Privacy Policy

  • Last Updated: August 13, 2019

    Birds Nest Properties is committed to providing transparency with respect to the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. This Privacy Policy applies to Birds Nest clients, website visitors, and other individuals with whom it deals.

    This Personal Information Protection Policy (“Privacy Policy”), in compliance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”), outlines the principles and practices we follow in protecting personal information. Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of personal information, as well as allowing individuals to request access and to correct their personal information.

    Protecting personal information is one of our highest priorities.

  • Personal Information and How We Collect Personal Information

    The definition of personal information includes information regarding an identifiable individual, such as banking information, personal addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, credit reports, personal references, and property information. Personal information collected and used by us may also include non-personal details about interactions with our website, including information about web addresses, clickstream information to, on and from our website, information viewed or searched for, length of page visits, page interaction information, and other information about interactions with our website.

    We collect personal information through direct interactions via the submission of forms or applications (such as rental applications or the scheduling of showings), direct correspondence through email, telephone, social media, as well as other methods of written or electronic communication. We may also collect information about you through your interactions with our website through cookies, tracking pixels, tags, and other tracking technologies.

  • How We Use Personal Information

    We use personal information about you for the following purposes:

      • To verify the identity of potential tenants and property owners;
      To assess suitability for tenancy;
      To open and manage an account;
      To ensure a high standard of service to our owners and tenants;
      To understand the property management needs of our owners;
      To process specific requests and enquiries;
      To collect and process rent payments;
      To meet regulatory requirements;
      To contact and correspond with tenants, owners and the general public regarding our services;
      To provide information related to announcements, contests, listings, news, and policy updates;
      To deliver and improve our services, website and advertising; and
      For any other purpose with your consent.

  • By submitting personal information to us through direct interactions (e.g. the submission of forms, correspondence, or other communication methods), or through the use of our website, an individual provides consent to our use of personal information for the above purposes. We will not use and disclose personal information for any additional purposes, unless we obtain consent.

    However, we may collect, use, or disclose personal information without consent in the following limited circumstances:

      • When the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is permitted or required by law;
      In an emergency that threatens an individual’s life, health, or personal security;
      When the personal information is available from a public source (e.g., a telephone directory);
      When we require legal advice from a lawyer;
      For the purposes of collecting a debt;
      To protect ourselves from fraud; and
      To investigate an anticipated breach of an agreement or a contravention of the law.

     

  • Right to Withdraw

    Subject to certain exceptions (e.g., where the personal information provided is necessary to provide the service or product, or where the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), an individual can withhold or withdraw their consent for Birds Nest Properties to use his/her personal information in certain ways. An individual’s decision to withhold or withdraw his/her consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service or product. If so, we will explain the situation to assist the individual in making the decision.

    To opt-out of email newsletters, click on the link labelled ‘unsubscribe’ at the bottom of the newsletter; however, we may continue to email with important information about the agreement with Birds Nest Properties. For further information, please contact the Privacy Officer as noted below.

     

  • Third Party Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

    Third-party providers, including Google and Facebook, may collect information about visitors to our website and social media channels via cookies or other tracking technologies. We do not control third-party tracking technologies or how they use the personal information that they obtain. To better understand how third parties use personal information or tracking technologies, please contact them directly. For information on how to opt-out of interest-based advertisements visit: youradchoices.ca/choices.

     

  • Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information

    We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that personal information is accurate and complete when it may be used to make a decision about a client or applicant, or disclosed to another organization.

    Correction to personal information may be requested to ensure accuracy and completeness. A request to correct personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information and the correction being sought.

    If the personal information is demonstrated to be inaccurate or incomplete, we will correct the information as required and send the corrected information to any organization to which we disclosed the personal information in the previous year. If the correction is not made, we will note the correction request in our files.

     

  • Securing Personal Information

    We are committed to ensuring the security of personal information to protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal, or similar risks.

    The following security measures will be followed to ensure that personal information is appropriately protected:

      The use of locked filing cabinets;
      Physically securing offices where personal information is held;
      The use of user IDs, passwords, encryption, and firewalls;
      Restricting employee access to personal information as appropriate; and
      Contractually requiring any service providers to provide comparable security measures.

    We will use appropriate security measures when destroying personal information, such as shredding documents and deleting electronically stored information.

    We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure ongoing personal information security.

     

  • Providing Clients, Customers, Members Access to Personal Information

    Individuals have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions set out in section 23 of PIPA, including if disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual, including health and safety concerns.

    A request to access personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought. A request to access personal information should be forwarded to the Privacy Officer.

    Upon request, we will also tell the individual how we use their personal information and to whom it has been disclosed, if applicable.

    We will make the requested information available within 30 business days, or provide written notice of an extension when additional time is required to fulfill the request.

    If a request is refused in full or in part, we will notify the individual in writing, providing the reasons for refusal and the recourse available.

     

  • Retention

    Personal information will be retained only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and for which consent was received, unless required by law. We will ensure the destruction of personal information when it is no longer necessary to maintain.

     

  • Change of Privacy Policy

    We may update our Privacy Policy occasionally to keep current with rules, regulations, and technology. Continued use of our website, services, or products after we make changes indicates acceptance and consent to those changes; thus, please check our Privacy Policy periodically for updates. If we make material changes to the way in which we use or disclose personal information, we may seek to obtain consent to those changes.

     

  • Questions and Complaints: The Role of the Privacy Officer or Designated Individual

    The Privacy Officer is responsible for ensuring Birds Nest Properties’ compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection Act.

    Complaints, concerns, or questions regarding Birds Nest Properties’ compliance should be directed in writing to the Privacy Officer. If the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the issue, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia may also be contacted.

     

  • Contact Information for Birds Nest Properties’ Privacy Officer:

    Jonathan Low
    Birds Nest Properties
    675 Market Hill
    Vancouver, BC
    Canada V5Z 4B5

    jlow@birdsnestproperties.ca
    tel: 604.260.9955