1. About this Policy
Lodgd provides planning and development data for all property in New South Wales. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information, and how you may access, correct or complain about the personal information we hold about you. It applies to this website and to the Lodgd platform. In this Policy, we, us and our mean Chalas Ventures Pty Ltd (ABN 63 703 582 254) trading as Lodgd Australia, which operates Lodgd.
We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. By using Lodgd, or by providing personal information to us, you agree to your personal information being handled as described in this Policy.
2. What personal information means
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. We do not collect sensitive information as that term is defined in the Privacy Act.
3. The personal information we collect
We collect only the personal information we need in order to provide and improve Lodgd:
- Contact details — your name and email address and, where you choose to provide them, your telephone number, company and role.
- Registration details — where you register your interest, the page you registered from and the date on which you did so.
- Account details — your sign-in credentials and the settings held in your account, including the councils and topics you have asked to be notified about and the records you have saved. Passwords are held in encrypted form and are not visible to us.
- Billing details — when you subscribe, you enter your card details on our payment provider’s secure page, and they are held by it, not by us. We hold your plan, its status and renewal date, and the reference our payment provider gives your account. The name, address and ABN you give for your invoices are held by our payment provider.
- Usage information — the pages you visit, the page that referred you, and general technical information such as browser type and the approximate location indicated by your IP address. We do not record keystrokes, mouse movement or the contents of your screen, and a visitor who does not sign in is counted but not identified.
- Search information — addresses entered into our property lookup. These are held in a shared cache so that the same address need not be retrieved twice, and are not recorded against any individual.
4. How we collect personal information
We collect personal information directly from you — when you register your interest, open an account, subscribe, set your notification preferences or contact us — and automatically through cookies and similar technologies when you use this website. See section 8.
5. How we use personal information
We use personal information to provide, operate and improve Lodgd; to open and administer your account; to take payment for your subscription; to send you the communications you have asked for, including notifications about the councils and topics you follow; to respond to your enquiries; to understand which parts of the service are used so that we can decide what to build; and to comply with our legal obligations.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not disclose it to any third party for that party’s own marketing purposes.
6. Direct marketing and how to opt out
Where you have registered your interest or hold an account, we may send you information about Lodgd. Every message we send contains an unsubscribe link, which takes effect immediately and does not require you to sign in. You may also opt out at any time by contacting us at the address in section 15.
Emails about your account and your subscription — such as receipts, renewal reminders and notices of failed payments — are not marketing, and are sent while you hold an account.
7. Who we disclose personal information to
We disclose personal information to:
- our service providers, who assist us with hosting and infrastructure, payment processing, email delivery, website analytics, security checks, document processing and support, and who may use it only for the purpose of providing those services to us;
- our professional advisers, where reasonably required; and
- a court, regulator or law enforcement agency, where we are required or authorised by law to do so, or where disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect our rights or the rights of another person.
8. Cookies and analytics
Cookies are small data files placed on your device by a web server. We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, to remember your preferences and to measure how our pages are used. We do not use advertising cookies and we do not track you across other websites. Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies; parts of Lodgd may not work correctly if you do.
9. Where your personal information is held
Account and contact information is stored in Australia.
Some of our service providers are located overseas, including in the United States and in the European Union, and personal information may be transferred to, processed or held on systems in those countries. Where we disclose personal information to an overseas recipient, we take steps that are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure it is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Planning documents published by New South Wales are processed by automated services in order to identify the land to which a proposal relates. Those documents are part of the planning record published by New South Wales. No account or contact information is included.
10. Security
We take steps that are reasonable in the circumstances to protect personal information from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. Access is restricted to those who require it, and information is transmitted over encrypted connections. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of information provided to us by electronic means.
11. How long we keep it
We retain personal information for as long as it is needed for the purposes set out in this Policy, or for as long as we are required to retain it by law. Registration details are kept until we have written to you about the release of the product, or until you ask us to remove them. Account information is kept while the account remains open; if the account is closed, it and the information saved against it are deleted. Records of payments are kept for as long as tax law requires us to keep them (generally five years), including after an account is closed.
12. Accessing and correcting your personal information
You may ask us for the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. There is no charge and no form to complete — contact us at the address in section 15. Account holders may also delete an account from within the platform.
13. Information published in the planning record
Lodgd reproduces information published by New South Wales on the NSW Planning Portal and in related registers. That information may include the names of applicants, certifiers, builders and other parties, and it is reproduced as published.
If you believe information in that record is incorrect, it should be corrected at source with the relevant council or with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, and our records will follow. You may also write to us at the address in section 15.
14. Complaints
If you believe we have handled your personal information in a way that does not comply with the Australian Privacy Principles, please contact us. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and respond within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
15. Contact us
Lodgd Australia — Chalas Ventures Pty Ltd (ABN 63 703 582 254), Sydney, New South Wales — hello@lodgdau.com
16. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. The current version is the one published on this page and applies from the date shown at the top. Where a change materially affects personal information we already hold, we will notify the individuals concerned.