This Policy was last updated on November 29, 2022.
Protecting your privacy is important to Centris. This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) explains how Centris governs its use of the personal information that you may provide when using the Centris website “centris.ca” and/or “societecentris.ca” (the “Website”) and/or the mobile application “centris.ca” (the “Application”), as well as the ways to ensure the protection of your personal information that may be used for Centris electronic publications, newsletters, and announcements (“Electronic Communications”).
Any personal information that you provide us through the Website and/or Application will be treated with care and shall only be used or disclosed in a manner consistent with the consent you have given, whether under this Policy or applicable privacy legislation, such as the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (the “Legislation”).
When you use the Website and/or Application, we require your agreement to this Policy, including your consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this Policy. If you do not agree to this Policy, you may not use the Website or the Application.
We are committed to protecting and ensuring the confidentiality of the personal information we receive from you, when accessing or using the Website and/or the Application, in accordance with the Legislation.
Like many other websites, when you visit the Website through an Internet browser or the Application, we may automatically collect certain non-identifiable technical information electronically. This information may include the IP addresses of your computer and of your Internet service provider, the browser you are using, the screen resolution, the location, date and time you access the Website, your language preferences, the site from which you arrive or searched for keywords (if you arrive from a search engine), the operating system and software you are using, the sections of the Website you are visiting, the web pages read and images viewed, and materials you post on the Website or print from the Website. Non-identifiable information is aggregated and used to gauge and improve the efficiency of the Website. We may share this non-identifiable information in aggregate form. We do not intend to, nor will we associate this technical information with the personal information you provide us.
We use “cookies” on the Website, a technology that stores data on a Website user’s computer to recognize the user on subsequent visits from that computer. The purpose of cookies is to analyze information received from you about your use of the Website in order to provide, improve, protect and promote our services, and to improve the efficiency and use of the Website. You may set your browser not to accept “cookies” but this may restrict, limit, inhibit or prohibit access to and/or use of all or part of the Website. For your convenience, here are links to the cookie management pages of some Internet browsers to help you manage or delete cookies:
The cookie management pages may change from time to time, as may their exact address. Centris is not responsible for updating the above links or the content of these pages.
Centris uses ad retargeting services that use “cookies” to identify visitors who have been to the Website and to reach them with online advertising once they have left the Website. Thus, a user of the Website who has shown interest in the content of the Website may see advertisements from Centris on other websites that he or she subsequently visits.
When you use the Application and/or Website, geolocation technology is used to determine your location and suggest real estate properties around your location. You may reject the geolocation feature directly on the Application and/or Website. Subject to the preceding sentence, geolocation data of the Application and/or Website users may be recorded, saved, or used by Centris in accordance with the terms contained herein.
To help protect the confidentiality of your personal information, Centris uses security measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information provided. We are committed to using appropriate security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access or use during its collection, use, disclosure, retention, and destruction. Nevertheless, due to the nature of the Internet and its associated technologies, security and privacy risks cannot be eliminated and Centris cannot guarantee that your personal information will not be compromised. You should act carefully when sending us personal information by email, as that is generally not a secure transmission method. We cannot guarantee that information sent to us by email will not be intercepted or used in a fraudulent manner.
If a privacy incident involving your personal information occurs or is suspected, such as unauthorized access, use or disclosure under the Legislation, loss of personal information, or any other breach of the protection of such information, Centris will take reasonable measures to minimize the risk of injury and prevent new incidents of the same nature from occurring. Centris will notify you, in accordance with the Legislation, in the event of a privacy incident involving your personal information.
When using the Website and/or the Application, we may ask you to voluntarily provide certain personal information (including, but not limited to, your name, telephone number, and email address) for the purposes of facilitating communication with you, sending Electronic Communications or allowing you to access certain specific features or areas of the Website and/or Application, participate in contests or post your information on the Website and/or the Application so you can interact with other Website and/or Application users, such as brokers, or to respond to a job application.
Centris may use your personal information to contact or correspond with you, to enable brokers to correspond with you, to respond to your questions and inquiries, to track communications between you and Centris, to provide you with a customized interactive experience, to help Centris develop new services and website features that meet your needs, to improve the Website and/or the Application, to organize contests, to provide you with the Electronic Communications you request, and to prepare follow-up reports on Website and/or Application user demographics (the “Purposes of Use”) and as otherwise permitted or required by the Legislation.
As part of the Purposes of Use, we may share your personal information with brokers so that they may contact you or you may choose to contact a broker directly. You acknowledge that these brokers are third parties independent of Centris, outside of Centris’ control, who have their own privacy and confidentiality policies which we encourage you to review.
We only collect personal information that is strictly necessary for the Purposes of Use and will only retain your personal information for the duration of the Purposes of Use.
Centris will require your consent at the time of collection of your personal information and you will be notified directly of the Purposes of Use, and Centris will again require your consent for any changes to the Purposes of Use in a manner that explicitly confirms your knowledge and understanding of the Policy or any changes to the Policy and that you consent to the collection, use and retention of your personal information for the Purposes of Use in accordance with the provisions of this Policy, as amended from time to time. If you have any questions regarding your consent or the Purposes, you may contact our Privacy Officer at any time at privacy@centris.ca
Centris may use non-personal information to create aggregate tracking information reports regarding the demographics of the users of the Website and/or Application and the traffic patterns of the Website and/or the Application. No tracking information in the reports can be linked to the identities or other personal information of individual users. In the event that Centris does link tracking information to personal information provided by users of the Website and/or the Application, all linked information will be treated as personal information and will only be used and disclosed in accordance with this Policy and the Legislation.
Personal information is stored in the cloud. As such, the personal information we manage may be disclosed, processed and stored in other Canadian jurisdictions or abroad, and therefore made available to their government authorities and subject to the laws of those jurisdictions or countries. We take reasonable steps, including contractual measures and a privacy impact assessment for transfers outside Quebec, to ensure that your personal information is handled securely and in accordance with the Legislation and this Policy. Centris undertakes to retain your personal information only for the duration of the Purposes of Use or until you withdraw your consent.
Centris undertakes to destroy or anonymize your personal information once the Purposes of Use have been fulfilled and there is no longer a need to use your personal information, such as when you unsubscribe from our services, no longer wish to receive our Electronic Communications, or withdraw your consent, all subject to any retention period required by applicable legislation. You may also request that we destroy or anonymize the personal information that we hold about you at any time. To do so, please contact us at privacy@centris.ca
Centris will not disclose any of your personal information to third parties without your consent, or unless such disclosure is permitted by the Legislation. Centris may, for example, make your personal information available, without your consent, to its employees, agents, and service providers who have a legitimate need to know, provided that such information is necessary to perform their business, professional, or technical support functions for Centris. In all cases of sharing and disclosure, Centris will ensure that (i) the use of your personal information complies with the Purposes of Use; (ii) your personal information will not be disclosed to third parties without your prior consent (except as required by the Purposes of Use or as permitted by the Legislation); and (iii) reasonable steps have been or will be taken to protect your personal information from unauthorized access or use. In the event of disclosure or sharing, we undertake to enter into a confidentiality and security agreement with the recipient(s) of your personal information. This agreement will comply with the requirements of the Legislation to protect your personal information from unauthorized access or use. Any sharing of your personal information for purposes other than for which it was collected will require your prior consent. From time to time, Centris may also be required to disclose personal information in response to a judicial or administrative order or decision, a government investigation, or when otherwise required or permitted by the Legislation.
Before disclosing your personal information outside Quebec, subject to the provisions of the Legislation, Centris will conduct an assessment of privacy-related factors, taking into consideration, among other things, the safeguards available to the information and the legal regime applicable in the jurisdiction where the information is to be disclosed, including the privacy principles applicable there. Such disclosure will be subject to a written agreement that takes into account the results of Centris’ assessment and, if applicable, the terms and conditions agreed to in order to mitigate the risks identified in this assessment.
We will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that your personal information is accurate when used. Nevertheless, we rely on your assistance and invite you to contact us as soon as possible if your personal information needs to be corrected or if you wish to access it. Any request for access or rectification should be addressed to the Privacy Officer at privacy@centris.ca. We will respond to your request for access or correction of your personal information promptly and no later than 30 days from the date of receipt of your written request. Before we can confirm the existence of your personal information, provide you with access or a copy of to the information, or correct any information, we will ask you to provide proof of your identity and may ask you to provide us with additional information (in a secure manner) to help us respond to your request.
You may request that Centris stop sending you Electronic Communications and other information by contacting Centris at: info@centris.ca. You may also withdraw your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information at any time. To do so, please contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@centris.ca. In addition, we routinely provide “opt out” or “unsubscribe” instructions in our Electronic Communications to allow you to remove your name from future mailings.
We are committed to transparency and to ensuring that our electronic communication practices comply with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation. From time to time, we may send Commercial Electronic Messages (CEMs) to, among others, (i) current or potential customers, in response to an inquiry or for prospecting purposes and (ii) our current or potential service providers or business partners. If we use an external service provider to send CEMs, it will be clearly indicated that these messages are sent on behalf of Centris.
CEMs from Centris are only sent to individuals who have given their express consent to receive them, or when permitted by Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, including, without limitation, (i) as a result of an existing business relationship between you and Centris; (ii) within the applicable time period after the termination of such business relationship; (iii) within the applicable time period after an inquiry or request by you; (iv) in the form of a one-time CEM as a result of a referral from you, a service provider, a business partner, or a current employee of Centris who also has a business, private, family, or personal relationship with you; or (v) if you have visibly published your email address or voluntarily provided it to Centris or any of our employees or agents without specifying that you do not wish to receive any unsolicited CEMs and that the message is related to the performance of your duties, your business, or the functions that you perform within such a business.
To stop receiving CEMs from Centris, you can unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of each of our CEMs or by contacting us at info@centris.ca. Your email address will be removed from our mailing list within ten (10) business days of your request.
In return, you agree that your use of the Website and/or the Application will comply with the provisions of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation.
The Website may contain links to other websites or Internet resources operated by third parties over whom Centris has no control, including those owned by our partners. When you click on one of these links, you are contacting another website or Internet resource that may collect information about you that you provide voluntarily or that is obtained through “cookies” or other such technologies. Centris has no responsibility or liability for these websites or other Internet resources or their collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information.
The Website Terms of Use governing your use of the Website and the Application (available here for Centris.ca and here for societecentris.ca) contains important provisions regarding the exclusion and limitation of liability of Centris and third parties with respect to your use of the Website and/or the Application, as well as provisions determining the applicable law and exclusive jurisdiction for the resolution of any disputes regarding your use of the Website. Each of these provisions also applies to any disputes that may arise out of the application of this Policy and the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information, and are of the same force and effect as if they had been reproduced directly in this Policy.
Even if you cease to use the Website and/or the Application, Centris may continue to use or disclose your personal information in accordance with the Purposes of Use and this Policy, as amended from time to time, and subject to compliance with the Legislation.
This Policy may be changed by Centris from time to time at Centris’ sole discretion and without any prior notice or liability to you or any other person. Nevertheless, Centris will send you a notice informing you that the Policy has been modified, and a link to the revised Policy. Centris’ collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information will be governed by the version of this Policy in effect at that time. New versions of the Policy will also be posted on the Website and on the Application. Following any changes, you may unsubscribe from our services at any time if you wish to no longer receive our Electronic Communications or withdraw your consent. In any event, you should bookmark this page and periodically review this Policy to ensure that you are familiar with the latest version.
You may submit any comments, questions, or complaints regarding this Policy or the handling of your personal information by contacting our Privacy Officer at privacy@centris.ca. Our Privacy Officer will respond to you promptly, within 30 days of receiving your correspondence.
In the event of any inconsistency between the English and the French versions of the Terms, the French version shall prevail.