and for a permitted purpose, such as tenancy screening where lawful in Queensland)

We will only collect sensitive information where you have consented, or where the collection is required or authorised by law.

Website and Analytics Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

  • IP address and approximate geographic location
  • Browser type, version, and operating system
  • Pages visited, time spent on each page, and navigation paths
  • Referring website or URL (how you arrived at our website)
  • Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
  • Date and time of your visit
  • Search terms used within the website
  • Cookie identifiers and session data (see Section 8 below)
HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

We collect personal information through a range of methods, including:

Direct Collection

We collect information directly from you when you:

  • Complete a tenancy application form (paper or online)
  • Sign a sales or property management agreement with us
  • Contact us by phone, email, or in person
  • Attend a property inspection 
  • Submit an enquiry through our website or social media platforms
  • Participate in a property auction
  • Provide feedback or lodge a complaint
  • Sign up to our mailing list or newsletter

Indirect Collection

In some circumstances, we may collect personal information about you from third parties, including:

  • Tenancy reference checks (previous landlords, property managers)
  • Credit reporting bodies (for tenancy application assessment, subject to your consent)
  • Real estate portals and listing websites (e.g. realcommercial.com.au)
  • Your solicitor or conveyancer (in connection with a property transaction)
  • Financiers and mortgage brokers (where relevant to a sale or purchase)
  • Government authorities (e.g. titles offices, local councils)
  • Other real estate agencies (co-agency arrangement)

Website and Digital Collection

When you use our website, information may be collected through:

  • Web server logs
  • Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 8)
  • Web analytics platforms (e.g. Google Analytics)
  • Online enquiry, contact, and application forms
  • Social media integrations and plugins
WHY WE COLLECT AND HOLD PERSONAL INFORMATION — PRIMARY PURPOSES

We collect, hold, and use personal information for the primary purposes set out below. We will not use or disclose personal information for a secondary purpose unless an exception in applies (including where you have consented, or where you would reasonably expect such use, and it is related to the primary purpose).

Providing Real Estate Sales Services

  • Identifying and communicating with vendors, prospective purchasers, lessor, lessees
  • Preparing and executing agency agreements, contracts of sale, and related documents
  • Conducting property appraisals and market analyses
  • Marketing properties for sale or lease, including on listing portals and social media
  • Facilitating property inspections and auctions
  • Liaising with solicitors, conveyancers, financiers, and government authorities to progress a sale
  • Processing deposits and settlement payments through our trust account

Providing Property Management Services

  • Assessing and processing tenancy applications (including conducting reference and credit checks with your consent)
  • Preparing and executing residential tenancy agreements under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld)
  • Collecting and disbursing rental payments and bond lodgements with the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA)
  • Arranging and managing property maintenance and repairs
  • Conducting routine, entry, and exit inspections
  • Communicating with landlords and tenants regarding tenancy matters
  • Managing lease renewals, vacating procedures, and bond claims
  • Complying with our obligations under Queensland tenancy legislation

Compliance and Legal Obligations

  • Meeting obligations under the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) and associated regulations
  • Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth)
  • Record-keeping obligations imposed by the Office of Fair Trading Queensland
  • Trust accounting obligations under the Property Occupations Regulation 2014 (Qld)
  • Responding to lawful requests from government authorities and law enforcement agencies

Business Operations and Administration

  • Maintaining our client and contact database
  • Managing appointments, inspections, and calendars
  • Issuing invoices and managing accounts receivable
  • Resolving disputes and complaints
  • Insurance and risk management purposes
  • Training and quality assurance

Marketing and Business Development

With your consent, or where otherwise permitted by the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth), we may use your contact information to:

  • Send you market updates, newsletters, and property alerts relevant to your interests
  • Notify you of upcoming listings
  • Invite you to client appreciation events

You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in any electronic communication.

Website and Analytics Purposes

We collect website and analytics information to:

  • Monitor and improve the functionality and user experience of our website
  • Analyse website traffic, user behaviour, and engagement metrics
  • Identify and resolve technical issues
  • Understand which content and/or property listings attract the most interest
  • Ensure the security and integrity of our website
  • Comply with applicable laws regarding electronic records
DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We may disclose personal information to third parties where it is necessary for the purposes described above, or where you have consented, or where disclosure is required or authorised by law. Recipients may include:

  • Prospective buyers, vendors, tenants, or landlords (as directly relevant to a transaction)
  • Solicitors and conveyancers
  • Financial institutions, mortgage brokers, and insurers
  • The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) of Queensland
  • Queensland Office of Fair Trading
  • The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ)
  • Property listing portals (e.g. realcommercial.com.au, Domain.com.au)
  • Tradespeople, contractors, and property maintenance providers
  • Credit reporting bodies (subject to the Credit Reporting Privacy Code)
  • Strata managers and body corporate committees
  • Our professional advisers (accountants, insurers, legal advisers)
  • Cloud computing and software service providers (subject to appropriate data processing agreements)
  • Law enforcement agencies and government authorities where required by law

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for commercial purposes.

CROSS-BORDER DISCLOSURE

Where we use cloud-based software platforms or service providers whose servers are located outside Australia (for example, property management software, email platforms, or analytics services), personal information may be disclosed to overseas recipients. Before doing so, we take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients handle your personal information in a manner consistent with the APPs.

We currently use, or may use, third-party services whose data may be processed in the United States (e.g. Google Analytics) or other jurisdictions. Where this occurs, those providers are subject to contractual obligations to protect your information in a manner consistent with Australian privacy law.

STORAGE AND SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We hold personal information in both physical (paper) and electronic form. We take reasonable steps, as required to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security measures include:

  • Password-protected computer systems with role-based access controls
  • Secure, encrypted cloud storage with reputable providers
  • Physical document security including locked filing cabinets 
  • Staff privacy and confidentiality training
  • Regular review of our security practices
COOKIES AND WEBSITE ANALYTICS

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website server. They allow a website to recognise your device on return visits and to store information about your preferences or browsing session. Cookies do not contain executable code and cannot access other data on your device.

Type of Cookies

Essential / Functional Cookies: Required for the website to operate correctly (e.g. session management, form submission). These cannot be disabled.

Analytics Cookies: used to collect anonymised information about how visitors use our website, including pages viewed, time on site, and traffic sources. The data collected does not personally identify you. 

Managing Cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website. For information on managing cookies, refer to your browser's help documentation.

Third-Party Analytics and Tracking

Our website may include social media plugins (e.g. LinkedIn, Instagram) and embedded content from third-party platforms. These third parties may use their own cookies and tracking technologies, subject to their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you interact with through our website.

ACCESS TO AND CORRECTION OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. You have the right to request correction of personal information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading.

To make an access or correction request, please contact us at admin@altaandco.au. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time (ordinarily within 30 days). We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

In limited circumstances, we may decline an access request on grounds permitted by the Act (for example, where providing access would unreasonably impact on the privacy of another individual, or where required by law). If we refuse access or correction, we will provide written reasons and notify you of any available complaint mechanisms.

PRIVACY COMPLAINTS

If you believe we have mishandled your personal information in a manner inconsistent with this Policy, you may lodge a complaint with us directly.

Please direct your complaint in writing to the contact details noted below. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and will endeavour to investigate and respond substantively within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Website: www.oaic.gov.au‍

Phone: 1300 363 992

Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

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NOTIFIABLE DATA BREACHES

We are subject to the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under the Privacy Act. If we have reasonable grounds to believe that there has been an eligible data breach, we will notify the OAIC and affected individuals.

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CONTACT US

Alta and Co

Suite 1, 65 Park Road, Milton QLD 4064

07 3331 5444

admin@altaandco.au

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UPDATES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or regulatory guidance. The current version will always be available on our website.