Property Management Wellington · FlatFind

Privacy policy

Draft under review. This wording is being reviewed before it becomes the official policy. Items marked under review are still to be confirmed.

The short version

This summary explains our privacy terms simply. The full terms below are the ones that apply.

FlatFind is Property Management Wellington's own website for advertising rooms and flats, booking viewings, and applying to rent. When you apply, we collect personal information — who you are, who'd be living with you, and (only if you become a preferred applicant) the detail that lets us verify identity, income and rental history.

We only ask for what the current step needs. Applying happens in two stages: stage 1 is the basics; the sensitive material — ID, income, references — is stage 2, and we only ask for it once you're a preferred applicant for a property.
Your information goes to the people assessing your application and no one else — the Property Management Wellington team and the owner of the property you applied for. In practice, property managers work with a small group of preferred applicants at a time rather than browsing every application in full.
Your referees are only contacted with your consent — you give it as part of submitting.
There are no passwords. You sign in with a link we email you, so there's no password of yours to steal or reuse.
You're in control. From your account you can see your applications, update your details, withdraw an application, turn text messages off, and ask us to delete your data.
We never sell your personal information.

Questions, or anything you'd like corrected or removed: info@propertymanagementwgtn.co.nz or 04 384 7777.

Full policy

1. Who we are

Property Management Wellington [under review: exact legal entity name and registered address] operates the FlatFind website (flatfind.co.nz) to advertise residential rental properties in Wellington, book viewings, and receive and assess tenancy applications. This policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you use the site, and your rights under the Privacy Act 2020. "Personal information" means information about you or any other identifiable person.

We handle personal information in line with the 13 information privacy principles of the Privacy Act 2020, and with the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 where it applies to tenancy applications. [under review: legal citations to be confirmed at sign-off]

2. What we collect, and when

We deliberately stage what we ask for, so we hold the minimum needed at each point.

When you browse or book a viewing: your name, phone number and email; your viewing availability if you choose to give it; and standard technical log data (IP address, pages visited, browser type) used to keep the site working and secure.

Stage 1 of an application (any applicant): your name and contact details; your preferred move-in date and term; who would live with you (names, ages, relationships of other occupants); pets (type, breed, name, and a photo if you choose to add one); smoking status; and whether you've attended a viewing.

Stage 2 of an application (preferred applicants only): date of birth; current and previous addresses and the periods you lived there; images and details of your identity document (driver licence or passport); your income and employment situation and supporting documents you choose to provide; landlord, employer and personal referee names and contact details; and an optional profile photo.

Accounts: your email address is your sign-in. We use passwordless "magic link" sign-in, so we never store a password for you.

If you give us information about another person (for example a flatmate, referee or emergency contact), you confirm you're authorised to do so and that they know we'll hold and use it to assess the application, and that they can ask us for the information we hold about them.

You don't have to give us any of this information — but without it we may not be able to process an application.

3. How we use it

running your account and signing you in;
scheduling and confirming viewings, including confirmations and reminders by text message and email;
assessing applications and selecting tenants for the property you applied to — the purpose the information was collected for;
contacting your referees, with the consent you give when submitting;
verifying the information you've provided [under review: if credit or background checks are introduced, the bureau will be named here with a link to its privacy statement];
setting up the tenancy if your application succeeds (your application details carry into the tenancy record);
responding to questions and complaints; and
keeping the service safe, diagnosing problems and improving how the site works.

We contact you about your applications, viewings and tenancy. We don't send marketing. We never sell personal information.

4. The two-stage sharing model

Applications are shared in two stages. Stage-1 information is available to the Property Management Wellington team assessing the property you applied for. Stage-2 information is only requested from — and only visible for — applicants who have been made a preferred applicant for a property. As a matter of practice (consistent with how established application platforms operate), property managers work with a limited group of preferred applicants at a time rather than having open access to every application in full.

5. Who we share it with

The property owner/landlord of the property you applied to, where needed to make the tenancy decision.
Your referees are contacted to give a reference — they see only that you've applied and nominated them.
Service providers who help us run the platform: text-message delivery, email delivery, and mapping services used on the site. They process only what's needed to provide the service.
No one else, unless you consent or the law requires it.

Reference information is collected on the understanding it's confidential — if you request a copy of your information, referee-provided material may be withheld on that basis. [under review: withholding ground to be confirmed at legal sign-off]

6. Where it's stored and how it's protected

Your information is stored on servers in New Zealand that we control [under review: final published wording for hosting]. Connections to the site are encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). Access to application information is restricted to authenticated Property Management Wellington staff, and identity documents and supporting files are stored outside the public web area and served only to their owner and to staff.

7. How long we keep it

Information about preferred applicants is kept for at least 12 months from application, during which you can request a copy of it. [under review: statutory period to be confirmed at legal sign-off]
Applications that don't proceed are kept for a limited period and then deleted. [under review: retention period for unsuccessful applicants to be set]
Information that becomes part of a tenancy is kept for the tenancy and any statutory period after it (for example, records required for Tenancy Tribunal or tax purposes).

8. Your rights and controls

Under the Privacy Act 2020 you can ask for access to the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it. Much of this you can do yourself from your account:

Applications tab — see every application and its status.
Profile tab — update the details that pre-fill new applications.
Withdraw — stop an active application at any time from the Data & privacy tab.
Delete my data — request deletion from the Data & privacy tab. We confirm every request before acting, and some information must legally be retained for a period (see section 7).
Text messages — switch SMS updates off (or back on) from the Settings tab, or reply STOP to any text.

For anything else, contact us: info@propertymanagementwgtn.co.nz or 04 384 7777. We may need to verify your identity before releasing information — that's a safeguard, not an obstacle.

If you're not satisfied with how we've handled your information, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (privacy.org.nz).

9. Cookies and log data

The site uses cookies for signing you in and keeping your session working; we don't use third-party advertising cookies. Our servers keep standard logs (IP address, pages requested, timestamps) for security and troubleshooting. Aggregated, non-identifying statistics may be collected when QR-code campaign links are scanned.

10. Links to other sites

Where the site links to other websites (for example a map provider), those sites have their own privacy policies and we aren't responsible for their practices.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be flagged on the site, and the current version always lives on this page.

12. Contact

Property Management Wellington
Phone: 04 384 7777 · Email: info@propertymanagementwgtn.co.nz [under review: postal address and named privacy officer]