1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy outlines how OIC Design Pty Ltd (ABN 89 645 958 247), trading as OIC Architects (“we”, “us”, “OIC”, or “OIC Architects”), collects, handles, stores and discloses personal information. It applies to interactions you may have with us through our website www.oicarchitects.com.au, online forms, email communications, events, consultations, our services, or any of our official social media channels.

We are committed to responsible privacy practices and manage personal information having regard to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (“Privacy Act”). We comply with the Privacy Act and other applicable privacy laws to the extent they apply to our activities. Whether or not a particular requirement applies, we aim to handle personal information fairly, transparently and securely.

We recognise that privacy is important, particularly when personal information relates to your home, property, finances or project requirements. Whether you are making an enquiry, booking a consultation, engaging us for a project or following our work, we are committed to treating your personal information with care and discretion.

By interacting with us, you acknowledge that we may collect, use and handle personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. Where consent is required by law for a particular collection, use or disclosure, we will seek that consent.

This may include when you:

Communicate with us or continue to request our services — including by attending a consultation, visiting our office, or contacting us by phone or email;
Provide your details through forms on our website, booking platforms, social media channels, or email — for example when downloading resources, registering for a webinar, or submitting an enquiry;
Give written or verbal consent for your contact information to be shared with trusted third parties such as mortgage brokers or consultants involved in your project;
Visit or interact with our website (www.oicarchitects.com.au);
Engage with our official social media pages (including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Xiaohongshu);
Participate in any social media activity involving our brand — such as liking, following, commenting on, or sharing content, or subscribing to our updates;
Attend or register for any online event we host or promote, including webinars or virtual presentations.

If you provide personal information about another person, such as a project partner, property owner or other person involved in your project, you should only do so where you are authorised to provide that information. Where we rely on your consent to collect, use or disclose personal information, you may withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us in writing. Withdrawing consent may limit our ability to provide certain services or respond to particular requests.

3. What Is Personal Information?

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personal Information” refers to information or an opinion about an individual who is identified or can reasonably be identified, whether or not the information is true or recorded in a material form. This includes both obvious data like your name and email address, as well as information that may become identifiable when combined with other data.

The types of Personal Information we collect vary depending on how you engage with us — for example, whether you are enquiring about one of our projects, attending a webinar, downloading a resource, subscribing to our newsletter, or booking a strategy consultation.

4. What Personal Information We Collect from You

The type and amount of personal information we collect depends on how you use our website, services, or engage with our team. You can be confident that all information provided to us is treated as strictly confidential and is collected solely for the purpose of providing services or improving your experience with OIC Architects.

Examples of what we may collect include:

If you subscribe to our newsletters or request updates: Your name and email address will be added to our mailing list so we can send you property updates, educational content, and event invitations. You can unsubscribe at any time.

If you fill in a consultation form, download an eBook, or make an enquiry: We may collect your name, phone number, email address, suburb of interest, budget range, and any comments or questions you provide.

If you interact with us on social media: Depending on your privacy settings, we may have access to your public profile name, profile photo, interactions (such as comments, tags, shares), and any content you submit to our pages. This may include media such as images or videos you’ve tagged us in, which may be publicly visible depending on the platform.

If you visit our website: Our hosting provider may automatically collect technical data such as your server address, IP address, browser type, device type, domain name, pages visited, and time spent on site. This data is used for analytics, security and website performance improvements. Depending on the circumstances and how it is combined with other information, some technical or online data may constitute personal information.

Cookies and remarketing: Our website may use cookies or similar tracking technologies to recognise your browser and improve your user experience. These may also be used for remarketing purposes, such as serving relevant ads to you via platforms like Google and Facebook after you visit our website.

If you become a client or participate in a strategy session: In addition to the above, we may collect details about your property, financial situation, goals, and project interests to help us tailor our advice and services.

If you contact us directly: We may keep records of your communication, including email exchanges, call notes, feedback, or other correspondence provided during your interactions with our team.

We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our business functions and services. We do not generally seek to collect sensitive information. However, in the course of providing architectural, interior design or property-related services, we may occasionally receive sensitive information, such as information about health, disability, mobility or accessibility requirements relevant to a project. Where sensitive information is reasonably necessary for our services, we will collect and handle it with your consent or as otherwise permitted by law.

5. How We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information in a number of ways, depending on how you interact with OIC Architects. In most cases, we collect information directly from you when you knowingly provide it to us.

This may occur when you:

Fill out an enquiry or consultation form on our website or social media;
Subscribe to our newsletter or register for a webinar;
Download a guide, checklist, or eBook from our website;
Request a call-back or attend a strategy session;
Attend one of our events, either online or in person;
Contact us via phone, email, or social media;
Submit feedback, respond to a survey, or participate in a promotion.

We may also collect information automatically when you visit our website, such as:

Your browser type, operating system, IP address, and device information;
Pages visited, time spent on site, and referral source;
Behavioural data captured through tracking technologies like cookies, pixels, and analytics tools.

In some cases, we may receive personal information about you from trusted third parties. This may include referral partners such as mortgage brokers, financial advisors, real estate agents, or consultants you’ve engaged who are working with us on your behalf.

6. Why We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information for a range of reasons that allow us to deliver meaningful, efficient, and tailored property services to you. The exact reason depends on the nature of your interaction with OIC Architects, but may include any of the following:

To respond to your enquiries and provide the information you’ve requested;
To deliver Architecture, Interiors, and Property Strategy services;
To prepare for and conduct consultations, strategy sessions, or project planning meetings;
To provide you with updates about our projects, services, or relevant market insights;
To process registrations for webinars, events, or downloadable resources;
To send you newsletters, email updates, or promotional offers that you have opted into;
To better understand your interests and needs, so we can tailor our communication and services;
To improve the user experience of our website, email campaigns, and social media content;
To comply with legal, regulatory, and risk management obligations;
To maintain internal records for administrative and operational purposes.

7. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect to support our Architecture, Interiors, and Property Strategy services, as well as to provide a seamless and personalised experience across all of your interactions with OIC Architects.

Specifically, your information may be used to:

Respond to your enquiries and provide recommendations tailored to your property goals;
Deliver consultations, webinars, and strategy sessions you have registered for;
Send you updates, guides, newsletters, or marketing material relevant to your interests;
Personalise the information we provide you based on your preferences, budget, or project type;
Organise and manage events, both virtual and in person, including registrations and follow-ups;
Improve our internal processes, service offerings, and website performance through data analysis;
Monitor engagement with our email campaigns, online content, and social media platforms;
Manage client relationships and project records;
Contact you for feedback, surveys, or offers related to services we believe may benefit you.

We do not sell your information, and we do not use your personal information for any unrelated secondary purpose unless we obtain your consent or are required by law to do so.

8. When We Disclose Your Information

We only disclose your personal information where it is necessary to support the delivery of our services, or where required by law.

To people and organisations involved in helping us deliver our services:

Employees, contractors and consultants within OIC Architects;
Mortgage brokers, finance professionals, accountants, and legal advisers — if you have requested or authorised a referral;
Property professionals, agents, or specialists we work with to support your project;
Technology service providers that support our website, booking system, email marketing, and data storage.

To trusted third-party platforms and services:

Email distribution platforms (e.g. newsletter or automation tools);
Analytics and performance tracking (e.g. Google Analytics, Mouseflow);
Advertising and remarketing providers (e.g. Google Ads, Meta Business Tools);
AI tools used to support internal workflows or improve content;
Payment processors and billing platforms (e.g. Stripe, if applicable);
Cloud-based platforms that assist with recruitment, customer support, and operations.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use AI and machine learning technologies to automate routine internal processes, improve how we deliver content or recommendations, and optimise internal systems. Any personal information processed by AI tools is handled securely and in line with applicable legal requirements.

In other circumstances:

Where disclosure is required by law, regulation, court order, or government authority;
Where necessary to protect the legal rights, property, or safety of OIC Architects, our clients, or the public;
If our business or assets are sold, restructured or merged, your information may be transferred to the new entity under confidentiality obligations.

We maintain an active presence across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Xiaohongshu. Please be aware that if you interact with us through these platforms — for example, by commenting, tagging, liking, sharing, or posting content — your activity may be visible to others depending on your personal privacy settings on those platforms.

Any material you post or tag us in may become publicly accessible;
We may re-share publicly tagged content across our platforms or website, unless you request otherwise;
Social media platforms may also collect their own data from your engagement under their own privacy policies;
If you participate in a competition, giveaway or promotion run on social media, additional details you provide may be collected in accordance with the terms of that campaign.

10. Cookies and Advertising

When you visit our website, we may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, improve website performance, and serve relevant advertising.

What are cookies? Cookies are small data files stored on your device when you access a website. They help us recognise your browser, remember your preferences, and analyse how visitors use our site.

We may use cookies to understand how users interact with our site, monitor the performance of our marketing campaigns, store your preferences, and deliver targeted advertisements via platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Instagram.

You can manage or disable cookies in your browser settings. To opt out of Google’s use of cookies for advertising, visit Google’s Ads Settings. You can also manage Facebook advertising preferences through your Facebook account settings.

11. How We Keep Your Information Secure

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Personal information is held primarily electronically in our business systems, on our server and in cloud-based platforms, including Microsoft 365 and SharePoint. We keep very limited information in physical form, although physical project or administrative records may be retained where necessary. We may use third-party technology and cloud service providers to store or process information on our behalf.

Our safeguards may include:

Limiting access to personal information to authorised staff and contractors who require it for their work;
Secure access controls for our internal systems and databases;
Password-protected devices and two-factor authentication where appropriate;
Monitoring of systems and storage platforms; and
Data backup and recovery procedures.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide our services, maintain appropriate business and project records, resolve disputes, and comply with legal and regulatory obligations. When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it, subject to any legal requirements that require us to retain it.

If we become aware of a data breach, we will take reasonable steps to contain and assess it. Where the Privacy Act and the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme apply to the incident, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) where required.

12. Disclosure of Personal Information Overseas

Some of our service providers may store or process personal information outside Australia, including in the United States, Singapore and other locations in which our technology providers operate. This may include providers of cloud storage, business systems, customer relationship management, artificial intelligence and other technology services.

We take reasonable steps to use reputable service providers and to protect personal information that is disclosed to, stored by or made accessible to service providers outside Australia, having regard to applicable privacy requirements.

13. Accessing or Correcting Your Information

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct information that you believe is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

We will respond to access and correction requests within a reasonable time. In most cases, requests can be handled without charge. If we are unable to provide access to, or correct, information you have requested, we will explain the reason where appropriate and let you know what further steps may be available. Please contact us using the information provided in Section 17.

14. Opting Out of Communications

You can opt out of receiving marketing or promotional emails from us at any time by:

Clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email we send;
Contacting us at info@oicarchitects.com.au and requesting removal from our mailing list.

There is no charge to unsubscribe. Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still contact you regarding any active service, project, or request you are involved in.

15. Making a Privacy Complaint

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about how we have handled your personal information, we encourage you to contact us directly. To lodge a complaint, please write to: info@oicarchitects.com.au

We will acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable time and aim to provide a written response within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response and the Privacy Act applies to the matter, you may be entitled to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in applicable laws, our business practices, our technology providers or the way we handle personal information. Any updated version will be posted on our website and will take effect from the date of publication.

Where a change materially affects how we collect, use or disclose personal information, we will take any additional steps required by applicable law, including seeking consent where consent is required.

17. How to Contact Us

If you wish to discuss any aspect of this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: info@oicarchitects.com.au

18. Language

We may provide translations of this Privacy Policy (for example, in Chinese) for convenience. If there is any inconsistency or ambiguity between a translated version and the English version, the English version governs.

Privacy Policy