Open Home Sign-In Privacy Warning for Buyers, Sellers and Agents in Victoria

Open Homes, Sign-In Sheets and a New Regulator Focus: A Privacy Warning for the Property Industry

Something important is changing quietly in the background, and most people walking into an open home would have no idea it is happening.

Australia’s privacy regulator has announced a targeted compliance sweep focusing on how personal information is collected in everyday face-to-face situations. Real estate inspections sit squarely in the regulator’s sights.

This is not about data breaches or hacking. It is about the ordinary, routine collection of names, phone numbers, email addresses and identification details that has become normal at inspections and appointments.

For agents, conveyancers and property professionals, this deserves attention now rather than later.

What has triggered this?

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has flagged that many businesses collect personal information without clearly explaining why they need it, how long it will be kept, who it will be shared with, or whether it is sent overseas.

The regulator’s view is simple. If you are collecting personal information, you must be transparent, upfront, and compliant at the point of collection.

Open homes and inspections are a perfect example of where this often falls down.

Why real estate inspections matter

Signing in at an open home feels routine. A clipboard, a tablet, a QR code, or a request from the agent before the door opens.

What is often missing is any clear explanation of:

• why the information is required

• whether providing it is optional

• how long it will be stored

• who will have access to it

• whether it will be used for marketing

• whether it will be stored overseas through third-party software

From a privacy perspective, “everyone does it” is not a defence.

The legal position in plain terms

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, personal information must only be collected where it is reasonably necessary, and individuals must be informed at or before collection about how their data will be handled.

A generic sign-in sheet with no privacy notice, or a QR code linking nowhere obvious, creates risk.

If a business has a privacy policy but it is not accessible at the point of collection, the regulator is unlikely to be impressed.

Penalties can apply for non-compliance, even where there has been no misuse of the data.

Why this matters for buyers and sellers too

For buyers, this is about understanding that you are entitled to ask why your information is being collected and how it will be used.

For sellers, this is about risk. If your agent’s data practices are sloppy, complaints or enforcement action can quickly become your problem by association.

In a market already under pressure from compliance, this is not something anyone wants mid-campaign.

A broader warning for the property industry

This compliance sweep should be read as a signal, not a one-off.

Regulators are moving away from reacting only after something goes wrong and are instead testing everyday practices that have gone unchecked for years.

Real estate is not being singled out unfairly. It is simply highly visible and heavily reliant on personal data.

Our view

From our perspective, this is overdue. Collecting personal information should never be casual, invisible, or unexplained.

If your systems rely on habit rather than compliance, now is the time to review them. Not after a complaint lands on your desk.

At Victorian Property Settlements, we deal daily with the downstream effects of poor process and casual shortcuts. Privacy compliance is no different. Getting it right early avoids much bigger problems later.

If you are unsure whether your current practices stack up, or if you want a second set of eyes on how information is being collected and shared in a property transaction, speak to us before it becomes an issue.

Victorian Property Settlements – Trusted for over 25 years by Victorian buyers and sellers.

Visit: https://www.victorianpropertysettlements.com.au