Open home sign-in sheets and the Privacy Act
Open home sign-in sheets collect personal details from every visitor. Here is what the Privacy Act expects and how to run one safely.
By the Savira teamPublished Last reviewed 4 min read
Why open home sign-in sheets matter under the Privacy Act
Open home sign-in sheets collect personal details from strangers, often on a clipboard that the next visitor can read. If your agency asks visitors to sign in, what you collect, why you collect it and how you keep it can all fall under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Whether the Act applies to your agency depends on your turnover and any exceptions that apply to you.
What counts as personal information on a sign-in sheet
Personal information is any information about an identifiable person. A name, phone number or email address is enough, even without anything else. Many sign-in sheets also ask for a street address, a budget or the reason someone is looking to buy or rent. Each of those is personal information, and each one needs a reason.
What the Australian Privacy Principles ask of you
The Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) set the rules for handling personal information. Four of them matter most at an open home.
Tell visitors why you are collecting their details
At or before the point you collect someone’s details, tell them who you are, why you need the information, and who it may be shared with. A short notice printed at the top of the sheet, or shown on the sign-in screen, does this job.
Only collect what you need
Ask for the fields you actually use. If you only need a name and a way to follow up, do not ask for an income range or a date of birth. Fewer fields means less to protect and less to explain.
Keep one visitor’s details away from the next
The most common problem at open homes is a sheet where visitors can see each other’s names, numbers and emails. Use a separate form for each visitor, or a tablet sign-in that shows one entry at a time. Think of it as the same kind of security question you would ask about any shared record.
Keep it only as long as you need it
Once you no longer need the information, destroy it or de-identify it, unless another law requires you to keep it. Write down how long you keep sign-in records, and who is responsible for deleting them.
A practical set-up for your next open home
Use a separate form or tablet entry for each visitor, not a shared clipboard.
Add a short collection notice at the top, saying who you are, why you collect the details and how to ask for your privacy policy.
Limit the fields to what you genuinely use for follow-up.
Avoid copying identity documents. If you need to sight one, say so, and say why.
Store completed sheets securely and set a date to destroy them.
Make sure your privacy policy explains how visitor details are handled, and that staff can point visitors to it.
Where Savira fits in
Savira is an Australian consent management platform for small and growing businesses: cookie consent, consent records and privacy policies built for the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. It covers website privacy only. Paper and tablet sign-in sheets at an open home are outside its scope, so the sign-in process is yours to set up. Savira can help with the privacy policy that sits behind it. If your open home registration form runs on your website, a scan can show which tracking tools load on that page.
This is general information, not legal advice. Every business handles information a bit differently, so if you’re not sure how this applies to yours, it’s worth checking with a lawyer or privacy adviser.
Do I need a privacy notice on an open home sign-in sheet?
Can visitors see each other’s details on a shared sign-in sheet?
Can visitors see each other’s details on a shared sign-in sheet?
They should not. A shared sheet lets the next visitor read earlier entries, which is a disclosure and security problem. Use a separate form or tablet entry for each visitor instead.
How long can I keep open home sign-in details?
Keep them only as long as you need them for follow-up or another legal reason, then destroy or de-identify them. Write the period down so your team applies it consistently.
Do I have to copy a visitor’s driver licence?
Generally no. If you need to sight an identity document, say so, say why, and avoid keeping a copy unless you genuinely need one.
Does the Privacy Act apply to every real estate agency?
Not automatically. It depends on your annual turnover and whether an exception applies. Check the OAIC guidance on small business, or get advice on your own situation.