Thanks for talking with us about property sales and rentals. As we move forward, we may each share information that is not meant to be public, so we can price, plan, and make decisions without surprises.
It sets the ground rules for keeping each other’s confidential information private while we discuss or carry out work together, and we both agree to follow the terms below.
What counts as confidential
“Confidential information” means information one of us shares with the other that a reasonable person would treat as private, whether it is marked confidential or not. This includes pricing and fee discussions, client and tenant details, landlord information, lease terms under negotiation, screening notes, and timelines.
It also includes property information that is not public yet or is shared in confidence, like access details, vacant-period plans, keys and lockbox codes, condition notes, repair quotes, boundary or title questions, photos and videos taken for evaluation, and any documents you share with us for contracts and checks. The same applies to our internal checklists, templates, and working notes.
How we protect it
We both agree to use the other side’s confidential information only to evaluate, plan, or carry out the work we are discussing together. We will not use it for any other purpose, including approaching the other side’s contacts directly for a separate deal.
We will only share it with people who need it to do that work and who are expected to keep it private. For us, that usually means the specific team members handling your matter and, when needed, professional advisers or service providers involved in viewings, management, or paperwork. Each of us will protect the other’s information with the same care we use for our own sensitive information, and we will avoid sending it casually through public links or open group chats.
What is not confidential
Information is not confidential if it is already public through no fault of the receiving side. It is also not confidential if the receiving side already knew it before it was shared, and can show that with dated records.
Information is not confidential if it comes from someone else who had the right to share it, and the receiving side did not ask them to break a duty of confidence. It is also not confidential if the receiving side develops it independently without using the other side’s confidential information.
If a disclosure is required by a government authority, court, or similar lawful process, the receiving side may disclose only what is required. Where we are allowed to, we will give prompt notice so the other side has a chance to seek protection or limit what is shared.
How long this applies
This agreement applies from the date it is signed and covers confidential information we share after that date, whether we share it in writing, verbally, in meetings, or during property visits and inspections.
Our duty to protect each other’s confidential information continues after our work together ends. It lasts for the period we agree in writing. If we do not end up working together, the same duty still applies to what we learned during discussions, viewings, pricing conversations, and document review.
If we need a different confidentiality period for a specific situation, we will confirm that in writing before the information is shared so there is no confusion later.
Returning information
If the other side asks, or when our work together ends, each of us will promptly return or destroy the other side’s confidential information that we hold, including copies. This covers things like document scans, photo sets shared for evaluation, screening notes, draft terms, and access instructions.
We can keep limited copies only when we must keep them for a legitimate reason, such as complying with record-keeping duties, maintaining a normal business archive, or backing up systems. If we keep anything for those reasons, we will keep it protected and we will not use it for any other purpose.
Where returning physical items is not practical, we will confirm in writing what was destroyed and what was retained, and why.
Who owns what
This agreement does not transfer ownership of anything either of us already owns. Each side keeps all rights in its own information, materials, ideas, know-how, templates, and methods.
Sharing confidential information does not give the receiving side a licence to publish it, reuse it in other projects, or claim it as their own. The only permission created by this agreement is the limited right to review and use the information to evaluate and carry out the work we are discussing together.
If we later sign other documents for a transaction or ongoing work, those documents may set additional rights and responsibilities. This agreement is only about keeping shared information private.
If there is a leak
We both understand that if confidential information is disclosed or used improperly, the harm may be difficult to fix with money alone. The harmed side may ask a court or similar authority to order the disclosure to stop, in addition to seeking damages or other remedies that may apply.
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