General Privacy Policy
Under the authority of the Homeowner Protection Act (Act), the Homeowner Protection Office, as a branch of BC Housing, collects and uses personal information:
- to license residential builders and other persons required to be licensed under the Act; and
- to carry out research and education respecting residential construction in British Columbia
The collection, use, disclosure and retention of information by the Homeowner Protection Office complies with the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Document Disposal Act. Collected personal information will only be used by authorized staff to fulfill the purpose for which it was originally collected or for a use consistent with that purpose. We do not disclose your personal information to other public bodies or individuals except as authorized by law or by you (e.g. public registry of licensed residential builders). We keep the information only for the length of time necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which it was collected.
When you visit the Homeowner Protection Office website our web server automatically collects a limited amount of information essential for the operation and security of our website. Some of this information (e.g. browser type) does not identify who you are, while other information, such as your Internet domain name or IP address may identify you. The extent of personal identification depends, in large part, on the "naming standards" followed by your Internet Service Provider. We do not distribute cookies to your web browser.
When you voluntarily send us electronic mail, we will keep a record of this information so that we can respond to you. However, electronic mail messages are not secure. Your message may be intercepted by other parties, without your knowledge or permission, while in transit to us. Therefore, you should not send us information that you consider confidential by electronic mail.
Privacy Policy for HPO Online Store and Events
The Homeowner Protection Office (HPO), a branch of BC Housing, collects and uses personal information in order to provide you with our services. We do not disclose, sell, trade, or rent your personal information to outside parties. We use this information solely to process your online transactions, to provide you with reports on activity in your account, and to contact you with information regarding our service. We share this information, and only that information which is absolutely necessary, with those third parties that are involved in the processing of your transactions. For example, GiftTool e-commerce solutions or the financial institution with whom you have your bank account.
Information that is collected is used to check the user’s qualifications for registration and to process transactions as outlined in the Terms of Use. Unique identifiers are collected to verify the user's identity. The HPO uses the services of GiftTool to manage our e-commerce services.
The collection, use, disclosure and retention of information by the Homeowner Protection Office complies with the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Document Disposal Act. Collected personal information will only be used by authorized staff to fulfill the purpose for which it was originally collected or for a use consistent with that purpose. We do not disclose your personal information to other public bodies or individuals except as authorized by law or by you. We keep the information only for the length of time necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which it was collected.
The Homeowner Protection Office is committed to maintaining confidentiality and respecting personal privacy. As a branch of BC Housing, a government agency, HPO falls under the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). This Act is responsible for ensuring that provincial government organizations are accountable to the public while protecting people’s personal information.
What kind of personal information does the HPO collect?
HPO only collects the personal information that we require to administer our GiftTool Online Store and Event Registrar services. GiftTool collects information about you exclusively for the purposes of providing the services outlined on this web site and the HPO will never use that information for any other commercial purpose.
Guest Registrant
As a registrant, you will provide us with personal information so that we can provide the services outlined on this web site.
Customers
Once you become a customer, the personal information collected is required to allow you to interact with our service, to process your online transactions, to provide you with reports on activity in your account, and to contact you with information regarding our service.
We share this information, and only that information which is absolutely necessary, with those third parties that are involved in the processing of your transactions. For example, GiftTool or the financial institutions with whom you have your bank account.
Credit Card Numbers
When you use GiftTool-enabled services to make an online financial transaction, the credit card billing information, including the name on the customer's card, billing address, and expiration date, is used to process the transaction. All this information is encrypted using 128-bit SSL encryption, industry standard secure technology. This encryption is designed to prevent theft or interception of the information. Please also refer to GiftTool’s Privacy Policy and Security Policy.
GiftTool may disclose specific financial information when we determine that such disclosure may be helpful to comply with law, to cooperate with or seek assistance from law enforcement.
Web User
When you visit the HPO website (www.hpo.bc.ca), our web server automatically collects a limited amount of information essential for the operation and security of our website. Some of this information (e.g. browser type) does not identify who you are, while other information, such as your Internet domain name or IP address may identify you. The extent of personal identification depends, in large part, on the "naming standards" followed by your Internet Service Provider.
Some government websites may distribute small pieces of information (called "cookies") to web browsers to assist you when you return to specific areas on the site. If you subscribe to the email notifications on the HPO’s website, your user information is stored in a database, and is retrieved as needed to distribute email notifications. A cookie is only being used to identify you as an email notification subscriber for future sessions. There are no other cookies on the HPO’s website www.hpo.bc.ca.
If you have concerns about this, you can change your web browser to not accept this information or display warning messages.
How does the HPO protect your personal information?
The HPO has safeguards in place to protect your electronic records and paper records against risks of unauthorized access. We only keep your personal information for the length of time governed by our records retention schedules and other legislative requirements and then records are destroyed.
As the Homeowner Protection Office is a branch of BC Housing, to obtain access to your records or to request a correction to a record, you must make a written request to BC Housing, Please contact the Director, Business Support Services by email at FOIPP@bchousing.org for assistance or to receive more information about BC Housing’s and HPO's privacy policy.
How do we use your personal information?
Personal information will only be used by the HPO to fulfill the purpose for which it was originally collected, or for a use consistent with that purpose. We do not disclose your personal information to other public bodies or individuals except as authorized by the FIPPA Act through your consent.
If you have any questions or concerns about how your personal information is being used, please email FOIPP@bchousing.org
Privacy Policy
Collection, use, disclosure and retention of information on the HPO’s website complies with provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Document Disposal Act. Collected personal information will only be used by authorized government staff to fulfill the purpose for which it was originally collected or for the use consistent with that purpose.
Requesting access to your records
To obtain access to your records or to request a correction to a record you must make a written request. Complete this form and mail or provide the information in a letter. Please describe the records you are requesting, being as specific as possible so that we can ensure our response meets your needs.
By mail:
Director, Business Support Services
1701-4555 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5H 4V8
By email:
Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns about BC Housing’s and the HPO’s privacy policy, please email FOIPP@bchousing.org.
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