Privacy Policy | Polares

General

We consider the protection of privacy to be of the utmost importance. We want to keep our customers and the users of our services and websites as informed as possible, respect their privacy, and give them control over what happens to their data.

Below you will find information about what data we collect, why, for how long, and how you can control it.

We invite you to take the time to carefully review our privacy policy to familiarize yourself with the information it contains.

1. Who is protected by this Privacy Policy?

This Privacy Policy applies to all natural persons, such as tenants, landlords, their authorized representatives, etc. However, this Privacy Policy does not apply to legal entities.

You can also find information on the website of the data protection authority. To do so, follow this link: https://www.privacycommission.be/nl.
Until May 24, 2018, the Act of December 8, 1992, on the Protection of Privacy with regard to the Processing of Personal Data and its implementing decrees constitute the applicable privacy legislation. As of May 25, 2018, it will be replaced by Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016, on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). Since this Privacy Statement is already based on the new legislation, certain procedures described in this Privacy Statement will not take effect until after that date.

2. What do “personal data” and “data processing” mean, and who is the “data controller” and the designated contact person, the “DPO”?

Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This may include, for example, a person’s name, a photo, a phone number, a code, a password, a contract number, or an email address.

Processing refers to any operation performed on personal data. By “data processing,” we mean any processing of personal data. The term “processing” includes, among other things, the collection, recording, organization, storage, updating, modification, retrieving, consulting, using, disseminating, or making available in any way, collating, combining, archiving, erasing, or ultimately destroying personal data.

We are the data controller for your personal data. This means that we determine the purpose and means of processing your personal data. We are your point of contact for all questions regarding the use of your data.

If we allow end users (such as employees, interns, etc.) to use our products and services that are subject to this privacy policy, we have the following responsibilities:

We must adequately inform end users that, through their use of our products and services, we will process their personal data
We must obtain all legally required consents from end users before their personal data is processed
We may not use our products and services to collect personal data in violation of applicable privacy laws
We must inform you about the security level of our products and services and, based on our own assessment and capabilities, implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to adequately protect personal data against unauthorized or unlawful processing and against unlawful or accidental destruction, accidental loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, damage, modification, unauthorized access, or disclosure.
We must take all reasonable measures to ensure the reliability of end users who have access to the personal data.
We must not do, cause, or permit anything that could in any way result in a violation of that privacy legislation.

Through our products and services, you can also use services provided by other parties, such as chat, third-party websites, forums, Facebook, Twitter, newsgroups, and/or apps. We have no control over the information you post there or how it is processed, nor are we responsible for it. It is up to you to use these services wisely and to carefully review the privacy policies of these third parties.

We are the data controller for your personal data; this means we are your point of contact—and that of the supervisory authorities—for all questions regarding the use of your data.

3. What data do we process?

During our various interactions with you, we may collect various types of personal data: identification data (last name, first name, address, ...), contact information (address, email address, phone number, ...), information about the property being rented out/sold and rented/purchased, information about the lease agreement, information related to the sales agreement, ...

We will process your data:

When you become a customer
When you fill out the forms, documents, and contracts we provide to you
When you use our services and products
When you contact us through the various channels made available to you
When your data is published or disclosed by authorized third parties (persons you have specifically authorized, the Belgian Official Gazette, your real estate agent, your property manager, your building manager), …
When you provide data while using our websites: when you request a quote or place an order online, or when someone else does so on your behalf, …
When you visit one of our websites or use our apps via cookies and other technologies, …

When we request your personal data, you have the right to refuse to provide it. However, such a refusal could prevent the establishment of a business relationship or the provision of our services, could alter the nature of such a relationship, or could affect its management.

4. What do we use this data for?

We process your personal data for various purposes, processing only the data necessary to achieve the intended purpose in each instance.

We use your personal data:

When we have obtained your consent
In connection with the preparation or performance of our services
To comply with the legal or regulatory provisions to which we are subject, such as the prevention of money laundering, the fight against tax fraud, and tax obligations.
When we have a legitimate interest in doing so, in which case we always strive to balance that interest with respect for your privacy.

5. How do we protect your data?

Access to your personal data is restricted to those individuals who need it to perform their duties. They are subject to a strict duty of confidentiality and must comply with all technical and organizational measures designed to ensure the confidentiality of personal data.

Under no circumstances may this data be stored outside the European Union. Our websites sometimes include links to third-party sites (social media, organizers of events we sponsor) whose terms of use fall outside the scope of this privacy policy. Please read their policies regarding the protection of your personal data carefully.

6. Do we sell your data to third parties or share it with them?

We do not sell personal data to third parties nor do we share it with third parties unless:

To our legal successors. We may share your personal data with our potential legal successors and affiliated companies (such as subsidiaries and sister companies) for the same purposes as those stated in this privacy policy.
This is necessary for us to provide our services. For certain aspects of our products and services, we work with third parties or engage subcontractors. Your data is transferred only for the same purposes as when we process it ourselves. We ensure that they, just like us, manage your data securely, respectfully, and with due care.
There is a legal obligation.
There is a legitimate interest on our part or on the part of the third party involved. This will only occur provided that your interests or your fundamental rights and freedoms do not take precedence.
You give us permission to do so. If we were to disclose personal data to third parties in any other way, we will do so through explicit communication, providing details about the third party, the purposes of the disclosure, and the processing. Where required by law, we will obtain your explicit consent. You also have the right to object at any time.

7. As a customer, how do you determine which personal data we may use and how?

We use your data to provide you with excellent service and general communications about the products and services you have with us or that may be of interest to you. At this level, the data mentioned above is processed in accordance with our legal obligations, our legitimate interests, and the proper fulfillment of your contract (including complaint and customer management, as well as providing information about and improving our services). You may choose not to receive direct marketing, but we will, of course, continue to inform you about how to make the best use of the products and services you already have. For example, we may suggest a product or service that better suits your needs.

8. What are your rights and how can you exercise them?

Your right of access

You have the right to (free) access to the data concerning you. You can ask us:

Whether we process your personal data
Why we process it
The source of the processed data
What logic we use when we automatically process certain personal data

You must request your right of access via email. To exercise your right of access and to prevent any unauthorized disclosure of your personal data, you must provide us with proof of your identity. We therefore ask that you preferably include a copy of the front of your ID card with your request.

We have 45 days to respond to your request. Please note that this period does not begin until we have received your request and have all the information required to fulfill it.

If you have any reason to believe that we have not handled your request correctly, please first contact us via email so that we can explore your options together with you. For the sake of completeness, we inform you that if we do not respond to your request, reject it, or if our response does not meet your expectations, you always have the right to file a complaint with the Privacy Commission via commission@privacycommission.be, which will then intervene as part of its mediation mandate.

Your Right to Correction and Deletion

You have the right to have incomplete, incorrect, inappropriate, or outdated personal data deleted or corrected. To do so, please contact our services. We will then amend or delete this information within the timeframes established by law, as necessary. Please note, however, that depending on your request, we may sometimes no longer be able to offer you certain services. We also cannot always delete all requested data.

Your Right to Object to the Processing of Your Data for Direct Marketing

You always have the right to object, without providing a reason, to the use of your personal data for direct marketing purposes. You can always contact us to opt out of receiving our promotions and/or special offers via phone, mail, text message, or email.

9. How long do we retain your personal data?

We implement appropriate organizational and technical measures to protect personal data. We may not retain personal data for longer than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which we collect it. Once all purposes have been fulfilled, this data will be deleted.

This means that the processed data is retained for the entire duration of our agreement, the statutory retention period, as well as any other retention period imposed by applicable laws and regulations.

10. What about our websites, cookies, and mobile apps?

In addition to the data you voluntarily share with us when using our websites, we also use cookies and other technological means to collect data.

Websites

You can visit our websites without providing your personal data. With your consent (where necessary), we may inform you, as a visitor to our websites, about personalized offers for products and services. To optimize our services, we may supplement your customer data with information we derive from cookies based on your use of our websites.

Cookies

What are cookies?

We use cookies when you open our emails and/or when you visit our websites or use our apps. Cookies are small pieces of information stored on your computer or mobile device that optimize the user experience of our websites and apps. For example, this allows us to identify you as a visitor to our websites on your next visit and to better tailor our websites to your needs, preferences, and ease of use. Cookies can also be used to personalize a website’s content or advertising.

What types of cookies do we use?

Essential cookies: These are necessary to use the website and ensure secure identity verification. For example: website navigation, shopping cart contents, access to personal data...
Functional cookies: make the website easier to use and provide a personalized browsing experience by, for example, remembering login names, passwords, the contents of your shopping cart, and preferences—such as your language setting.

Mobile Apps

We may offer various apps. If you use these services, it may also be necessary to process your personal data. That data is always processed in accordance with the provisions of this Privacy Policy.

11. How can you contact us?

For more information about our privacy policy or to file a complaint regarding your privacy, including exercising your right of access, please contact us via email: info@polares.eu.

12. Stay Informed About Updates

The personal data we collect through these various channels is included in our records.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We therefore invite you to always consult the latest version of this policy on this website.

Of course, we will inform you of any substantive changes via our websites or other common communication channels.