This policy explains how Active Wave Group (Pty) Ltd (“we”, “us”), the operator of checkproperty.co.za (“the Service”), handles personal information. We process personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). This policy should be read with our Terms of Use.
1. Who is responsible
Active Wave Group (Pty) Ltd is the responsible party for personal information processed through the Service. Our Information Officer deals with privacy questions and requests, and can be reached through the Contact support form in your account.
2. Our reports are about properties, not people
A property report (dossier) describes a property: its erf, size, zoning, sales and surroundings. We do not collect, store or display the names, identity numbers or contact details of property owners. All property data is sourced from public sources.
3. Personal information we collect about you
- Account details — your email address and a password. Passwords are stored only in hashed form by our authentication provider; we cannot read them.
- Purchases and subscriptions — what you bought, when, the amount, and your subscription status. Card and banking details are entered on our payment provider’s pages and never reach us.
- Usage — the properties you looked up and the reports you hold, so that we can deliver them and apply usage limits.
- Branding you upload — a logo, company name and contact details, if you choose to add them to your reports.
- Messages — anything you send us through the support form.
- Technical data — IP address, browser type and a device signal used to prevent abuse, and analytics about how the site is used.
We collect this information from you directly, or automatically when you use the Service.
4. Why we process it
- To provide the Service you asked for and to take payment — necessary to perform our contract with you.
- To prevent fraud and abuse and keep the Service secure — our legitimate interest.
- To keep financial records — a legal obligation.
- To understand how the Service is used and improve it — our legitimate interest.
We do not sell personal information, we do not use it for direct marketing by third parties, and we do not make decisions about you by automated means that have legal effect.
5. Who we share it with
We use service providers (“operators” under POPIA) who process personal information on our instructions and under contract:
- Amazon Web Services — account authentication, database and file storage, hosted in South Africa.
- Vercel — hosting of the website and application.
- PayFast — payment processing.
- Google Analytics and PostHog — usage analytics.
We may also disclose information where the law requires us to.
6. Transfers outside South Africa
Your account, purchase and report data is stored in South Africa. Our hosting and analytics providers may process technical data in other countries. Where that happens, we rely on agreements with those providers that require a level of protection substantially similar to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA permits.
7. How long we keep it
We keep account information for as long as your account is open. When you ask us to delete your account we delete your account, saved properties, reports and branding. We keep records of purchases for five years after the transaction, as financial record-keeping laws require.
8. Security
We protect personal information with appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures, including encryption in transit, access controls and restricted access to production systems. If personal information is compromised, we will notify the Information Regulator and the people affected, as POPIA requires.
9. Your rights
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- ask whether we hold personal information about you, and request a copy of it;
- ask us to correct or delete it;
- object to our processing it on reasonable grounds;
- lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa), whose contact details are published at inforegulator.org.za.
To exercise any of these rights, send your request through the Contact support form in your account. We will respond within a reasonable time and may need to confirm your identity first.
10. Cookies and local storage
We use your browser’s local storage to keep you signed in and to remember preferences. Our analytics providers use cookies to measure how the site is used. You can block cookies in your browser settings; the Service will still work, but you may need to sign in more often.
11. Children
The Service is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed, and continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the updated policy.