Storyhouse Real Estate (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in an open and transparent way. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and protect personal information — including information used to verify your identity — in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
By using our website, submitting information through our contact forms, or engaging us to provide real estate services, you consent to the practices described in this policy.
A current version of this policy is always available on our website at storyhouserealestate.com.au.
1. Personal Information We Collect
We may collect the following personal information about you:
Your name
Email address and phone number
Residential or business address, and property address (if provided)
Date and place of birth
Government-issued identification details, such as driver licence, passport, Medicare card or other ID document numbers
Biometric information, such as a facial image or short video used to verify your identity
Information about the services we provide to you and any related transactions
Any other information you choose to include in your enquiry or provide to us
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our business activities as a real estate agency, including meeting our legal and regulatory obligations.
2. How We Collect Personal Information
We collect personal information when you:
Submit a contact or enquiry form on our website
Contact us via email, phone, or other digital channels
Engage with us in relation to property sales, leasing, or general enquiries
Complete an identity verification process with us or our authorised providers
We may also collect limited technical information such as IP address or browser type to help us improve our website performance and security.
We use your personal information to:
Respond to enquiries and requests
Provide real estate services and information
Communicate with you about properties or services you have requested
Verify your identity
Meet our legal and regulatory obligations, including anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) requirements
Detect and prevent fraud, and keep our systems secure
Improve our website and services
We do not sell or rent your personal information.
To verify your identity, and to meet our AML/CTF obligations, we may use electronic identity verification services, including the Australian Government’s Document Verification Service (DVS).
Where you have consented, your name, date of birth and identity document details will be securely checked against the records held by the Commonwealth or State authority that issued your document. This may include passport offices, driver licence authorities, the Department of Home Affairs, Births Deaths and Marriages, or other authorised record holders.
We do not receive a copy of your government records. The authority returns a match result only, confirming whether your details match (yes or no).
This process may be carried out through accredited identity verification providers, including APLYiD (APLYiD Pty Ltd, ABN 36 632 866 794) and its authorised sub-providers. More information about the DVS is available at idmatch.gov.au.
As part of identity verification, we may collect biometric information, such as a facial image or a short video of you holding your identification.
Biometric information may be used to:
Confirm that you are a real person and physically present
Match your image to the photograph on your identification document
Reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft
Biometric information is treated as sensitive information under the Privacy Act. We only use it for identity verification and related compliance purposes, and only with your consent.
By providing your personal information and completing the identity verification process, you consent to:
The collection, use and disclosure of your personal information for identity verification, AML/CTF and related compliance purposes
The collection and use of biometric information, such as a facial image or video, for identity verification
Your information being checked against records held by Commonwealth and State authorities through the DVS
Your information being shared with our authorised identity verification providers, including APLYiD
Your consent is voluntary, and you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us using the details in section 16. If you do not consent, or do not provide the information we need, we may be unable to verify your identity electronically. In that case, we may need to verify your identity another way, or we may be unable to provide our services to you.
We may disclose your personal information to:
Our employees and contractors, where required to provide our services
Identity verification providers, including APLYiD and its authorised sub-providers
Commonwealth and State authorities and official record holders, through the DVS
Professional advisers such as legal, accounting, or IT service providers
Third-party service providers that assist us in operating our website or managing enquiries
Regulators, law enforcement or other third parties where required or authorised by law
Any third parties we engage are required to handle your information securely and only for authorised purposes. We do not sell your personal information.
Some of our service providers may store or process personal information outside Australia. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is handled in line with the Australian Privacy Principles, including through contractual protections with our providers.
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. This includes administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, including access controls and encryption in transit and at rest where appropriate.
Personal information is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. When we no longer need your information, we securely delete or de-identify it.
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you, and request corrections if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. To make a request, please contact us using the details in section 16. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.
From time to time, we may use your contact details to send you information about our services that we think may be of interest to you. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our messages, or by contacting us using the details in section 16.
If you have a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first using the details in section 16. We will acknowledge your complaint, investigate it, and respond to you within a reasonable time.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au (https://www.oaic.gov.au).
Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to enhance user experience and analyse website traffic. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings.
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies separately.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or legal requirements. The most current version will always be available on our website. Where changes are significant, we will let you know.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise any of your privacy rights, or wish to make a complaint, please contact:
Storyhouse Real Estate
Privacy contact: Officer in Effective Control - Mark Josem
Email: hello@storyhouserealestate.com.au
Phone: +61 3 4427 9763
Address: 141 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East VIC 3123
Updated: July 2026