Privacy Policy

This Notice explains how we obtain, utilise, and disclose your personal information, in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). It outlines how Preferental Technologies (Pty) Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “the company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) ensures that your personal information is processed lawfully, transparently, and securely.

We are committed to complying with POPIA’s principles by collecting only relevant personal information, processing it with your consent or as required by law, and protecting it against unauthorised access or misuse.

About the Company

Preferental is a proptech company offering innovative, technology-driven property management solutions for landlords. and tenants. Our innovative solutions simplify renting, from tenant screening to rent collection. We believe in seamless, risk-free property management, backed by comprehensive insurance.

The information we collect

We collect and process your personal information for the purpose of registering you on our Platform to allow you to manage your property effectively. We will only collect the information necessary for us to deliver our services accordingly. The information that we will collect are as follows:

• Your name and surname,
• Your Identity Number or Passport Number,
• Your date of birth
• Your email address,
• Your contact details,
• Your physical address,
• Your postal address,
• Your rental property address,
• Your social media handles.

We collect information directly from you where you provide us with your personal details.

Cookies and Website Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, improve website functionality, and analyse traffic. By using our website, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with this policy. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

Amendment of your information

Should any of the aforementioned information change, it is your responsibility to update the relevant information on your profile to prevent any communication failing and to ensure that you are able to utilise our service effectively. It is your responsibility to ensure that the personal information you provide remains accurate, complete, and up-to-date. Failure to do so may impact our ability to provide services effectively. Consequently, we cannot be held responsible for any issues, losses, or inaccuracies resulting from outdated or incorrect information supplied by you.

Quality of information

We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is complete, accurate, not misleading and updated where necessary. We trust that upon signing up for our services you will act in good faith by supplying us with information that is correct. Should you provide false information or misleading requests to attempt maliciously or fraudulently to cause harm to the Company, we will seek legal advice.

Your right to access your personal information

You have the right to access and rectify your information and the right to object to the processing of your personal information. You have the right to request a copy of the personal information that we possess about you. To make this request, contact us on the email address(es) stipulated on our website and specify what personal information of yours you require.

How we use your information

We will use your information only for the purpose of ensuring that we are able to provide our services to you in accordance with our Company’s function.

We will not send any marketing information via email, SMS or telephonically without your explicit consent, and as per South African laws, you will reserve the right to cancel any subscriptions to newsletters at any time.

Furthermore, your information may be retained for legal or research purposes, for example:

• Where required and authorised by law or industry codes,
• For the detection and prevention of fraud, crime, or any other malpractice, To conduct market or customer satisfaction research or for statistical analysis,
• For audit and record-keeping purposes,
• In connection with legal proceedings.

Disclosure of information

We will disclose your personal information to our service providers/partners who are involved in ensuring that you receive the services in accordance with our Company’s functions. In disclosing your information to our service providers/partners, we will ensure that only the necessary information for them to deliver services to you are disclosed to them. We ensure that such third parties are bound by confidentiality agreements and comply with data protection regulations.

We will not sell, trade, or rent your personal data to unauthorised entities. Personal data may be disclosed if required by law, regulation, or legal process.

Information security

We will secure the integrity and confidentiality of your personal information in our possession in accordance with section 29 of the POPI Act. In doing so we will regularly review our security controls and related processes to ensure that your personal information remains secure. Our security policies and practices cover:

• Computer and Network security,
• Secure communication,
• Security in contracting our activities or functions,
• Retention and disposal of information,
• Acceptable usage of personal information,
• Managing access and usage of personal information,
• Investigating and reacting to security incidents.

Data security and breach notification
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure.

In the event of a data breach, we will:

• Notify the Information Regulator of the breach within the prescribed timeframe.
• Inform affected data subjects where there is a risk of harm due to the breach.
• Provide details of the breach, including the nature of the data involved and steps taken to mitigate risks.

How to contact us in relation to this Notice

Should you have any queries about this notice, require any further information in relation to our privacy policies, seek to withdraw consent, access, or amend your personal information, please contact us on the email address(es) provided for on our website.

Policy updates and notifications

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our services or legal requirements. Significant changes will be communicated through email notifications or notices on our website. We encourage you to review our policy regularly.

Introduction

Privacy is important to our company. Please refer to our customer privacy notice above for more information about how we collect, store, manage and use personal information.

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent, in the form of a text file, from a website to the user’s device, such as a computer, smartphone or tablet. The purpose of a cookie is a way for the website to “remember” user behaviour or keep track of previous actions. This includes remembering the contents of an online shopping cart for example, or actions the user performed whilst browsing the site if they are not signed up or logged into their online account.

Whilst Preferental Technologies (Pty) Ltd does not necessarily know the identity of the user of the device, the company will be able to see the behaviour recorded on the device. Should there be multiple users of the same device, they will not necessarily be distinguishable from one another.

Cookies are used to identify the device and, if the device is linked to a specific user, the user would also be identifiable.

Which Cookies do we use?

First- and third-party cookies refer to the website or domain using the cookie. Cookies are set by the website that the user is visiting. First-party cookies are directly stored by the website (or domain) visited by a user. These cookies allow the company and website owners to collect analytics, and data, remember language settings or perform other useful functions that provide a good user experience.

Preferental Technologies (Pty) Ltd Cookie Notice

Third-party cookies are created by domains separate from the website that the user is visiting. These cookies are usually used for online advertising or cross-site tracking. They are accessible on any website that loads the third party’s server code. For example, when a user visits a site and clicks a “like” button, this could be stored in a cookie. When visiting the third-party site, the cookie will be used to action the request. For example, a user browses online for a specific product, finds an advert of interest, clicks the advert and thereafter closes their browser. Several hours later, the user notices an advertisement for the same product that they were browsing for earlier. Where cookies are only valid for a single session, the cookie will be erased when the user closes their browser. Where cookies persist, the cookie will be stored by the user’s browser until deleted by the user.

When will the group use Cookies?

The company will only process cookies which identify users for lawful purposes:

• If a user has consented thereto;
• If a person legally authorised by the user, the law or a court, has consented thereto on the user’s behalf;
• If it is necessary to conclude or perform under a contract that the group has with the user;
• If the law requires or permits it;
• If it is required to protect or pursue the user’s, the group’s or a third party’s legitimate interest (e.g. for fraud prevention); or
• If the user is a child and a competent person (like a parent) has consented thereto on the child’s behalf.

Preferental Technologies (Pty) Ltd may use cookies for reasons including but not limited to:

• Fraud, financial crime and other crime prevention, detection or reporting;
• Managing and improving security for the group and users (for example to prevent fraudulent use of login details);
• Various analytical reasons, e.g. how the company’s website is used so that improvements can be made;
• Marketing and advertising, for example, to decide which solutions (goods, products, services or rewards) users may be interested in and to customise marketing on various applications and websites; and/or
• Recognition of users or devices which return to the Preferental Technologies (Pty) Ltd website.

What happens if a user does not want Cookies?

All browsers allow users to refuse to accept cookies and to remove current cookies. The methods for doing so vary between different browsers and versions. Users can block cookies on the company’s website if desired. Blocking certain cookies, however, may have a negative impact on the usability of the website.

Further information about Cookies

• Users’ browsers store cookies and the company’s website cannot access any data on a user’s device;
• As cookies are stored in text files, they cannot be used to distribute viruses to a device;
• On a single device with multiple users; the experience of the company’s website will be according to the multiple users, and not an individual’s actions;
• Previous cookies collected by the website will not be deleted should a user choose to disable cookies after visiting the site. This will simply prevent the creation of new cookies. Expired cookies will be removed automatically.