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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for Property Folks Realty (Pty) Ltd

Last Updated: June 13, 2026

1. Introduction and Scope

Property Folks Realty (Pty) Ltd (“we”, “us”, or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website (propertyfolks.co.za), engage our real estate services, or communicate with us.

This policy is designed to satisfy the statutory requirements of:

  • The Protection of Personal Information Act, No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA) in South Africa.
  • The General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (GDPR) for visitors from the European Union.

2. Details of the Responsible Party / Data Controller

In terms of POPIA and GDPR, Property Folks Realty (Pty) Ltd acts as the Responsible Party (or Data Controller).

  • Full Name: Property Folks Realty (Pty) Ltd
  • Website: propertyfolks.co.za
  • Physical Address: 256 Bouganvilla Estate Schubert Street, Melodie, South Africa
  • Designated Information Officer / Data Protection Officer: Reinier van der merwe / [email protected]

3. The Personal Information We Collect

We collect and process personal information only when it is necessary to fulfill a specific business purpose, provide real estate services, or improve your experience on our website.

A. Information You Voluntarily Provide to Us

  • Identity Data: Name, surname, identity or passport number, and professional or business registration numbers.
  • Contact Data: Email address, telephone numbers, and physical/postal addresses.
  • Property & Financial Preferences: Preferred geographic locations, property budget ranges, desired property characteristics, financing requirements, or property evaluation data.
  • Transaction Data: Details regarding properties you buy, sell, lease, or view through our agency, including signed agreements and financial mandates.

B. Information Automatically Collected

  • Technical and Usage Data: IP addresses, browser types, operating systems, time zone settings, geographic locations, and navigation paths on propertyfolks.co.za collected via compliant cookie consent frameworks.

4. Purpose and Lawful Basis for Processing Data

We will only use your personal data when authorized by law. The table below outlines how we use your data and the legal justifications required by POPIA (Section 11) and GDPR (Article 6).

Purpose / ActivityType of DataLawful Basis for Processing
To respond to inquiries (e.g., booking viewings, valuation requests).Identity, Contact, Property PreferencesPerformance of a Contract or taking steps prior to entering into a contract.
To execute mandate agreements (listing, selling, or leasing properties).Identity, Contact, Transaction, Financial DataPerformance of a Contract and fulfillment of statutory obligations under the Property Practitioners Act.
Website Optimization & Diagnostics (fixing bugs, analyzing popular listings).Technical, Usage DataLegitimate Interest to improve our website experience and property inventory.
Direct Marketing (newsletters, personalized property matches).Identity, Contact, PreferencesInformed Consent (freely given, affirmative opt-in via checkbox).

5. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Information

Property Folks Realty (Pty) Ltd does not sell your personal data. We may share your information with trusted third parties (Operators or Data Processors) solely to complete transactions or support website infrastructure:

  1. Financial Institutions & Conveyancers: To facilitate property transfers, bond applications, or financial processing.
  2. Service Providers: IT support, cloud hosting services, and automated CRM platforms that manage our property databases. All operators are contractually bound to implement strict privacy measures under POPIA Section 20.
  3. Community Schemes / Gated Estates: Where necessary to arrange viewing access for property practitioners and buyers, in compliance with estate-specific safety codes.
  4. Legal Authorities: When mandated by South African law (e.g., FICA requirements, the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority) or international judicial orders.

6. International Data Transfers

Our servers and physical operations are located primarily in South Africa. If your data is transferred outside of South Africa or the European Economic Area (EEA)—for instance, via global cloud storage platforms like Google Workspace or Microsoft Azure—we ensure that standard safeguards are met:

  • We utilize Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission.
  • We ensure the receiving country provides an adequate level of data protection equivalent to POPIA and GDPR.

7. Data Security Measures

In compliance with POPIA Section 19 and GDPR Article 32, we have established robust technical and organizational security protocols to prevent accidental loss, unauthorized access, destruction, or disclosure of personal data:

  • Encryption: All data transmitted via propertyfolks.co.za is encrypted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL/TLS) technology.
  • Access Control: Access to personal data is restricted to employees and agents who require the information to execute their specific job duties.
  • Breach Readiness: We maintain internal incident response procedures. In the event of a suspected data breach, we will notify the South African Information Regulator (and relevant EU authorities) as well as affected individuals within the legally mandated time frames.

8. Data Retention Periods

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, or regulatory reporting requirements.

  • Inquiries & Marketing: Retained until you withdraw consent or for a maximum of 2 years from last active contact.
  • Real Estate Transactions: Retained for up to 5 to 7 years post-transaction to comply with statutory financial records retention and South African property law.

Depending on your jurisdiction, you possess specific legal rights over your personal data.

Under POPIA (South Africa) & GDPR (EU), you have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Rectification: Request that we correct inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information.
  • Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): Request that we permanently delete your data when it is no longer necessary for business operations or legal compliance.
  • Object to Processing: Object to the processing of your data for direct marketing purposes. If you object, we must cease using your data for this purpose immediately.
  • Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to complain to a data protection authority regarding our practices.

Regulatory Contacts:

  • South Africa: The Information Regulator (South Africa) | Website: inforegulator.org.za | Email: [email protected]
  • European Union: Your local national Data Protection Authority (DPA).

10. How to Exercise Your Rights

To submit a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) or update your preferences, please contact our Information Officer in writing via email at [email protected]. We will verify your identity before processing the request and respond within the statutory 30-day window.