Privacy and data protection policy

1. Introduction to our privacy and data protection policy

Protecting your data and keeping it confidential is a matter of trust, and one we take very seriously. This privacy policy explains the nature, scope and purpose of our processing of personal data. Personal data is data that relates to you and can provide information about you.

2. Controller of your personal data

You can contact our data controller by:

We may ask you for a copy of an identity document to confirm that your request is legitimate.

All data you provide to us is processed in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection.

This privacy policy explains how Cogestim SA processes your personal data. Various personal data is collected when you interact with us, whether in person, by phone, by mail, by email or through our website: cogestim.ch.

3. What types of information do we collect and how do we store your data?

Depending on the type of services we provide to you, the categories of personal data we process are listed below.

All your data is stored on our own servers located in Switzerland. We continuously improve our processes and tools to prevent any intentional or unintentional, unlawful and unauthorized manipulation, modification, intrusion, deletion or transmission of your data.

We process your data only for the purpose for which you entrusted it to us.

3.1. When you contact us

When you contact Cogestim SA in person, by phone, by mail or by email, we collect and process your personal data in order to perform a contract that has been or is to be concluded.

3.2. You request a property file for rent or sale

When you request a property file, we may collect the following information:

Your identification data (last name, first name, phone number, postal and email address).

By submitting a request form through our website, you agree that the information entered may be used and processed to allow us to contact you and to send you alerts, offers and services based on the search criteria you have provided.

You can access your data at any time by logging in to your my.cogestim.ch account (online rental application portal) with the login details sent to you by email. If you lose these details, you can ask Cogestim SA to send them to you again.

3.3. You are a tenant or are applying to rent a property

When you apply to rent a property, you fill out a Cogestim SA rental application form. In doing so, we collect the following data:

Your identification data (last name, first name, phone number, postal and email address, copy of your identity card, copy of your passport, type of residence permit, place and date of birth, certificate of residence or establishment).

Your family situation and the number of people who would occupy the property.

Your financial & professional situation (your monthly income and supporting documents, a valid official extract from the debt enforcement office), as well as the contact details of your current landlord. The landlord must be able to verify that the income of the selected tenant and/or any co-tenants and guarantors is sufficient to cover the costs of the property in question. If the lease is signed, you will also be asked for your bank details.

This information is collected, based on your consent, to enable you to rent a property. If your application is not accepted, your registration and its paper attachments will be neither returned nor kept. If you applied online, it is up to you to request its deletion.

3.4. You would like a valuation or appraisal of your property

When you contact us to have your property valued or appraised, we may collect the following information about you:

Your identification data (last name, first name, phone number, postal and email address).

This mandate authorizes the Cogestim SA broker or real estate appraiser to consult and request copies of any land registry documents, in particular the land register extract, the plans of the property, the extract of the fire insurance policy (ECA) and any document likely to provide relevant information on the property to be valued / appraised.

For a unit in a condominium (PPE), we may also consult and request the condominium regulations, the minutes of the general meetings and the accounts for the last three years.

If you choose an online valuation through our website, you agree that the information entered may be used and processed to allow us to contact you and to send you alerts, offers and services.

This information is collected, based on your consent and on a concluded contract, in order to provide you with the value of your property.

3.5. You would like to sell your property

When you contact us to entrust us with a brokerage mandate, we may collect the following information about you:

Your identification data (last name, first name, phone number, postal and email address).

This mandate authorizes the Cogestim SA broker to consult and request copies of any land registry documents, in particular the land register extract, the plans of the property, the extract of the fire insurance policy (ECA) and any documents and photos likely to provide relevant information on the property.

For a unit in a condominium (PPE), we may also consult and request the condominium regulations, the minutes of the general meetings and the accounts for the last three years.

This information is collected, based on your consent and on a concluded contract, in order to present potential buyers to you.

3.6. You would like to buy a property

When you contact us to buy a property, we may collect the following personal data:

If you are looking for a property and have not yet identified the one you want to buy, we may collect your search criteria (geographic area, price range, features of the property you are looking for) so that we can offer you properties for sale that may match your criteria.

This information is collected, based on your consent, in order to offer you a selection of properties.

3.7. You would like to entrust us with the rental management of a property

When you entrust us with the rental management and enhancement of your property, we may collect the following personal data:

Your identification data (last name, first name, phone number, postal and email address), as well as your bank details.

All documents identifying and describing the property or properties (current leases and their amendments, accounting and financial documents needed to manage the property, upkeep and maintenance contracts, etc.).

This data is collected, based on your consent and on a concluded contract, in order to manage your property.

3.8. You would like to entrust us with the administration of a condominium property (PPE)

When you entrust us with the administration of a condominium property (PPE), we may collect the following personal data:

Your identification data (last name, first name, phone number, postal and email address), as well as your bank details.

Information about your condominium (deed of establishment, technical data and features of the property, condominium regulations, accounts, minutes of the general meetings and all documents related to its administration).

This data is collected, based on your consent and on a concluded contract, in order to administer your condominium.

4. Who we share your personal data with

4.1. With our subcontractors

We may need to share some of your data with our subcontractors in connection with work and/or maintenance.

All data we share with our subcontractors is processed, on both sides, in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP).

4.2. With third parties

Your personal data may also be shared with third parties, depending on the services requested and within the limits of their purpose (sale, purchase, rental, management). These include landlords, sellers, tenants, potential buyers and public authorities.

5. You browse our website and want to create an account

You can browse our website anonymously. However, non-personal usage data, such as your device’s IP address, the pages viewed, the browser used, the date, the time, etc., which we record using cookies, is collected during your visit.

Please refer to our cookie policy in section 7 of this policy.

Using electronic media such as the internet, email, etc. involves risks (viruses, hacking, etc.). To reduce these risks, please use an up-to-date version of your browser and install antivirus software that is updated regularly.

6. You want to create an account

When you create an account to receive a file for a property for sale or rent, we may collect the following personal data: your identification information (last name, first name, phone number, postal and email address). Please refer to section 3.2 of this policy.

7. Our cookie policy

A cookie is a file made up of a string of characters that is sent to your device when you browse a website or use an app. The cookie allows the website or app to recognize you on a later visit.

Cookies allow us to observe how visitors behave and to keep useful data to make their future browsing easier.

7.1. Why analyze visitor behavior?

Based on this statistical data, we can carry out analyses and make the improvements needed to make your browsing ever more pleasant and efficient.

Cookies also allow us to better target our advertising on other websites and on social networks such as Facebook.

7.2. Why keep the data you enter?

When you fill out a contact form with an advertiser, for example to get information about a property for rent or sale that interests you, we save this information in your cookies.

Most web browsers accept cookies automatically. However, you can set your browser so that no cookies are stored on your computer, or so that you are always notified when you receive a new cookie.

Our services can generally be used even without cookies.

7.3. What types of cookies do we use?

The types of cookies (including those of our subcontractors) that we may use on our website, and the purposes for which they are used, are listed below:

7.4. Category 1: strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are essential for you to move around our website and use its features. Without these cookies, several parts of our website could be blocked and/or not work properly.

We use these cookies to give you access to the services we offer on our website. The personal data collected by these cookies is processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in the proper functioning of our website.

7.5. Category 2: performance cookies

These cookies collect information about how you or other users use our website, for example the pages you visit most often and whether you receive error messages from web pages.

We may use these cookies to keep our website efficient and easy to use and to understand how it is used. In most cases, these cookies do not collect information that identifies the user.

If any personal data were to be collected by these cookies, it is processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in understanding and optimizing the use of our website.

7.6. Category 3: functional cookies

These cookies allow our website to remember the choices you have made (such as your username, language or the region you are in) and may also be used to provide the services you have requested.

We may use these cookies to keep our website efficient and easy to use and to offer you a smooth browsing experience.

The personal data collected by these cookies is processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in offering you a website that is pleasant to use.

7.7. Category 4: targeting and advertising cookies

These cookies are used to better understand the behavior of our website’s users, to adapt its content, to compile statistics on the use of our website and to show you tailored advertising on third-party websites, based on the interest in our services you showed during your visit to our website. In some cases, they allow us to provide advertising better suited to your tastes and interests.

You can refuse these cookies at any time through your browser settings. Where required by applicable law, these cookies are only placed with your consent. We keep track of your consent using a technical cookie; therefore, if you delete the cookies on your devices, we will have to ask you again whether you consent to such cookies.

7.8. Third-party cookies

We may include on our website third-party software applications that allow you to share content from our website with other people or to let those people know that you viewed or have an opinion about content on our website.

The placement and use of cookies by third parties are subject to those third parties’ privacy policies. These cookies are outside our control. Please refer to the privacy policies of the respective social media platforms to find out how their cookies work.

7.9. Use of tracking technologies

Cogestim SA uses anonymized analysis technologies for visits to its website and newsletters in order to continuously improve them. Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and internal tools are used for a non-personal analysis of your browsing, solely for a statistical assessment of overall performance. In the process, information on the operating system, the browser, geographic origin (country only), the pages viewed during the visit and interactions (for example: number of clicks on a listing, a phone number, advertising banners, etc.), as well as the response times of the pages viewed, is recorded.

7.10. Disclosure of your personal data abroad

Your personal data is processed in Switzerland, but may be processed in other countries if required to perform your contract. All data you provide to us is processed in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection and, where applicable, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the law of your place of residence outside the European Union.

7.11. Anonymous analysis of searches on our website

When you use the search bar on our website, the wording of your query is recorded anonymously in our database. Before anything is recorded, potentially personal data is automatically masked: email addresses, phone numbers and long sequences of digits. No IP address or personal identifier is kept. This data is automatically deleted after 12 months. It is used solely for internal purposes: to measure the relevance of the results provided by the search bar and to improve this tool.

7.12. Origin of your visit and your request

When you arrive on our website, we temporarily keep, in your browser tab’s storage, the campaign parameters present in the page address (for example the source, medium or name of an advertising campaign), the path of the landing page and the name of the website you came from. No personal data is recorded at this stage and nothing is transmitted until you submit a form. This information is erased when the tab is closed. If you send us a request, it is attached to that request and, for a valuation request, passed on to our customer relationship management tool. Its sole purpose is to know through which campaign or which page you found us. You can object at any time by blocking your browser’s local storage or by browsing in private mode: your request will then be handled in the same way.

8. What are your rights?

Under data protection legislation, you have a number of rights, including:

8.1. The right to information

You have the right to know how your personal data is used.

As mentioned above, we process your data only for the purpose for which you entrusted it to us.

8.2. The right to withdraw consent

When we process your personal data (last name, first name, phone number, postal and email address) following your registration on my.cogestim.ch on the basis of your consent (for example to send you property offers or newsletters), you can request its deletion at any time. We will, however, need to keep certain information to ensure that you are not contacted again in the future.

8.3. The right to rectification

If you find or believe that your personal data is inaccurate, you have the right to request that it be corrected or completed.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact our Quality Department, which is responsible for processing personal data.

8.4. Updates

We may amend this policy from time to time without notice. Please check it regularly.

9. Jurisdiction and governing law

This Privacy Policy and all questions arising from or related to it, as well as the use of the websites and services, are governed by Swiss law.

You accept the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at the registered office of Cogestim SA.