Privacy Policy

conveyancing.com is operated by www.conveyancing.com Pty Ltd (ABN 49 131 578 437). We are an Australian legal services business. This policy explains how we handle personal information under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and how that handling is shaped by our professional obligations as a law firm — including client identification and record-keeping under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) (the AML/CTF Act).

1. What we collect

In the course of acting on a property transaction, or preparing to do so, we typically collect:

• Name, contact details and date of birth.
• Identity documents such as passport, driver licence, Medicare card and proof-of-address material.
• Bank account, settlement and trust-account information required to disburse funds.
• Property, title, mortgage, rates and tax information.
• Information about the source and purpose of funds where required by our regulatory obligations.
• Communications with you, your agent, broker, lender, the other side and government bodies.
• Technical information collected automatically when you use our website or workspace (device, IP address, session activity).

2. Why we collect it

We use personal information to:

• Provide legal and conveyancing services.
• Verify identity and authority to instruct.
• Settle the transaction on PEXA and exchange funds and title with banks, government registries and other parties.
• Meet our professional, regulatory, taxation and reporting obligations.
• Operate, secure and improve our platform and respond to enquiries.

3. AML/CTF, Verification of Identity and source-of-funds

As an Australian legal practice we are subject to client identification, record-keeping and reporting obligations under the AML/CTF Act and related rules, as well as Verification of Identity (VOI) standards published by the Australian Registrars' National Electronic Conveyancing Council (ARNECC) and the requirements of PEXA, Land Use Victoria and equivalent state registries.

To meet those obligations we may be required to:

• Collect and verify identification documents to the standard set out in the ARNECC Model Participation Rules (Schedule 8).
• Retain identity verification records and related materials for at least seven years after the matter is completed or otherwise as required by law.
• Ask reasonable questions about the source of funds, the nature of the transaction and the parties involved.
• Monitor matters on an ongoing basis and report suspicious matters to AUSTRAC where required by law.

We are unable to act on a transaction where these requirements cannot be satisfied. Where the law requires us to make a report, we cannot disclose to you that a report has been or may be made.

4. Who we may share it with

We disclose personal information only as needed to perform the work you have instructed us to do, or as required or authorised by law. Recipients can include:

• PEXA, Land Use Victoria and equivalent registries in other states and territories.
• Your lender, the other side's representatives and any discharging mortgagee.
• Identity verification providers (for example IDfy, ZipID or equivalent services authorised under ARNECC rules).
• The Australian Taxation Office, state revenue offices and local councils where settlement adjustments require it.
• AUSTRAC and other regulators where reporting is required or compelled by law.
• Professional advisers, auditors and our insurers.
• Secure infrastructure providers that host our systems.

5. Storage, security and retention

We hold personal information on access-controlled Australian-hosted infrastructure, with encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access for staff, and audit logging for client records and trust-account activity.

No email or electronic transmission is completely secure. Clients should exercise caution when acting on payment or account instructions received electronically, and are encouraged to verify any change to banking details by telephone using a previously known number before remitting funds.

Legal practice records, including identity verification records, settlement statements and trust-account records, are retained for the minimum periods required by the Legal Profession Uniform Law, ARNECC rules and the AML/CTF Act — typically at least seven years after the matter is completed, and longer where another law applies.

6. Overseas disclosure

Personal information is generally held in Australia. Where a service provider or counterparty is located outside Australia, we take reasonable steps to ensure they handle the information consistently with the APPs.

7. Your rights

You can ask to access or correct the personal information we hold about you. We may decline a request to the extent the information is subject to legal professional privilege, forms part of a confidential file relating to another client, or where another law requires us to refuse — for example, the “tipping-off” provisions of the AML/CTF Act.

If you are concerned about how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer first. If you are not satisfied with our response you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

8. Cookies and analytics

Our website uses a minimal set of cookies and similar technologies to operate the site, remember your preferences and measure aggregate use. We do not sell personal information.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of the page indicates when it was last revised.

10. Contact our Privacy Officer

Privacy Officer
www.conveyancing.com Pty Ltd
GPO Box 5050, MELBOURNE VIC 3001
privacy@conveyancing.com