Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Verastate (Pty) Ltd ("Verastate", "we", "us", or "our") is a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of South Africa. We operate an online professional networking and property marketplace platform connecting registered real estate agents, property practitioners, agencies, and property buyers.

As the operator of the Platform, Verastate (Pty) Ltd is the Responsible Party under POPIA for all personal information collected through the Platform.

We collect personal information that you provide directly, that is generated by your use of the Platform, or that is collected automatically.

Under POPIA, we may only process your personal information if we have a lawful basis to do so.

We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with the following categories of third parties, who act as Operators under POPIA and are bound by written data processing agreements:

• Analytics Providers such as Google Analytics, to understand how users interact with the Platform. You may opt out via your browser settings or the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Cloud Infrastructure Providers such as Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform, to host Platform data and services. These providers maintain ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications.
• Regulatory Authorities, including the Information Regulator, PPRA, SARS, and law enforcement, where legally required.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law:

• Account and profile data: retained for the duration of your account plus 5 years after closure.
• Listing data: retained for the duration of the listing plus 3 years.
• Financial and transaction records: retained for 5 years (SARS requirements).
• Communications (messages): retained for 2 years from the date of the message.
• Analytics and usage data: retained in aggregated or anonymized form for up to 3 years.

As a Data Subject under POPIA, you have the following rights:

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@verastate.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission using TLS/SSL protocols.
• Secure, access-controlled cloud infrastructure with logging and monitoring.
• Role-based access controls limiting employee access to personal information.
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability testing.
• Tokenization of payment data, so raw card details are never stored on our servers.

In the event of a data breach likely to harm you, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required under POPIA.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve the Platform:

• Essential cookies: Required for Platform functionality (authentication, session management). Cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Used by Google Analytics to understand visitor interaction. Subject to your consent.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences.

The Platform is intended solely for professional use by registered real estate agents and property practitioners who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users by email and by posting a prominent notice on the Platform at least 14 days before material changes take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

Questions, requests, or complaints should be directed to our designated Information Officer as required by POPIA:

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a binding legal agreement between you ("User") and Verastate (Pty) Ltd ("Verastate") governing your access to and use of the Verastate platform and related services (the "Platform").

By creating an account, clicking "I Agree", or otherwise accessing or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

To use the Platform, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Be a registered Property Practitioner holding a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC) issued by the PPRA, or an individual seeking to engage a registered agent.
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract under South African law.
• Not be prohibited from using the Platform under applicable law or any prior action by Verastate.

Verastate reserves the right to verify your PPRA registration at any time and to suspend or terminate your account if eligibility requirements are not met.

When you create an account, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration.
• Maintain and promptly update your account information, including PPRA registration status and FFC validity.
• Keep your login credentials confidential and not share your account with any third party.
• Notify us immediately at admin@verastate.co.za of any unauthorized use of your account.

You are solely responsible for all activity conducted through your account.

You agree to use the Platform only for lawful purposes. You must not:

• Post false, misleading, or fraudulent information, including misrepresenting PPRA registration status.
• Harass, defame, threaten, or discriminate against any other user.
• Violate any applicable law, including the Consumer Protection Act, FICA, or the Property Practitioners Act.
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features of the Platform.
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) without prior written consent.
• Use the Platform to send spam or for any commercial purpose not expressly permitted.
• Upload or transmit viruses, malware, or any harmful code.
• Impersonate any person or entity or falsely represent agency affiliation.

When you submit property listings or other content ("User Content"), you represent and warrant that:

• You have the legal right and authority to list the property, including a valid mandate where required by the Property Practitioners Act.
• All listing information is accurate, complete, and not misleading.
• The listing complies with the Consumer Protection Act and all applicable property laws.
• You own or have appropriate licenses to any photographs, descriptions, and other content included.

By submitting User Content, you grant Verastate a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display, distribute, and promote such content on the Platform for the purpose of operating the Platform.

The Platform, including its design, software, text, graphics, logos, and trademarks (including the Verastate name and mark), is the exclusive property of Verastate (Pty) Ltd and is protected under South African copyright and intellectual property law.

You may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from any Verastate content without prior written permission. You retain ownership of your User Content, subject to the license granted in Section 5.

Certain features may be subject to subscription fees or other charges. Where Fees apply:

• Fees will be clearly disclosed prior to purchase. Your purchase constitutes agreement to pay.
• All Fees are quoted and payable in South African Rand (ZAR), inclusive of VAT where applicable.
• Fees are non-refundable except as required by the Consumer Protection Act.
• Verastate reserves the right to modify Fees with at least 30 days' written notice.

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Verastate disclaims all warranties, express or implied.

Verastate does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that listings or agent profiles are accurate or complete.

To the extent permitted by law, Verastate's total liability for any claims shall not exceed the total Fees paid by you in the 12 months preceding the claim.

You may close your account at any time by contacting admin@verastate.co.za.

Verastate may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, your PPRA registration lapses, we are required to do so by law, or we reasonably believe your account poses a risk to the Platform or other users.

Upon termination, your right to access the Platform ceases immediately. Sections relating to intellectual property, disclaimers, liability, and dispute resolution survive termination.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

In the event of a dispute, the parties agree to first attempt resolution through good-faith negotiation. If unresolved within 30 days, either party may refer the matter to mediation administered by the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) before commencing litigation.

Subject to the above, you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa.

Verastate may amend these Terms at any time. We will provide at least 14 days' notice of material changes via email and a prominent Platform notice. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

For any queries or notices relating to these Terms, please contact: