Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Gold Coast Pre‑Purchase Inspections (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose personal information in connection with our building and pest inspection services, and how you can contact us about your privacy rights.

We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

2. What personal information we collect

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our inspection services, including:

• Your name

• Email address

• Phone number

• Property address(es) to be inspected

• Billing details (e.g. name on card, billing address) where applicable

• Any additional information you provide when booking, communicating with us, or requesting a report

We do not intentionally collect sensitive information (such as health, racial, or biometric data) unless it is incidentally captured in inspection photos or notes. If sensitive information is inadvertently captured, we handle it in accordance with this policy and take steps to minimise unnecessary collection.

3. How we collect your personal information

We collect personal information:

• Directly from you when you:

  • Book an inspection via our website, phone, or email

  • Contact us with enquiries or feedback

  • Communicate with us by phone, email, SMS, or in person

• From third parties only where necessary to provide our services (for example, a real estate agent or property manager providing access details, with your consent or as authorised by you).

4. How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to:

• Arrange, schedule, and conduct building and/or pest inspections

• Prepare and deliver inspection reports

• Communicate with you about your booking, report, and any follow‑up queries

• Provide customer support and handle complaints

• Meet legal, insurance, and professional obligations (e.g. record‑keeping, dispute resolution)

• Improve our services and internal processes (including training and quality assurance)

We do not use your personal information for unrelated purposes without your consent, unless required or authorised by law.

5. Disclosure of your personal information

We may disclose your personal information to:

• You and your nominated report recipients (e.g. your solicitor, conveyancer, real estate agent, or family member)

• Our staff and contractors who need access to perform inspections, prepare reports, or provide administrative, IT, or billing services

• Our software and service providers (e.g. booking systems, report software, email and cloud storage providers), under contractual obligations to protect your data

• Our professional advisers (e.g. lawyer, accountant, insurer) where necessary

• Government or regulatory bodies where required or authorised by law (e.g. in response to a subpoena, court order, or regulatory request)

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

6. Overseas disclosure

We may use cloud‑based software and service providers that store data on servers located outside Australia. Where we disclose personal information to overseas recipients, we take reasonable steps to ensure they handle your information in accordance with applicable privacy laws and our instructions.

7. Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure, including:

• Storing information in password‑protected, access‑controlled systems

• Using encrypted connections (e.g. HTTPS/SSL) for our website and email where supported

• Restricting access to personal information to authorised staff and contractors who need it to perform their duties

• Requiring staff and contractors to treat your information as confidential

• Using reputable third‑party providers for bookings, reporting, and cloud storage, with security and confidentiality obligations

• Regularly reviewing our security practices and updating systems as needed

While we take these steps, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We will notify you of any significant data breach as required by law.

8. Data quality

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect, use, and disclose is accurate, complete, and up to date. If you tell us that your information is incorrect or out of date, we will take reasonable steps to correct it.

9. Retention of personal information

We keep personal information only for as long as is reasonably necessary to:

• Provide our services and support

• Comply with legal, tax, and insurance requirements

• Resolve disputes and manage risk

For property inspection reports and related records, we typically retain information for a minimum of 7 years from the date of inspection (or longer if required by law or our insurers). Enquiries that do not result in a service may be retained for a shorter period (e.g. up to 12 months) unless you request earlier deletion.

When personal information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de‑identify it.

10. Your rights and choices

Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you

• Request correction of inaccurate, out‑of‑date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading information

• Request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances

• Opt out of direct marketing communications at any time

• Make a complaint about how we handle your personal information

To exercise these rights, contact us using the details in section 13. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within a reasonable time and, where required by law, within statutory timeframes.

We may refuse access or correction in limited circumstances allowed by law (for example, if it would unreasonably impact others’ privacy or breach confidentiality obligations). If we refuse, we will provide reasons and information about how you can complain.

11. Direct marketing

We may use your contact details to send you service‑related information, updates, or marketing about our inspection services where permitted by law. You can opt out at any time by:

• Using the “unsubscribe” link in our emails, or

• Contacting us directly

We will not share your personal information with third parties for their direct marketing without your consent.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The latest version will be available on our website. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact details and complaints

If you have questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us:

• Business name: Gold Coast Pre‑Purchase Inspections

• Email: contact@gcppi.com

• Phone: 0461 331 579

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

• Website: www.oaic.gov.au

• Phone: 1300 363 992