Privacy Policy (POPIA)

Building Companies PTY (“Building Companies”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) respects your right to privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information in a lawful, transparent, and responsible manner. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and safeguard personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

This policy applies when you visit https://building-companies.co.za, contact us for quotations or estimates, or engage us for building, maintenance, remedial, or insurance-related services.

1. About Us

2. Our Commitment to Privacy and Trust

When clients invite us to work on their properties, they place trust in us — not only with their homes, but also with their personal information. We take this responsibility seriously and are guided by the following principles:

• We collect only information that is necessary
• We use information solely for legitimate business purposes
• We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information
• We do not share personal information for marketing purposes
• We implement appropriate technical and organisational safeguards
• We process all personal information in line with POPIA requirements

3. Personal Information We Collect

We may collect personal information directly from you in the course of providing our services.

3.1 Personal Details

• First name and surname
• Telephone number
• Email address

3.2 Project-Related Information

• Property address (where relevant to the requested service)
• Description of building, maintenance, or repair work required
• Information shared during site inspections, quotations, or consultations

3.3 Website and Technical Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect limited technical information, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Pages viewed and time spent on the site

This information is used only for website functionality, security monitoring, and performance analysis.

4. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information through:

• Website contact or enquiry forms
• Telephone conversations
• Email correspondence
• In-person meetings, consultations, or site visits

We do not collect personal information without your knowledge or consent.

5. Purpose of Collection and Use

Personal information is collected and used strictly for the following purposes:

• Preparing and providing quotations, estimates, and proposals
• Assessing, diagnosing, and planning building or maintenance work
• Communicating with you regarding enquiries or ongoing projects
• Delivering agreed building, repair, and maintenance services
• Managing project scheduling, coordination, and administration
• Complying with legal, contractual, and regulatory obligations

We do not use personal information for unsolicited or bulk marketing.

6. Lawful Basis for Processing (POPIA)

We process personal information lawfully and fairly based on one or more of the following grounds:

• Your consent
• The need to take steps prior to entering into a contract
• The performance of a contract once services are agreed
• Compliance with legal or regulatory obligations

7. Disclosure and Sharing of Information

Your privacy is respected at all times. We do not sell or share personal information for marketing purposes.

In limited and necessary circumstances, personal information may be shared with:

• Insurers or loss adjusters (where relevant to an insured claim and with appropriate authority)
• Approved subcontractors strictly for service delivery
• Regulatory or legal authorities where required by law

Any sharing of information is minimal, purposeful, and conducted securely.

8. Information Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Access to personal information is limited to authorised personnel who require it to perform their duties and who are bound by confidentiality obligations.

9. Retention of Information

Personal information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Fulfil the purpose for which it was collected
• Comply with contractual, legal, or regulatory requirements
• Maintain accurate business and project records

When personal information is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

10. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information
• Request correction or updating of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of personal information (where legally permissible)
• Withdraw consent for processing (subject to legal or contractual obligations)
• Object to the processing of your personal information

Requests may be submitted using the contact details provided below.

11. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use basic cookies or analytics tools to:

• Improve website performance and usability
• Understand visitor interactions
• Enhance website security

Cookies do not collect personally identifiable information. You may disable cookies through your browser settings if you prefer.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. Building Companies PTY is not responsible for the privacy practices, policies, or content of external websites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of those sites independently.

13. Children’s Privacy

Our services and website are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect or process personal information relating to individuals under the age of 18.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, business operations, or website functionality. Any updates will be published on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.

15. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact us: