:Different
Privacy policy

Different Technologies Pty Ltd ACN 615 060 118 trading as Different (we, our or us) is committed to the protection of your personal information. This privacy policy covers our treatment of personal information that we collect, use and disclose.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The most current version will be located on our website (www.different.com.au), and is also available by contacting us using the contact details below. If any update would result in a material change to your rights or obligations and cause you material detriment, we will give you at least 30 days’ written notice via email or through the website or app before the modification is to take effect.

By using our website or app, or by providing any personal information to us, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as set out in this privacy policy.

Types of personal information collected

The types of personal information that we collect and hold will vary depending on your dealings with us. This information may include any or all of the following:

  • name, address(es), telephone number(s) and other contact details;  
  • date of birth;
  • gender; 
  • occupation; 
  • identification documentation, such as passport, drivers license, birth certificate, citizenship certificate, other photographic identification, council rates notices, pay slips or other evidence of employment, Medicare card, Land Titles Office records, public utility records (such as phone, internet, water, gas or electricity bills), bank records, or documents from a licensed real estate agent;
  • government benefit details;
  • biometric information to allow you to access our services;
  • personal information you provide to us during the course of requesting or receiving services from us;
  • payment information (such as credit card or bank details); 
  • other personal information required to provide our services; and
  • transaction details relating to your use of our products, services or benefits.

If you access any of our services through a social network site, we will collect limited information provided to us by that social network site, such as username, site ID and email address.

If you submit personal information to us in relation to an employment opportunity, we may also collect information about your employment and academic history.

Our services are intended for people aged 16 years or older. We do not knowingly request or collect, use and disclose personal data provided by a person under the age of 16. In the event we learn we have collected personal information from a person under the age of 16, we will use all reasonable endeavours to delete that information.

From time to time, you may provide us, and we may collect from you, personal information of a third party, for example, a family member, a referee, or where you refer a third party to us. Where you provide the personal information of a third party, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the authority to provide their personal information to us, and that those persons are aware of this privacy policy, understand it and agree to accept it.

You do not have to provide us with any personal information, however, if you do not do so we may not be able to provide you with the products, services or benefits you have requested.

How we collect personal information

Generally, we collect personal information directly from you, such as:

  • when you submit information through our website or app;
  • in person;
  • through competitions, promotions or surveys that we may run;
  • in the course of us providing you with a requested service or benefit; or 
  • when you have other dealings with us.

We may also collect personal information about you from third parties through:

  • searches of the National Tenancy Database;
  • referees;
  • other real estate agents;
  • publicly available sources;
  • plumbers, electricians, cleaners, and other people who provide services to us;
  • social media;
  • publicly available sources;
  • our business partners; and
  • third parties who supply services to us. 

How we use personal information

We will use the personal information we collect to:

  • verify your identity and other details that you provide to us;
  • assess your residential tenancy application; 
  • establish and maintain your relationship with us;
  • send reminders and notifications to you;
  • provide the services you have requested from us;  
  • make our services more valuable to you (for example by automatically populating forms or by combining information we hold about you); 
  • answer any inquiry you make;  
  • comply with obligations imposed by laws (including anti-money laundering laws);  and
  • establish or defend a legal or equitable claim.

We may use your first name and any testimonials that you provide to market our services.  

We may also disclose your personal information to third parties who work with us in our business, such as:

  • plumbers, electricians, cleaners, and other service providers;
  • landlords or tenants;
  • couriers and delivery contractors;
  • marketing consultants and promotions companies; 
  • service providers who monitor and analyse Website and app activity, host content, provide technical and organisational services, maintain our customer database, assist in marketing and administration; and
  • consultants and professional advisers; and
  • real estate agencies or their nominee, employees, assigns or contractors that we may subcontract to and/or act in conjunction with from time to time.

If you submit personal information to us in relation to an employment opportunity with us, we may also use your personal information to:

  • consider you for the position you have applied for or any other positions that are or become available;
  • communicate with in relation to your application and any future employment opportunities with us; and
  • contact your referees.

We may also disclose your personal information to an acquirer if we sell some or all of our business.

We will not use or disclose your personal information for any other purpose without first seeking your consent, or where authorised or required by law, including without limitation the Residential Tenancies Act.

Direct marketing

We may from time to time use your personal information to provide you with current information about property management, insurance products, special offers you may find of interest, changes to our organisation, or new products or services being offered by us, our related bodies corporate or any other company we are associated with. By providing us with your information, you consent to receiving such information, including by phone, email, SMS and social media, on an ongoing basis until you unsubscribe. We will not use or disclose sensitive information about you for direct marketing purposes unless you have consented to that kind of use or disclosure.

If you do not wish to receive marketing information, you may at any time decline to receive such information by contacting us. Contact details are set out at section “How to contact us” of this policy. If the direct marketing is by email you may also use the unsubscribe function and if the direct marketing is by SMS you may reply ‘STOP’ to opt out. We will not charge you for giving effect to your request and will take all reasonable steps to meet your request at the earliest possible opportunity.

How we store and protect personal information

We store personal information in a combination of computer storage facilities, paper-based files and other records. In so doing, we have taken numerous steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference and loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Additionally, we take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information when we no longer need it.

The internet is not a secure method of transmitting information. Accordingly, we cannot and do not accept responsibility for the security of information you send to or receive from us over the internet, or for any unauthorised access or use of that information.

Do we send personal information overseas?

We are likely to disclose some of your personal information, for the purposes described above, to organisations in Sri Lanka and the USA.  

Some of these countries may not have the same or substantially similar privacy laws as those set out in this privacy policy and the Australian Privacy Principles.  We may not require organisations to which we disclose personal information in those countries to comply with similar privacy laws, and accordingly your personal information may not receive the same protections that it would in Australia.  

By providing your personal information to us, you consent to our disclosure of your personal information to organisations in those countries even though it may not receive the same protections that it would in Australia.  You may request us not to transfer your personal information to the countries listed above, but if you do so we may not be able to provide the services or products you have requested from us.  

How you can access your personal information

We will take reasonable steps to make sure that the personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date. If your personal details change, please contact us using the contact details below.

At your request, we will provide you with a copy of any personal information which we hold about you, unless an exception under the Privacy Act 1988 applies. We may charge a fee for retrieving this information, in which case we will inform you of the fee and obtain your agreement to that fee before providing the information.

Cookies

We use cookies to track user traffic patterns and to better serve you. A cookie is a small data file that a website may write to your hard drive when you visit it. A cookie file can contain information, such as a user ID which the website uses to track the pages you have visited. You can refuse all cookies by turning them off in your browser. However, full functionality for our websites requires the use of cookies.

Information is also generated whenever a page is accessed on our website that records information such as the time, date and specific page. We collect such information for statistical and maintenance purposes that enables us to continually evaluate our website performance.

If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, web beacons or measurement software and tools, you may be able to delete or reject them through your browser or the settings section of your mobile or tablet device. Disabling these features may cause some of the functions on the websites and app not to work properly.

How to contact us or make a complaint

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, if you wish to update information we hold about you or if you wish to make a complaint about our collection, use or disclosure of your personal information under this privacy policy, please contact:

Level 2, Pier 8/9
23 Hickson Rd,
Millers Point, NSW 2000
e: hello@different.com.au

We will promptly acknowledge and investigate any complaints about the way we manage personal information.  If you are not happy with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner  https://www.oaic.gov.au/.

Policy last updated - June 2022