1. Who we are

OurHouse is run by OurHouse Ltd ("we", "us"), PO Box 22, Pukekohe, Auckland 2120. We help people in Aotearoa New Zealand keep track of homes they're thinking of buying, and help sellers and real estate agencies reach buyers. We're responsible for your personal information under the Privacy Act 2020.

Our privacy officer handles questions and requests about your information: legal@visitourhouse.nz.

2. What we collect

We collect only what we need to run OurHouse. Most of it comes from you.

  • Your account: your name, email address, password (stored scrambled, never readable), city and country, and a profile photo if you add one.
  • What you add: watchlists and the properties on them, notes, ratings, pros and cons, photos, scorecards, visits, offers, checklists, comments, saved searches, commute addresses and affordability details (like a deposit percentage) you enter.
  • Listings you create: if you sell privately or are an agent, the property details, photos and open homes you add, and the contact details you choose to show buyers.
  • Agency accounts: business details such as the agency name, NZBN, REA licence number, contact details, and who's on the team.
  • Appraisal requests: if you ask for an appraisal, your name, contact details, the home's address and details, and when you might sell.
  • Open-home check-ins: if you scan an open-home QR code, your name and email, and your phone number if you give it.
  • Payments: if you subscribe, our payment provider (Stripe) handles your card. We see only the card type, its last four digits and your billing history, never the full card number.
  • How you use OurHouse: pages and listings you view, searches, and actions like saving a property, along with your IP address, browser type, and the country your connection comes from. A random identifier links visits when you're not signed in.
  • Consent records: what you've agreed to receive or share, the wording you saw, and when (see section 6).

3. How we use it

  • To run your account and the tools you use, including working out commute times, school zones, nearby places and weather for properties you look at.
  • To send the alerts you set up (price changes, sold properties, saved search matches) and the messages described in section 6.
  • To take payments, and to manage trials, plans and allowances.
  • To show sellers and agents how their listing is doing. They see totals, like views and how many people are watching, never who you are, unless you choose to share your details with them (see section 4).
  • To keep OurHouse secure, prevent misuse, and fix problems.
  • To understand which features are used so we can improve them.
  • To meet our legal obligations.

We don't sell your personal information.

4. Who we share it with

People you choose to share with.

  • People you invite to a watchlist, or who open a share link you create, see what's on it.
  • If you ask for an appraisal, we pass your name, contact details and your home's details to up to 3 local real estate agencies, only after you tick the box agreeing to it. Each agency then handles your information under its own privacy policy.
  • At an open-home check-in, the seller or agent sees your name on the visitor list. They see your email and phone only if you tick the box saying they can contact you.
  • If you ask for a seller's or agent's contact details, we record that you asked so they can see how many buyers are interested. They don't get your details from us.

Service providers that help us run OurHouse, under agreements to protect your information and use it only for us:

  • Stripe (payments)
  • Cloudflare (stores photos and files you upload, and protects our site)
  • Our hosting and email delivery providers
  • Sentry (error reports, which can include the page you were on and your account ID)
  • Google: Maps and commute-time lookups (we send property and commute addresses, not your name), Google Tag Manager and AdSense (see section 7)
  • RudderStack (usage analytics about which features are used, when switched on; see section 7)
  • Property data sources we look addresses up with, such as Toitū Te Whenua LINZ, OpenStreetMap, Open-Meteo, Walk Score and public transport feeds. We send addresses or coordinates, not who you are.

When the law requires it, for example to the Police or a court, or to protect someone's safety, and if OurHouse is ever sold or merged, to the new owner, who must protect your information the same way.

5. Storage outside New Zealand

Some of our service providers store or process information outside New Zealand, including in Australia, the United States and the European Union. When we send personal information overseas we take reasonable steps, as the Privacy Act requires, to make sure it's protected in ways comparable to New Zealand law, usually through the provider's contract terms.

6. Emails and notifications

Account, security and billing emails (like password resets, receipts and trial reminders) are part of running your account, so they always come through. Everything else you can switch off with the unsubscribe link in any of those emails, or in the app. Unsubscribing takes effect straight away.

Alerts you set up yourself, like watching a home or saving a search, are on until you turn them off. We only send news and offers about OurHouse if you've opted in. In line with the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007, we keep a record of what you agreed to, the wording you saw and when, and every time you unsubscribe.

7. Cookies, analytics and ads

We use cookies and similar technology to:

  • keep you signed in and remember settings like dark mode (needed for OurHouse to work)
  • count visits and see which features are used, through Google Tag Manager and our own analytics
  • show ads on some public pages through Google AdSense. Google may use cookies to show ads based on your visits to this and other sites. You can turn off personalised ads at Google's ad settings.

Usage analytics. When it's switched on, we use RudderStack to count which pages and features are used, so we know what to fix and improve. It records things like "a property was saved to a watchlist" or "the sign-up form was submitted", tied to a random ID, and to your account ID if you're signed in. It never includes your name, email address, phone number, the addresses you enter, or anything you type into a form. You can turn it off at any time, using the choice below. We also turn it off for browsers that send a Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track signal.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser. If you block the essential ones, you won't be able to sign in.

8. How long we keep it

  • Your account and what you've added: until you delete your account. You can do that at any time, and we then delete your account and what's in it.
  • Usage records: generally up to two years, then deleted or made anonymous.
  • Payment records: seven years, as New Zealand tax law requires.
  • Consent and unsubscribe records: we keep these after you close your account, so we can show we only messaged you with permission. We remove your link to them, keeping only your email address.
  • Appraisal requests and check-ins: we keep these for as long as the listing or agency account they relate to exists. The agencies and sellers you shared them with keep their own copies.
  • Backups: up to 30 days after deletion.

9. Keeping it safe

We use encrypted connections, store passwords scrambled, limit who on our team can see personal information, and remove location data from photos you upload. No system is perfectly secure. If a privacy breach is likely to cause someone serious harm, we'll tell the people affected and the Privacy Commissioner, as the law requires.

10. Your rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020 you can:

  • ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you
  • ask us to correct it if it's wrong
  • ask us to delete it (most of it you can delete yourself)

Email our privacy officer at legal@visitourhouse.nz. We'll reply within 20 working days, and there's no charge. We may need to check it's you first. If you're not happy with how we've handled your information, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

11. Children

OurHouse is for people aged 16 and over. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone younger.

12. Changes and contact

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we'll update the date at the top and let account holders know by email or in the app before the change takes effect.

OurHouse Ltd, PO Box 22, Pukekohe, Auckland 2120. Privacy questions: legal@visitourhouse.nz.