RE/MAX Town and Country Privacy Policy

1. Preamble 

1.1. This Privacy Policy describes how we – RE/MAX Town and Country (together with its affiliates companies - “RE/MAX Town and Country”, “we”, “our” or “us”) collect, store, use and disclose personal data as a Responsible Party regarding individuals and companies 

(“you”) who, inter alia:  

1.1.1. Visit and request services from us;  

1.1.2. Otherwise interact with our services through any website, webpage, e-mail, text message or online ad under our control (collectively - “Sites”);  

1.1.3. Works for us as an Employee or Contractor; 

1.1.4. Acts as an Agent in a representative capacity; and 

1.1.5. Provide a service to us; 

1.2. Specifically, this Privacy Policy describes our practices regarding: 

1.2.1. Responsible Party and Data Operator 

1.2.2. Data Collection; 

1.2.3. Data Uses; 

1.2.4. Data Location and Retention; 

1.2.5. Data Sharing; 

1.2.6. Communications; 

1.2.7. Data Security; 

1.2.8. Data Subject Rights; 

1.2.9. Additional Notices.  

1.3. Your privacy is important to us, and we are strongly committed to making our practices regarding your personal data more transparent and fairer. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and make sure that you fully understand and agree to it.  

1.4. You are not legally required to provide us with any Personal Data (defined below), and may do so (or avoid doing so) at your own free will. If you do not wish to provide us with such Personal Data, or to have it processed by us, we may not be able to provide you with the full range of our services or with the best experience when using our service as required.  

2. Responsible Party and Data Operator 

2.1. The Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 distinguish between two main roles for parties processing Personal Data:  

2.1.1. Responsible Party: The Client who bears ultimate responsibility for the processing of personal information in terms of the Protection of personal Information Act 4 of 2014, irrespective of the outsourcing of processing or aspects of processing, and also includes:  

2.1.1.1. the purpose of processing personal information; and 

2.1.1.2. the means of processing personal data, whether acting alone or in conjunction with others 

2.1.2. Operator: As set out in Section 1 of the Protection of personal Information Act 4 of 2013, an Operator is a party who processes information for a Responsible Party, in terms of a contract or mandate, without coming under the Responsible Party’s direct authority.  

2.2. This policy mostly determines our methodology as a Responsible Party. 

2.3. In certain circumstances we are contracted to act as an Operator to assist with management and give administrative support. We will inform you properly in which capacity we act. However, it is important to note that when we act as an Operator, we only remain the data processor which process the data on behalf of the client/customer. In these circumstances the client/customer will remain the Responsible Party in terms of the Act and they do not transfer any obligations to us by concluding any agreement (written or oral) to process and store personal data on their behalf. 

3. Data Collection  

3.1. We collect various types of personal data including profile data, customer data (such as Home Owners Association, Body Corporates, Buyers, Sellers, etc.), content, member data, resident data, employee data, agent data, supplier data and other data as received from you, or from other third-party sources which enables us to deliver our services to you as you require. 

3.2. Such data is typically collected and generated through your interaction with us or our service, through automatic means, or directly from you, from other third-parties which includes service providers.  

3.3. Specifically, we collect the following categories of data (which, to the extent it relates to an identified or identifiable individual, is deemed as “Personal Data”):  

3.3.1. Data automatically collected or generated: When you visit our offices, our website, third-party websites, when you interact with, or use our service, we may collect, record or generate specific data about you.  

3.3.1.1. We do so either independently or with the help of third-party service providers; 

3.3.1.2. Such data may consist of biometric information such as video surveillance for security purposes; 

3.3.2. User Data received from you:   

When you contact us as a prospective employee or agent, we may collect the following data: 

3.3.2.1. Identification data – such as your name, surname, gender, photograph, date of birth, identification number, languages. 

3.3.2.2. Contact details – such as home address, telephone, email addresses, and emergency contact details. 

3.3.2.3. Employment details – such as employment history, performance and disciplinary records, grievance procedures, sickness/holiday records. 

3.3.2.4. Educational and professional background – such as academic/professional qualifications, education, CV/resume, reference letters and interview notes. 

3.3.2.5. Spouse, beneficiary & dependents information, marital status. 

3.3.2.6. Financial information – such as banking details, tax information, payroll information, salary, benefits, expenses, company allowances. 

3.3.2.7. IT information – information required to provide access to our IT systems and networks such as IP addresses, log files, login information, software/hardware inventories.  

3.3.2.8. Health information – such as information about short- or long-term disabilities or information about your physical or mental health or condition to monitor sick leave and take decisions as to your fitness for work. 

3.3.2.9. We may also collect certain demographic data that qualifies as special personal your racial or ethnic origin to monitor compliance with employment equity legislation. 

3.3.2.10. Information relating to any criminal proceedings in which you have been involved for insurance purposes and to comply with legal requirements and obligations to third parties. 

3.3.2.11. Information about your union membership to process the appropriate monthly deduction for union subsidies.  

3.3.2.12. And any other special personal information. 

If you, as a client/customer, sign up to the service, irrespective of the service, you may provide us with Personal Data.   

3.3.2.13. This includes your name, date of birth, banking information and other financial records of our residents/members; 

3.3.2.14. identifying numbers, symbol, e-mail address, physical address, telephone number including driver's licence number; and motor vehicle registration plates;  

3.3.2.15. personal opinions, views or preferences of our residents/members as disclosed via any electronic platform;  

3.3.2.16. correspondence which is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature via any electronic platform; 

3.3.2.17. further correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence; 

3.3.2.18. views or opinions of another individual about the person; 

3.3.2.19. any other data you choose to provide when you use our service, contact us, or interact with others via our service;  

3.3.2.20. You may also provide us with feedback, reviews, or answers to surveys or promotions, including by submitting an online form on our service or social media channels, by posting on any of our online public forums or communities, by sending an e-mail to any of our designated addresses, or any other form of communication; and 

3.3.2.21. Such data may include details on a problem you are experiencing, contact information and any other documentation, screen recording, screenshots or other information.  

3.3.3. If your data contains Personal Data of another: You may choose to upload or submit to our service certain content, materials and data on behalf of another.  

Such Personal Data will only be processed if meaningful consent can be proven. 3.3.3.1. You may provide us with the contact details of their family members. 

Such data typically includes these individuals’ names, phone numbers and work e-mails, however additional data may be provided at the discretion of those providing it. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, this data will also be regarded as “Personal Data”.  

3.3.4. Data received from other third-parties: We may receive Personal Data concerning you from other sources and third-parties. We may also receive your contact and professional details (e.g., your name, company, position, contact details and professional experience, preferences and interests) from our business partners or service providers, and through the use of tools and channels commonly used in the public domain for connecting between companies and individuals in order to explore potential business and employment opportunities, such as LinkedIn.   

4. Data Uses  

4.1. We use Personal Data to provide, improve and secure our service; to comply with applicable laws; and to support our legitimate interests.  

4.2. We use Personal Data as necessary for the performance of our service; to comply with our legal and contractual obligations (this includes employment contracts); and to support our legitimate interests in maintaining and improving our service. 

4.3. You currently reside and are using the service  

4.3.1. in a territory governed by privacy laws which determine that "consent" is the only or most appropriate legal basis for processing Personal Data (in general, or specifically with respect to the types of Personal Data you choose to share via the service), your payment of accounts, continued employment, entrance of contractual obligations, acceptance and lack of objection of our services and of this Privacy Policy will be deemed as your consent to the processing of your Personal Data for all purposes detailed in this Privacy Policy.  

4.3.2. If you wish to revoke such consent, please contact us by email at coms@remaxtownandcountry.co.za. Please have a look at clause 10 and 12 for more details. 

4.4. Specifically, we use Personal Data for the following purposes:  

4.4.1. To facilitate, operate, and provide our service;  

4.4.2. To authenticate the identity of you, and to allow them to access our service;  

4.4.3. to provide our employees and service providers with assistance and support;  

4.4.4. To gain a better understanding on how you evaluate, use and interact with our service, and how we could improve your and others’ user experience, and continue improving our services, offerings and the overall performance of our service;  

4.4.5. To contact our visitors, yourself and service providers (whether existing or prospective) with general or personalized service-related messages, as well as promotional messages that may be of specific interest to them;  

4.4.6. To publish your feedback and submissions to our public forums and blogs;  

4.4.7. To support and enhance our data security measures, including for the purposes of preventing and mitigating the risks of fraud, error or any illegal or prohibited activity;  

4.4.8. To create aggregated statistical data, inferred non-personal data or anonymized or pseudonymized data (rendered non-personal), which we or our service providers may use to provide and improve our respective services, or for any other purpose; and 

4.4.9. To comply with applicable laws and regulations.  

5. Data Location & Retention  

5.1. We store your data in locations only located in South Africa for as long as necessary in accordance with our reasonable business needs (as necessary for the performance of our service or for supporting and exercising our legitimate interests); and in accordance with our legal obligations.  

5.2. Data Location: We and our authorized service providers maintain, store and process Personal Data in South Africa. 

5.2.1. Should cloud services be utilized, we endeavour to use service providers who comply to all the international security protocols pertaining to data transfer and secure locations pertaining to the servers which will ensure the proper performance and delivery of our service, as required by law.  

5.2.2. RE/MAX Town and Country is headquartered in Gauteng, a jurisdiction which is considered to be offering an adequate level of protection for the Personal Data.   

5.2.3. RE/MAX Town and Country, its affiliates and service providers are each committed to protect Personal Data in accordance with this Privacy Policy, customary industry standards, and such appropriate lawful mechanisms and contractual terms requiring adequate data protection.  

5.3. Data Retention:  

5.3.1. We will retain your Personal Data: 

5.3.1.1. for as long as it is reasonably necessary in order to maintain and expand our relationship and provide you with our service and offerings;  

5.3.1.2. in order to comply with our legal and contractual obligations; or to protect ourselves from any potential disputes (i.e. as required by laws applicable to log-keeping, records and bookkeeping, and in order to have proof and evidence concerning our relationship, should any legal issues arise following your discontinuance of use); and 

5.3.1.3. all in accordance with our data retention policy.  

5.3.2. Please note that except as required by applicable law or our specific agreements with you, we will not be obligated to retain your Personal Data for any particular period, and we are free to securely delete it or restrict access to it for any reason and at any time, with or without notice to you.  

5.3.3. If you have any questions about our data retention policy, please contact us by e-mail at coms@remaxtownandcountry.co.za.  

6. Data Sharing  

6.1. We share your data (& feedback) with: 

6.1.1. our service providers;  

6.1.2. our clients;  

6.1.3. within our group;  

6.1.4. in accordance with legal compliance.  

6.2. Legal Compliance:  

6.2.1. In exceptional circumstances, we may disclose or allow government and law enforcement officials access to your Personal Data, in response to a subpoena, search warrant or court order (or similar requirement), or in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.  

6.2.2. Such disclosure or access may occur if we believe in good faith that:  

6.2.2.1. we are legally compelled to do so;  

6.2.2.2. disclosure is appropriate in connection with efforts to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding actual or suspected illegal activity, fraud, or other wrongdoing; or  

6.2.2.3. such disclosure is required to protect the security or integrity of our services.  

6.3. Service Providers:  

6.3.1. We may engage selected third-party companies and individuals to perform services complementary to our own.  

6.3.2. Such service providers include providers of third-party services, estate agents, valuers, municipalities, cancellation attorneys, bond attorneys, transferring attorneys, bond originators, banks, SARS, hosting and server co-location services, communications and content delivery networks (CDNs), data and cyber security services, billing and payment processing services, fraud detection and prevention services, web analytics, e-mail distribution and monitoring services, session or activity recording services, remote access services, performance measurement, data optimization and marketing services, social and advertising networks, content providers, e-mail, voicemails, support and customer relation management systems, resellers, distributors and providers of professional services related to our service, and our legal, compliance and financial advisors (collectively, “service providers“).  

6.3.3. These service providers may have access to your Personal Data, depending on each of their specific roles and purposes in facilitating and enhancing our service, and may only use it for such limited purposes as either determined in our agreements with them or by law. 

6.3.4. When our service providers contact you in order to deliver services complementing our services, they may additionally interest you in their own services.  

6.3.5. Should you decide to engage in such additional services with RE/MAX Town and Country’s service providers, please note that such engagement is beyond scope of our Privacy Policy and will therefore be covered by our service provider’s own terms and privacy policy.  

6.3.6. Our service providers shall be deemed as ‘Sub-data Operators’ in circumstances where we are mandated to be the “Operator”. 

6.4. Third-Party Websites and services:  

6.4.1. Our service also includes links to third-party websites, and integrations with third-party services.  

6.4.2. Such websites and third-party services, and any information you process, submit, transmit or otherwise use with such websites and third-party services, are governed by such third-party’s terms and privacy practices and policies, and not by this Privacy Policy.  

6.4.3. We encourage you to carefully read the terms and privacy policies of such website and third-party services.  

6.5. Sharing Personal Data with other third-parties  

6.5.1. We may share your Personal Data with the service providers as mentioned in clause 6.3. 

6.5.2. In such cases, sharing such data means that they may access it on, and will be able to monitor and process your Personal Data.  

6.5.3. This includes instances where you may contact us or them help or in resolving an issue specific to our services to you. 

6.5.4. Please note that RE/MAX Town and Country is not responsible for and does not control any further disclosure, use or monitoring by or on behalf of third-parties.   

6.5.5. If you register or access services using an e-mail address or by any other means on an electronic format owned Re/Max Town and Country, certain information about you including your name, profile picture, contact info and general use of your account may become accessible to their administration and other people.  

6.6. Sharing your Feedback or Recommendations:  

6.6.1. If you submit a public review or feedback, note that we may (at our discretion) store and present your review to other members of our Sites and service (including other clients).  

6.6.2. If you wish to remove your public review, please contact us at coms@remaxtownandcountry.co.za.   

6.6.3. If you choose to send others an e-mail or message inviting them to use the service, we will use the contact information you provide us to automatically send such invitation e-mail or message on your behalf.  

6.6.4. Your name and e-mail address may be included in the invitation e-mail or message.  

6.7. Community Forum:  

6.7.1. Our Sites include public blogs or forums, such as Facebook.  

6.7.2. Any information you submit on these forums, blogs and communities - including profile information associated with the Account you use to post the information - may be read, collected, and used by others who access these Sites.  

6.7.3. Due to the nature of such public forums, your posts and certain profile information may remain visible to all even after you terminate your Account.  

6.7.4. To request removal of your information from publicly accessible Sites operated by us, please contact us as provided in Section 10 and 12 below.  

6.7.5. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to and why.  

6.8. Protecting Rights and Safety:  

6.8.1. We may share your Personal Data with others if we believe in good faith that this will help protect the rights, property or personal safety of RE/MAX Town and Country, our clients/customers, any of their clients/customers, or any members of the general public.  

6.9. RE/MAX Town and Country Subsidiaries and Affiliated Companies:  

6.9.1. We may share Personal Data internally within our group and employees, for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.  

6.9.2. In addition, should RE/MAX Town and Country or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates undergo any change in control, including by means of merger, acquisition or purchase of substantially all of its assets, your Personal Data may be shared with the parties involved in such an event.  

6.9.3. If we believe that such change in control might materially affect your Personal Data then stored with us, we will notify you of this event and the choices you may have via either via e-mail or a prominent notification. (through any of the means available to us).  

6.9.4. For the avoidance of doubt, RE/MAX Town and Country may share your Personal Data in additional manners, pursuant to your explicit approval, or if we are legally obligated to do so, or if we have successfully rendered such data non-personal and anonymous. We may transfer, share or otherwise use nonpersonal data at our sole discretion and without the need for further approval.  

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies  

7.1. Our service providers use cookies and other technologies for performance, tracking, analytics and personalization purposes. Our Sites and service (including some of our service providers) utilize “cookies”, anonymous identifiers, container tags and other technologies in order for us to provide our service and ensure that it performs properly, to analyze our performance and marketing activities, and to personalize your experience. 

Such cookies and similar files or tags may also be temporarily placed on your device. Certain cookies and other technologies serve to recall Personal Data, such as an IP address, previously indicated by a you. Most browsers allow you to control cookies, including whether or not to accept them and how to remove them. You may set most browsers to notify you if you receive a cookie, or to block or remove cookies altogether.  

8. Communications  

8.1. We engage in service and promotional communications, through e-mail, phone, SMS and notifications.  

8.2. Service Communications:  

8.2.1. We may contact you with important information regarding our service. For example, we may send you notifications (through any of the means available to us) of changes or updates to our service, billing issues, service changes, log-in attempts or password reset notices, etc.  

8.2.2. You can control your communications and notifications settings from your User Profile settings. However, please note that you will not be able to opt-out of receiving certain service communications which are integral to your use.  

8.3. Promotional Communications:  

8.3.1. We may also notify you about new features, additional offerings, events and special opportunities or any other information we think you will find valuable.  

8.3.2. We may provide such notices through any of the contact means available to us (e.g. phone, mobile or e-mail), through the service, or through our marketing campaigns on any other sites or platforms.  

8.3.3. If you do not wish to receive such promotional communications, you may notify us at any time by sending an e-mail to coms@remaxtownandcountry.co.za or by following the “unsubscribe”, “stop”, “opt-out” or “change e-mail preferences” instructions contained in the promotional communications you receive.  

9. Data Security  

9.1. In order to protect your Personal Data held with us, we are using industry-standard physical, procedural and technical security measures, including encryption as appropriate.  

9.2. However, please be aware that regardless of any security measures used, we cannot and do not guarantee the absolute protection and security of any Personal Data stored with us or with any third-parties.  

9.3. Should there be a breach in terms of your data, we will duly notify you. 

10. Data Subject Rights  

10.1. Individuals have rights concerning their Personal Data.  

10.2. You may exercise your rights by contacting us telephonically or via email at coms@remaxtownandcountry.co.za. 

10.3. Please note that once you contact us by e-mail, we may instruct you on how to fulfil your request independently through the procedure you need to follow and we may require additional information and documents, including certain Personal Data, in order to authenticate and validate your identity and to process your request.  

10.4. Such additional data will be then retained by us for legal purposes (e.g., as proof of the identity of the person submitting the request).   

10.5. For clarity, you do have the following rights: 

10.5.1. Right to be Notified that 

10.5.1.1. Personal Information about you is being collected – We are communicating it through this policy; and 

10.5.1.2. your Personal Information has been accessed and acquired by an unauthorised person; 

10.5.2. Right of Access: 

10.5.2.1. The right to establish whether we hold Personal Information of you and to request access to your Personal Information – use our form 

03.8_PAIA Form C_ Request for Access to Record of Private Body; 

10.5.3. Right to Correction, Destruction or Deletion: 

10.5.3.1. The right to request, where necessary, the correction, destruction or deletion of your Personal Information – use our form 03.7_Request Correction Deletion Personal Information; 

10.5.4. Right to Object: 

10.5.4.1. on reasonable grounds relating to your particular situation to the processing of your Personal Information; 

10.5.4.2. to the processing of your Personal Information  

a) at any time for purposes of direct marketing; or 

b) for purposes of direct marketing by means of unsolicited electronic communications; use our form 03.6_Objection to the Processing of Personal Information. 10.5.5. Right with regards to Automated Processing: 

10.5.5.1. The right not to be subject, under certain circumstances, to a decision which is based solely on the basis of the automated processing of your Personal Information intended to provide a profile of you. 

10.5.6. Right to Complain: 

10.5.6.1. submit a complaint to the Regulator regarding the alleged interference with the protection of the Personal Information of any Data Subject or to submit a complaint to the Regulator in respect of a determination of an adjudicator as; and 

10.5.6.2. to institute civil proceedings regarding the alleged interference with the protection of your Personal Information. 

11. Complaint’s Process 

11.1. If you believe that we have not replied to your access request or has not handled your Personal Information in a reasonable manner, please address your concerns first with us. You may also choose to make a complaint to the Information Regulator. 

11.2. Please note that, in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, we have 30 days to respond to your request, should you have one. 

12. Additional Notices  

12.1. We may update this policy from time to time; we are not responsible for other websites or services’ privacy practices; we have appointed an Information Officer and Deputy Information Officer as set out below. 

12.2. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions regarding privacy and data protection!  

12.3. Updates and Amendments:  

12.3.1. We may update and amend this Privacy Policy from time to time by posting an amended version on our website.  

12.3.2. The amended version will be effective as of the date it is published.  

12.3.3. When we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we’ll provide yous with notice as appropriate under the circumstances, e.g., by displaying a prominent notice within the service or by sending an email.  

12.3.4. Your continued use of the service after the changes have been implemented will constitute your acceptance of the changes.  

12.4. External Links:  

12.4.1. While our service may contain links to other websites or services, we are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to pay attention to the third-party service providers’ website or application and to read the privacy policies of each and every website and service you visit.  

12.4.2. This Privacy Policy applies only to our service.  

12.5. Our service is not designed to attract children under the age of 18:  

12.5.1. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from children and do not wish to do so.  

12.5.2. If we learn that a person under the age of 18 is using the service, we will attempt to prohibit and block such use and will make our best efforts to promptly delete any Personal Data stored with us with regard to such child, unless meaningful consent were provided by the parent or guardian.  

12.5.3. If you believe that we might have any such data, please contact us by e-mail at coms@remaxtownandcountry.co.za.   

12.6. Information Officer and Deputy Information Officer:  

12.6.1. RE/MAX Town and Country has appointed Janus de Jonge as our Information Officer and Simon Steenekamp as our Deputy Information Officer, for monitoring and advising on our ongoing privacy compliance and serving as a point of contact on privacy matters for data subjects and supervisory authorities.  

Information Officer 

Name: Janus de Jonge 

Contact Number: 0723454305 

E-mail: janus@remax-townandcountry.co.za

Deputy Information Officer :

Name: Simon Steenekamp 

Contact Number: 076 376 0893 

E-mail: daniel@remax-townandcountry.co.za  

12.6.2. If you have any comments or questions regarding our Privacy Policy, if you have any concerns regarding your privacy, or if you wish to make a complaint about how your personal data is being processed you can contact coms@remaxtownandcountry.co.za.   

12.7. Questions, concerns or complaints:  

12.7.1. If you believe that we have not replied to your access request or has not handled your Personal Information in a reasonable manner, please address your concerns first with us. You may also choose to make a complaint to the Information Regulator. 

12.7.2. If you have any comments or questions regarding our Privacy Policy, or if you have any concerns regarding your Personal Data held with us, please contact us for support at coms@remaxtownandcountry.co.za.