This Privacy Policy applies to all Services offered by HomeOptima and its affiliated companies, including HomeOptima Solutions Inc., HomeOptima Buying Solutions Inc. and Ashish Saxena, Real Estate Broker, Real Broker Ontario Ltd., Brokerage (collectively, "HomeOptima").
Object and Scope of Our Privacy Policy
All of us at HomeOptima recognize your right to privacy and we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of all visitors to and users of our website, our mobile site, and our desktop and mobile applications (collectively, our "Services").
The intent of this Privacy Policy is to affirm our commitment to protecting your privacy and to clearly describe our privacy practices regarding the collection, use and disclosure of information (including personal, non-identifying and aggregate information) from all visitors to and users of our Services (collectively, our "Users").
Specific terms herein apply to the collection, use and disclosure of information from real estate, financial, legal or other professionals (collectively, "Professionals") registering with HomeOptima in order to use our advertising and referral services and tools (collectively, "Pro Toolkits").
Please note that this Privacy Policy does not apply to business contact information provided to us, to certain publicly available information, nor to the collection, use or disclosure of information with respect to corporate or commercial entities. In addition, this Privacy Policy does not apply to any personal information you provide to any third parties to whom we may have referred you to.
Your Consent
By using our Services, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by HomeOptima in accordance with the terms of our Privacy Policy. Upon reasonable notice and subject to legal, contractual and other restrictions, you have the right to withdraw your consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information. Revocation of your consent may result in our inability to provide the Services to you.
If we change our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes on the Services, including this page, so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it. Any changes to our Privacy Policy will be effective immediately following the posting of such changes on the Services. You agree to review our Privacy Policy from time to time and agree that any use by you of our Services after changes to our Privacy Policy shall constitute your acceptance of all such changes.
This Privacy Policy was last modified on June 10, 2022.
Please also see our Terms of Use for general terms and conditions governing your use of our Services.
Why We Collect Information
In general, we use the information we collect to operate and optimize our Services in order to help you find the most relevant and useful information for your residential real-estate related needs. More specifically, we collect information from you in order to:
provide you with information about neighbourhood communities and real-estate related products and services that you have expressed interest in;
connect you with real estate professionals who can assist you to research, buy, sell, rent, or finance residential real estate;
provide you with access to listing data from Real Estate Boards and Associations;
facilitate your purchase and/or sale of a property by connecting with third party service providers such as lending institutions, financial and legal advisors, and home service providers;
present you with advertising that we believe will be of interest or useful to you;
provide feedback, administrative notices, notice of new product or service offerings or other communications relevant to your use of the Services;
manage our relationship with you and the customer service you receive from us and our third party partners; and
comply with legal, regulatory and contractual requirements, as well as with codes of professional and ethical conduct for members of Real Estate Boards and Associations.
We may use personal information you provide to us for other fully disclosed purposes to the extent such use by us is explained to you when the information is voluntarily and knowingly provided to us.
What Information We Collect
We only collect personal information with your consent and limited to those details and for the duration necessary to fulfill the purposes of collection we have disclosed to you in our Privacy Policy or at the time we collect such information.
Information from Users. HomeOptima collects personal information from Users who voluntarily and knowingly provide us with such information when using the Services. While you are not required to provide us with personal information in order to access our Services, some features of the Services may not be accessible to all Users without some form of registration and disclosure of personal information.
When using the Services, you have the option of registering with HomeOptima in order to create an account and/or subscribing for certain value-added products and services. As part of that process, you may provide personal information such as your name, address, phone number, email and details regarding your residential real-estate related needs. In addition, when you order products or services through the Services, we may collect your credit and/or debit card information solely to complete your order. Personal information may also be collected from you when you complete other forms or documents through our Services (such as a loan request), through your discussions with a HomeOptima representative, or when you correspond with a real estate professional or other third party service provider through the Services. We may also obtain personal information about you from third parties, including from government departments and agencies, such as Land Titles/Registry offices or municipal assessment departments.
We may combine any such personal information with other information we collect from your interaction with the Services (such as Log Data) or from other third parties.
Information from Professionals. HomeOptima collects information from Professionals registering with HomeOptima in order to create a professional account and use our Pro Toolkits. In addition to providing business information and credit and/or debit card information, as applicable, Professionals may be asked to provide certain information to facilitate referrals, be profiled on the Services, or to receive a HomeOptima Verified Certification. Such additional information could include details regarding licenses (such as a real estate license), certifications, transactional activity, geographic service areas, and customer references.
Social Network Profile Information. Please note that if you use the social networking connection functions offered through the Services, we may access any of your social network profile information that you have made available to be shared under your social network account, and may collect, use and disclose such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Location Data. In addition to location data you provide when registering with HomeOptima or otherwise when using the Services, if you use our Services through a mobile device, we will collect location data directly from your mobile device if your mobile device automatically allows us to do so or if you opt-in to sharing your location data with us. We may use and store your location data to provide localized features, to analyze our Services with the help of third-party analytics services, to provide you with relevant advertising and marketing materials, and to improve and customize our Services.
Log Data. As a general policy, with the exception of IP addresses, no personal information is automatically collected through the Services. HomeOptima does gather and analyse IP addresses and certain information of a non-personal nature regarding Users and the usage of our Services (also known as “Log Data”). Such information can include the date and time of the visit, the pages accessed and documents downloaded, the previous site visited or the next site you visit after ours, and the type of browser used to access our Services. In addition, when using the Services through a mobile device, we may collect Log Data specific to your mobile device, such as your mobile device model, operating system and device ID, as well as information about how you are using our Services. All such Log Data is used in an aggregate form to assist us in determining general usage patterns and to administer, diagnose problems with, and optimize our Services and advertising.
Use of Cookies and Web Beacons. Similar to many online services, we use ‘cookies’ and 'web beacons' to store and track information about your use of our Services.
A cookie is a small file that is sent to your browser from a web server and stored on your computer or other electronic device. In addition to improving the Services, cookies allow us to identify information which may be of most interest to you, to store information you wish to retrieve on a regular basis, or to measure the effectiveness of advertising. We may also use cookies to connect your use of the Services with information stored in your account profile or your prior use of the Services to customize our Services to your individual preferences and usage patterns.
Although most web browsers automatically accept cookies, you can usually change your web browser to prevent you from receiving cookies or to notify you whenever you are sent a cookie so that you may decide whether or not to accept it. You may also adjust settings on your mobile device and mobile browser regarding cookies and the sharing of certain information, such as your mobile device model, by adjusting the privacy and security settings on your mobile device. You are free to decline our cookies if your web browser, mobile browser or mobile device permits, although you may be required to re-enter your password more frequently and may not be able to use or access certain features of our Services if you do.
In addition, the Services may include the use of Web beacons, which are electronic files embedded in the Services in order to provide advertisements that may be of interest to you, to count users who have visited a particular page, to identify certain cookies on the computer or other electronic device accessing a particular page, or to collect other related information.
When We Disclose Information. We may disclose your personal information when you have consented or directed us to do so, such as requesting us to share your personal information with a Professional, except where HomeOptima is authorized or required by law to do so without consent. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, we may collect, use or disclose personal information without your consent where the information is publicly available, as defined by statute or regulation; where we reasonably expect that obtaining consent would compromise an investigation or legal proceeding; or where we are seeking legal advice.
Service Providers. We may disclose your personal information to third parties performing functions on our behalf who have an obligation to treat your personal information in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.
Partners. We may provide our business partners with access to your personal information only as necessary to offer products and services with such business partners in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy. HomeOptima provides workspace for Users and/or Professionals to work collaboratively. Each User and/or Professional collaborating on a workspace will have access to all information posted in the workspace, including, for example, personal information and preferences posted about a User who may be a prospective homebuyer and business information posted about a Professional who may be a real estate agent.
Real Estate Boards/Associations. Your personal information may be shared with Real Estate Boards and Associations, or their authorized representatives, for the purpose of auditing and monitoring HomeOptima's compliance with the rules, regulations, security requirements, policies and by-laws of such Real Estate Boards and Associations, as well as other legal purposes related to the use of such Real Estate Boards' or Associations' listing data.
Legal Obligations. HomeOptima reserves the right to access and/or disclose personal information where required to comply with applicable laws or lawful government requests or, in our reasonable opinion, to operate our website properly and securely, or to protect HomeOptima or other visitors to this website. To the extent reasonably possible in our sole opinion, we shall attempt to obtain the prior consent of the individual to whom such personal information relates prior to disclosure to third parties.
Sale / Merger. In the event of a merger, acquisition, or any form of transfer or sale of some or all of our business, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, personal Information may be transferred along with the business.
Limits on Collection, Use, Disclosure and Retention
We do not collect personal information indiscriminately and limit collection of information to that which is reasonably necessary to operate our Services and for the purposes consented to by you, or as authorized or required by law.
Your personal information will only be used or disclosed for the foregoing purposes and will be retained only for so long as necessary as the purposes for which it was originally collected, provided retention is no longer necessary for legal, regulatory, or compliance purposes.
Publicly Posted Information
You acknowledge that any personal information you post in publicly available sections of the Services, including forums and blogs, can be accessed, collected, or used by any third party, including to contact you with unsolicited messages, and will not be protected under our Privacy Policy or otherwise treated as confidential.
Professionals may add, or may request that we add, testimonials to their HomeOptima profiles, provided that they have obtained the consent to post the personal information of the individuals or entities providing such testimonials.
We may post content, including testimonials and reviews, on our Services that may contain personal information where we have obtained the consent from the individuals or entities to whom such personal information relates.
If you wish to have your personal information that is being publicly displayed on our Services removed, please contact our Privacy Officer at support@homeoptima.com .
Third Party Privacy Policies
Google Maps. Some of the Services incorporate mapping services provided by Google Maps. Your use of Google Maps is subject to Google's terms and conditions, including Google's Privacy Policy found at the following URL: http://www.google.com/privacy.html .
Please note that as we do not control such third party sites or services, we are not responsible for their privacy policies, or for the collection, use or disclosure of any data or personal information such websites may collect.
Third Party Sites, Products and Services / Social Sharing
Links or pointers to other sites and references to products and services offered by third parties are provided to you for convenience only and do not constitute an endorsement or approval by us of the organizations that operate such sites, the content on such sites, or of such third party products and services. In particular, you should be aware that such third party sites may collect data or solicit personal information from you in accordance with their privacy policies, which shall govern the collection and use of the information collected on those sites.
If you use any social sharing function to share our Services, your sharing activity will be processed through a third party's site or service (such as Facebook) in accordance with its privacy policy, which shall govern the collection and use of the information collected on any such third party site or service.
Please note that as we do not control such third party sites or services, we are not responsible for their privacy policies, or for the collection, use or disclosure of any data or personal information such sites may collect.
Email Management
We respect your desire to manage email correspondence. You can opt-out of receiving certain email correspondence from us by following the instructions at the end of each email we send to you. You may also opt-out by emailing our Privacy Officer at support@homeoptima.com . Please note that, even if you opt-out of receiving certain email correspondences, we may still need to email you regarding important transactional or administrative information.
Opting Out of Collection of Information by Third Parties
We use third-party advertising service providers / analytics to deliver ads to you on our Services, including Advertising.com, DoubleClick, Google and Yahoo!. These third-party advertising service providers / analytics may also collect and use Logo Data and other non-personally identifiable information about your use of our Services in order to present you with targeted advertising that may be of interest or useful to you. If you would like to obtain more information about targeted advertising or to opt out of having such this information used by third-party advertising service providers / analytics in order to deliver targeted advertising on our Services, please visit http://www.networkadvertising.org/. Please note that opting out of such services does not mean you will no longer receive online advertising. It does mean that the service from which you opted out will no longer deliver targeted advertising to you based on Logo Data and other non-personally identifiable information about your use of our Services.
Security Measures and Transmissions over the Internet
We use commercially reasonable security measures to safeguard the privacy of any personal information in our custody or control, based on the sensitivity and type of information provided to us, in order to prevent loss, interception or alteration by unauthorized parties. Such security measures can include physical security measures, organizational controls on access to information, and electronic safeguards such as passwords, firewalls and SSL level encryption, where and as appropriate. We also require our partners, suppliers and agents who assist in providing the Services to implement similarly reasonable security measures to safeguard the privacy of personal information you have provided to us.
While we use commercially reasonable security measures to safeguard the privacy of any personal information in our custody or control, the transmission of data (including communications by e-mail) over the Internet or other publicly accessible networks is inherently insecure, and is subject to possible loss, interception or alteration while in transit. Accordingly, we do not assume any liability for any damage you may experience or costs you may incur as a result of any transmissions over the Internet or other publicly accessible networks, such as transmissions involving the use of your password for our website or the submission of any of your information to us (including your personal information). While we shall take commercially reasonable efforts to safeguard the privacy of any personal information you provide us and treat such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy, in no event will the information you provide to us result in any liability to you on our part in the event that such information is inadvertently released by us or accessed by third parties without our consent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that you are able to access the information of third parties through our web site, we do not grant you any right or license to use such information.
Accuracy and Access to Your Personal Information
We will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the personal information we are using or disclosing is accurate, complete and up-to-date to the extent we are notified of any changes by you. You can assist by keeping us informed of any changes, or informing us if you find any errors in our information about you. If appropriate, we will amend your personal information and will send the amended information to third parties to whom the information has been disclosed, as required.
If you wish to change any of your personal information we have on file in our records, other than that available to you and capable of being modified through the Services, you may contact our Privacy Officer as noted at the bottom of this page. To protect your privacy and security, we may take reasonable steps to verify your identity prior to making corrections.
You are entitled to access any of your personal information in our custody or control. Upon written request to our Privacy Officer as noted at the bottom of this page, we will provide you with your personal information under our custody or control, as well as information regarding how your personal information is being used and the identity of any third party(s) to whom that information has been disclosed. Please note that we may charge a reasonable fee in connection with doing so. In addition, we may not be able to provide access to personal information in certain circumstances, such as if the personal information was collected for the purposes of an investigation, if disclosure would reveal the personal information of a third party, or if prohibited by law. To protect your privacy and security, we may take reasonable steps to verify your identity prior to providing such access.
We collect data related to your home search preferences such as community, home type, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. This data is used to refine the quality of listing recommendations in your house feed such that the recommendations may be better fit for your requirements. We collect this data via our website or mobile app. Users can permanently delete all their contact information and house preference data by going to https://homeoptima.com/account-settingsChildren Under the Age of 16
We do not knowingly collect or store any personal information about persons under the age of 16. If you believe a child under the age of 16 is using our Services without the consent of a parent or guardian, please contact our Privacy Officer at support@homeoptima.com .
Contacting Us Regarding Our Privacy Policy
We respect your concerns about your personal privacy and welcome your feedback. Any questions, concerns or feedback regarding this Privacy Policy should be directed in writing to our Privacy Officer as follows:
By email: support@homeoptima.com
By mail: Privacy Officer
HomeOptima
600 Matheson Blvd W Unit 5,
Mississauga, ON L5R 4C1
