Privacy policy

HELM Pty Limited respects the privacy and security of Personal Information, as defined below, and complies with the requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles (“APP”) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (“the Act”).

This Privacy Policy explains in general terms how HELM handles Personal Information. However, it does not apply to employee records. Such employee records are generally exempt from the Act and will be dealt with as permitted by law. 

By visiting our websites, using any of our services or otherwise providing us with your Personal Information (or authorising it to be provided to us by someone else), you agree to your Personal Information being collected and handled as set out in this Privacy Policy. 

Under the Act Personal Information is defined as information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual that is reasonably identifiable, in whatever form and regardless of whether it is true or not (‘Personal Information’). The Act also defines a subset of Personal Information as sensitive information (for example health records, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, criminal records). 

The types of Personal Information we collect and hold will depend on the circumstances of collection and on the type of service we are providing. 

We may collect Personal Information about you directly when you deal with us over the telephone, send us correspondence (whether by letter, fax or email), have contact with us in person, visit our websites or complete hard copy or online forms.  

There are also circumstances where we may collect Personal Information about you from someone else. For example, from:

• market research companies contracted by us to obtain information so that we may improve and market our services;

• your employer;

• other agents and valuers who may be involved in the services we provide;

• publicly available information and databases; and

• anyone you have authorised to deal with us on your behalf.

Depending on the type of service you or our customers have requested, we may also seek to collect information about someone else from you (for example, contact details of your solicitor, emergency contact person or tenant). However, you must not provide us with Personal Information about another person unless you have clear consent from that person to do so, told them that their Personal Information will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy and directed them to where they can find it. 

Regardless of how it is collected, we handle Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. 

We generally collect, hold and use your Personal Information for the purposes for which it is provided to us (which will usually be obvious at the time of collection), related purposes or as permitted or required by law. Such purposes may include:

• project management services;

• structured advisory services;

• administration of our business; 

• responding to client enquiries and communicating with you from time to time  to maintain contact and keep you updated on the services you have requested; 

• forecasting future needs of our services and general quality assurance and training purposes; 

• engaging in legal proceedings and/or enforcing judgments and/or orders; 

• complying with the applicable legal or regulatory requirements and/or orders of competent authorities;

• providing you with promotional and marketing information, including market research reports, newsletters, event invitations and/or property market information relating to our products and services which we think may be of interest to you; and

• any other purpose identified at the time of collecting your Personal Information.

We may disclose your Personal Information to third parties as may be necessary for any of the purposes stated in the above section. Such third parties generally include:

• our third party providers, contractors, consultants, agents and/or representatives (such as law firms, banks, financial institutions, insurers, IT providers, mortgage referral services providers and/or wealth management services providers) who provide services to us or on our behalf, including to:

• conduct valuations; 
• assist with obtaining payment from creditors;
• operate data centres;
• conduct market research;
• provide advice;

• potential buyers, tenants, conjunctional real estate agents and brokers for the purpose for which the information was collected or for related purposes (for example to complete a transaction on your behalf or provide you with a service that you requested); 

• anyone you have authorised to deal with us on your behalf; 

• government authorities, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, courts, tribunals and/or parties to the legal proceedings where you have consented to this or we are required or authorised to do so by law; 

• debt collection agencies; and/or

• any other third parties identified at the time of collection of your Personal Information. 

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the Personal Information we hold about you is accurate, complete and up-to-date. However, we also rely on you to advise us of any changes to your Personal Information. If you are able to access your Personal Information by logging on to an account you have with us, it is your responsibility to ensure your information is accurate, complete, relevant and up-to-date. 

On request we will provide you with access to the Personal Information we hold about you, including for the purpose of correcting or updating that information, unless otherwise required or permitted by law. 

There is no charge for making the request or giving the access to your Personal Information. We will deal with your request within a reasonable period after the request is made.

If we refuse to provide you with access we will provide you with a written notice that, at a minimum, outlines reasons for the refusal and the complaints mechanisms available to you. 

If you wish to access the Personal Information we hold about you or to update or correct it, you can either do so by logging on to your account (if you have one) or contact us using the contact details provided below. We will require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require.

We take reasonable steps to protect any Personal Information that we hold from misuse, interference and loss and from unauthorised access, alteration and disclosure. For example, we implement IT security procedures including password protection, firewalls and site monitoring and we store your Personal Information on a secure server. 

However, data protection measures are never completely secure and, despite the measures we have put in place, we cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Information. You must take care to protect your Personal Information (for example, by protecting any usernames and passwords). You should notify us as soon as possible if you become aware of any security breaches.

When you register your interest on our websites, you will receive e-mail messages from us, including newsletters, announcements and e-mail communications about our latest news, products or services.

If you do not wish to receive direct marketing calls or materials, you may email us at info@helmproperties.com.au and ask to be unsubscribed.

Our websites may contain links to the websites of other entities. If you click on such links, you will be transferred to the websites of these entities. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices of these entities. You should read the privacy policy of these entities to find out how they handle your Personal Information when you visit their websites. 

If you wish to make a complaint about a breach of this Privacy Policy or the Australian Privacy Principles of the Act you can contact us using the contact details below. You will need to provide us with sufficient details regarding your complaint together with any supporting evidence. 

We will investigate the issue and determine the steps that we will undertake to resolve your complaint. We will contact you if we require any additional information from you and will notify you in writing of the outcome of the investigation. 

If you are not satisfied with our determination, you can contact us to discuss your concerns or contact the Australian Privacy Commissioner via www.oaic.gov.au. 

HELM Pty Limited may update this Privacy Policy from time to time so please review it periodically for changes. 

Your continued use of our websites or services, requesting our assistance or the provision of further Personal Information to us (directly or via an authorised person) after this Privacy Policy has been revised, indicates your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

If you have a query relating to this Privacy Policy or wish to make a complaint, please contact us using the following contact details: