Cookie Policy
This Cookie Policy explains how homerefinancingguide Proprietary Limited (Pty) Ltd, trading as homerefinancingguide ("we", "us", "our"), uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on the website homerefinancingguide.com (the "Website"). It should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle personal information more broadly, and our Terms of Use. This policy is issued with regard to the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and applicable guidance issued by the Information Regulator of South Africa.
1. What Are Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites function, to improve the user experience, and to provide information to the owners of the site. Cookies may be "session" cookies, which are deleted when you close your browser, or "persistent" cookies, which remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. We also use related technologies such as web beacons, pixel tags, and local storage, which we refer to collectively as "cookies" in this policy for convenience.
2. Legal Basis for Use of Cookies
Under POPIA, cookies that involve the processing of personal information (including online identifiers such as IP addresses and device identifiers) constitute processing of personal information and must be justified on a lawful basis. We rely on the following bases, depending on the category of cookie:
- Necessary cookies: processed on the basis that they are strictly required for the performance of a contract with you (for example, to enable you to browse and use the Website), or in pursuance of our legitimate interests in operating a secure and functional website, which do not require your consent.
- Analytics cookies: processed on the basis of your consent, which you may give or withhold through our cookie consent banner and preference settings.
- Marketing cookies: processed on the basis of your consent, which you may give or withhold through our cookie consent banner and preference settings, and which you may withdraw at any time.
Where consent is required, we will not activate analytics or marketing cookies until you have given consent through our on-site cookie banner, and you may withdraw that consent at any time with effect for the future, as described in section 6 below.
3. Categories of Cookies We Use
3.1 Necessary (Strictly Essential) Cookies
These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the Website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas, maintaining your session, remembering items in a shopping cart or form, and enabling core security functions such as protection against cross-site request forgery. Without these cookies, services you have asked for, such as browsing between pages or submitting a contact form, cannot be provided. These cookies do not require your consent and cannot be switched off through our cookie preference tool, although you may block them through your browser settings at your own risk of impairing the Website's functionality.
| Cookie Purpose | Typical Duration | Set By |
|---|---|---|
| Session management and load balancing | Session | homerefinancingguide.com (first party) |
| Security / CSRF protection | Session | homerefinancingguide.com (first party) |
| Cookie consent preference storage | 12 months | homerefinancingguide.com (first party) |
3.2 Analytics (Performance) Cookies
These cookies collect information about how visitors use the Website, for example which pages are visited most often, how visitors navigate between pages, and whether they encounter error messages. This information is used to compile aggregated, statistical reports that help us improve the way the Website works and understand what content is most useful to our visitors. These cookies do not, in themselves, identify individual visitors to us, although the underlying information (such as IP address) may constitute personal information under POPIA. These cookies are only set with your prior consent.
| Cookie Purpose | Typical Duration | Set By |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor analytics and traffic measurement | Up to 24 months | Third-party analytics provider |
| Page performance and error monitoring | Up to 12 months | Third-party analytics provider |
3.3 Marketing (Advertising) Cookies
These cookies are used to track visitors across websites in order to display advertisements that are relevant and engaging for individual users, and thereby more valuable to publishers and third-party advertisers. They may also be used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and to help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. These cookies are only set with your prior consent and are typically set by third-party advertising and social media platforms integrated into the Website.
| Cookie Purpose | Typical Duration | Set By |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising retargeting and frequency capping | Up to 12 months | Third-party advertising platform |
| Social media integration and sharing | Up to 24 months | Third-party social media platform |
4. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on the Website are placed by third parties, such as analytics providers, advertising networks, and social media platforms. These third parties may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect information about your use of the Website and other websites, and to provide targeted advertising based on your browsing activities. We do not control these third-party cookies, and we encourage you to review the privacy and cookie policies of any such third party. Where such third parties are located outside South Africa, the transfer of personal information to them is subject to the safeguards described in our Privacy Policy, including the requirements of section 72 of POPIA relating to cross-border transfers.
5. Cookie Consent
When you first visit the Website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner allowing you to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customise your preferences by category (necessary, analytics, marketing). Necessary cookies are always active because the Website cannot function properly without them. Analytics and marketing cookies will only be activated if you give your affirmative consent. Your choices are recorded and stored so that we do not need to ask you again on every visit, subject to the retention period indicated in section 3.1 above.
6. Managing and Withdrawing Consent
You may change or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time by:
- Accessing the cookie preference centre or "Cookie Settings" link, typically located in the footer of the Website;
- Adjusting your browser settings to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or notify you when a cookie is being placed on your device (please note that the procedure for doing so differs from browser to browser, and you should consult your browser's help menu for further information); and
- Using available opt-out mechanisms offered directly by third-party analytics or advertising providers.
Please note that if you choose to block or delete cookies, some parts of the Website may not function correctly, and your user experience may be affected. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
7. Personal Information Collected Through Cookies
Certain information collected via cookies, such as IP addresses, device identifiers, and online browsing behaviour, may constitute personal information as defined in POPIA. Where this is the case, such information is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which sets out further details on the purposes of processing, retention periods, and your rights as a data subject, including the right to access, correct, or delete your personal information, the right to object to processing, and the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
8. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies and technologies we use, or for legal, regulatory, or operational reasons. Any material changes will be indicated by updating the "last updated" date at the top of this page, and, where appropriate, by renewing your consent through the cookie banner. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, or if you wish to exercise any rights relating to your personal information, please contact us at:
homerefinancingguide Proprietary Limited (Pty) Ltd, trading as homerefinancingguide
42 Landdros Street, 0700 Polokwane, South Africa
Email: info@homerefinancingguide.com
Telephone: +27 15 475 4482
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe that our processing of your personal information through cookies infringes POPIA. The Information Regulator's contact details are available at www.justice.gov.za/inforeg.
Last updated: 2026