Privacy Policy

We handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. We also work within the requirements of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) and its regulations, which set out how an owners corporation must collect and manage information about lot owners and occupants.

About Townhouse Strata

Townhouse Strata is a NSW strata management business that specialises in small townhouse and villa schemes, generally between 2 and 22 lots. We act as managing agent for owners corporations and provide a personal, hands-on service led by an experienced Class 1 strata manager.

The personal information we collect

The types of personal information we typically collect include:

• Name, postal address, lot and unit address, email address and phone number
• Records identifying lot owners, tenants and occupants of a scheme
• Bank account and payment details for levy payments, refunds or supplier payments
• Insurance claim details, including incident descriptions where relevant
• Correspondence, requests, complaints and notes of conversations
• Information about pets, parking, vehicles or works to a lot, where relevant to the scheme
• Voting records, proxy forms and meeting attendance
• Records required to be kept on the strata roll under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW)

We do not generally collect sensitive information. Where we do (for example, health or disability information relevant to a request for access or to a complaint), we only collect it with your consent or where the law allows or requires it.

How we collect personal information

Most of the personal information we hold is provided directly to us by the people it relates to. We also collect information from a range of other sources in the normal course of managing a scheme.

Information you give us. You provide personal information when you become a lot owner or tenant in a scheme we manage, contact us by phone or email, attend a meeting, lodge a request or complaint, fill in a form on our website, or apply for a position with us.

Information from your scheme. When we are appointed as managing agent, we receive the strata roll and other scheme records from the outgoing managing agent or from the owners corporation directly. These records contain personal information about lot owners and occupants.

Information from third parties. We may also receive personal information from real estate agents, property managers, conveyancers, solicitors, contractors, insurers and other parties acting for you or your scheme.

Why we collect, hold and use personal information

We collect, hold and use personal information so that we can manage your scheme properly and provide our services. This includes:

• Maintaining the strata roll and the records the owners corporation is required to keep
• Issuing levy notices, payment plans and recovery correspondence
• Preparing for and running general meetings and committee meetings
• Distributing notices, agendas, minutes and resolutions
• Arranging and renewing insurance, and managing claims
• Arranging quotes, engaging contractors and following up on maintenance works
• Communicating with lot owners, tenants, committee members, suppliers and external parties
• Responding to requests, complaints and disputes, including matters before NCAT or other tribunals
• Meeting our obligations under strata, taxation, work health and safety, and other relevant laws
• Improving our service and managing our internal operations

We will not use your personal information for any unrelated purpose unless you have agreed, the law allows it, or you would reasonably expect us to do so.

Who we share personal information with

Strata legislation requires owners corporations to make certain information available to lot owners and other interested parties. As managing agent, we facilitate that on behalf of the scheme. This means your personal information held on the strata roll may be disclosed to other lot owners and people authorised by law to inspect the records of the scheme.

We also share personal information, only as needed, with:

• The owners corporation and the strata committee for your scheme
• Contractors and tradespeople engaged to carry out works or services
• Insurers, insurance brokers, valuers and loss adjusters
• Auditors, accountants and the Australian Taxation Office where required
• Banks and payment processors handling levy and supplier payments
• Lawyers, debt recovery agents and tribunals or courts in the event of a dispute
• Regulators including NSW Fair Trading and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
• Our software providers, including our strata management platform and document storage providers

We do not sell personal information and we do not provide it to third parties for their own marketing.

Keeping your information secure

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Our measures include access controls, secure cloud storage, encrypted data transmission, regular software updates, and staff and contractor obligations of confidentiality.

No system is completely secure. If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify affected people and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Accessing and correcting your information

You can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and you can ask us to correct anything that is wrong or out of date. We may ask you to put your request in writing and to confirm your identity before we release or change information.

If we are not able to give you access or make the correction you have asked for, we will tell you why in writing. Please note that we cannot retrospectively change records held on the strata roll or in scheme records, but we can record a note that your information has been disputed or updated.

We do not charge a fee for making a request, but we may charge a reasonable cost for providing access where the law allows.

Complaints

If you think we have not handled your personal information correctly, please contact us first using the details below. We will look into your complaint and respond in writing within a reasonable time, usually 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can refer the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business, our use of technology, or legal requirements. The current version is always available on our website. We encourage you to review it periodically.

Contact us

If you have a question about this policy, would like to access or correct your information, or want to make a complaint, please contact us: