How Bid Buy Profiles Work Across Auctions Live and Offers Live

Knowledge Hub

Understanding Bid Buy Profiles
and Subscriber Data

A simple explanation of what a Bid Buy Profile is, what information an agency receives, how the same buyer can use their profile across different listings, and what happens when a profile is deactivated.

The key distinction What happens on account closure

The simple explanation

One reusable profile.
Separate submissions to separate listings.

A Bid Buy Profile is the reusable profile an individual creates within the RE Software ecosystem.

The core principle

When a bidder or buyer submits their details for a listing, the relevant Subscriber receives those details and they form part of that Subscriber's records and, where applicable under the Subscriber Terms, Subscriber Data. Those rights are not exclusive over the individual's underlying Bid Buy Profile or the individual's ability to reuse that profile for another listing.

The individual creates a profile

The Bid Buy Profile is created within RE Software and stores information that can be reused when the individual later registers to bid or submits an offer.

The individual chooses a listing

For each listing, the individual consents to use relevant profile information to populate the applicable bidder registration or offer form.

Subscriber Receives the details

Once submitted, that form becomes part of the receiving Subscriber's transaction and record-keeping environment. A later submission to another Subscriber does not remove the first Subscriber's record.

The key distinction

The Bid Buy Profile and the submitted form are not the same thing.

This distinction is what prevents confusion about “ownership”. The Subscriber has rights in information submitted to it, but that does not create exclusivity over the individual's reusable profile.

✓ What the Subscriber receives

A listing-specific submitted record

The bidder registration form or offer management form submitted for that listing.
Information required for the Subscriber's registration, transaction management, compliance and record-keeping processes.
Contractual rights in Subscriber Data as set out in the RE Software Subscriber Terms.
The ability to retain information where it remains needed for a permitted purpose, including applicable legal or record-keeping requirements.

× What the Subscriber does not receive

Exclusive control of the reusable profile

Exclusive rights over the individual's underlying Bid Buy Profile.
The ability to prevent the individual from using their profile for another Auctions Live or Offers Live listing.
Ownership of future submissions the individual chooses to make to another Subscriber.
A right to treat all information in the statutory bidder record as general-purpose marketing data where legislation restricts its use.

How the information flows

The same profile can support more than one transaction.

Individual Buyer / Bidder Creates or signs into their Bid Buy Profile.

→

Reusable platform profile Bid Buy Profile Information is stored within the RE Software platform and can be used to help populate future forms.

→

Submission 1 Agency A Receives the form submitted for Property A and retains its own transaction record.

Submission 2 Agency B Later receives a separate form if the individual chooses to participate in Property B.

Agency A does not lose its submitted record when the individual later submits information to Agency B. Agency B receives a new submission from the individual's reusable profile.

Two registration pathways

Manual registration and Bid Buy self-registration create different profile outcomes.

The agency can still use Auctions Live without requiring every bidder to create a reusable Bid Buy Profile.

Agency-managed registration

When the agency enters the bidder directly

The Subscriber enters the relevant bidder information into the listing or uploads/records the applicable registration material. This creates a property-specific record for the Subscriber. It does not require the bidder to establish a reusable Bid Buy Profile.

Step 1Agency collects the required bidder information.

Step 2Agency records it against the relevant auction listing.

Step 3The record sits within the Subscriber's transaction environment.

ResultNo reusable Bid Buy Profile is required for that manual process.

Bid Buy self-registration

When the individual registers or submits an offer online

The individual creates or signs into their Bid Buy Profile, selects the relevant listing, reviews the required information and submits the applicable form. The receiving Subscriber obtains that listing-specific submission.

Step 1Individual creates or signs into their Bid Buy Profile.

Step 2They select a property and consent to populate the relevant form.

Step 3The form is submitted to the Agent and Agency for that listing.

ResultThe Subscriber keeps its submission; the profile remains reusable.

A practical example

Agency A's rights do not disappear - and they do not become exclusive.

Example: A buyer creates a Bid Buy Profile and registers to bid on Property A with Agency A. Agency A receives the submitted registration and retains that record in accordance with its obligations and permitted purposes.

Three months later, the same buyer wants to register for Property B with Agency B. The buyer signs into the same Bid Buy Profile and submits a new registration. Agency B now receives its own submitted record.

Nothing has been transferred away from Agency A. Agency A still has the record that was submitted to it. The buyer has simply exercised their ability to use the same reusable platform profile for another transaction.

Deactivation and retention

Closing a Bid Buy account does not unwind previous transactions.

A user may deactivate their Bid Buy account. That does not mean that forms and transaction records already submitted to Subscribers are automatically removed from those Subscriber accounts.

What deactivation does

It deactivates the individual's reusable Bid Buy account for future use. Under RE Software's published Buyer Terms, deactivation does not require RE Software to delete the personal information associated with previous registrations or offers; those terms state that RE Software retains relevant information for seven years.

Past bidder registration or offer forms remain historical transaction records.

A Subscriber's previously received form is not automatically withdrawn merely because the Bid Buy account is deactivated.

Any continuing retention or use by the Subscriber remains subject to applicable privacy, contractual and jurisdiction-specific legal requirements.

Important distinction

“Retained” does not mean “free to use for any purpose”. Different records can be subject to different legal restrictions.

For example, in New South Wales the statutory Bidders Record must be kept securely for at least three years and is subject to strict restrictions on disclosure and use. Agencies should apply the rules that are relevant to the jurisdiction and record type.

Why the model works

Think “reusable identity layer”, not “one agency owns the person”.

“You retain the bidder registration or offer records that were submitted to your business. What is not exclusive to your business is the individual's underlying Bid Buy Profile or their ability to reuse that profile when they choose to participate in another transaction.”

Comparable digital models

This type of reusable profile is already common in property technology.

The examples below are not identical legal or product models, but they demonstrate the same high-level concept: an individual maintains reusable application information and chooses when to submit it to a particular property manager or landlord.

Australia

realestate.com.au Renter Profile

REA describes Renter Profile as a secure place to store rental application information so a renter can apply to multiple properties more quickly. REA states that the profile is private and is only shared with a property manager when the renter submits an application.

View REA's explanation →

United States

Zillow Rental Applications

Zillow describes its rental application as reusable: applicants enter their information once and can submit it to multiple participating properties during the applicable reuse period.

View Zillow's explanation →

United States

Apartments.com Applications

Apartments.com similarly states that its rental application is reusable and can be securely shared with participating property owners or managers when the renter applies to their listing.

View Apartments.com's explanation →

Frequently asked questions

Common questions

Does the agency own the bidder registration or offer information submitted to it?

Under RE Software's Subscriber Terms, the Subscriber and Provider have rights in Subscriber Data. A submitted bidder registration or offer can form part of the Subscriber's records and data environment. Those rights do not make the Subscriber's rights exclusive over the individual's reusable Bid Buy Profile or over future submissions to other Subscribers.

Can the bidder use the same Bid Buy Profile with another agency?

Yes. RE Software's Buyer Terms expressly provide that a user may reuse their profile to populate a relevant form for another auction or sales campaign, and that the information is shared with the relevant Agent and Agency each time the user chooses to do so.

Does Agency A lose its data when the bidder later registers with Agency B?

No. Agency B receives a new submission from the individual's reusable profile. That does not remove the historical form or transaction record previously submitted to Agency A.

What happens if the individual deactivates their Bid Buy account?

The account can be deactivated, but RE Software's Buyer Terms state that relevant personal information connected with previous use is retained for seven years. Deactivation also does not, by itself, erase forms already submitted to a Subscriber. The Subscriber's continuing retention and use remains subject to applicable law, privacy requirements and its own record-keeping obligations.

Can a Subscriber use bidder information for any purpose once it has been submitted?

No. Rights in a submitted record do not override privacy law or specific statutory restrictions. The permitted use depends on the purpose for which the information was collected, the relevant consent and the laws applying to that record. For example, the NSW statutory Bidders Record has strict restrictions on disclosure and use.

If an agency manually registers a bidder, does that create a Bid Buy Profile?

No. Agency-managed manual registrations are a separate workflow. A reusable Bid Buy Profile is associated with the individual's supported Bid Buy registration/offer process, rather than simply being created because an agency records a bidder against a listing.

Published terms and external references

Sources used for this explanation

RE Software Auctions Live & Offers Live Subscriber Terms & Conditions - definitions of Subscriber Data and contractual rights in Subscriber Data.
Auctions Live Bidder and Buyer Terms & Conditions - Property - Bid Buy Profile creation, consent, reuse, sharing and account deactivation/retention.
Offers Live Buyer Terms & Conditions - Property - Bid Buy Profile use and offer submission process.
RE Software Website Privacy Policy - retention and handling of personal information.
NSW Government - Auctions: responsibilities for property agents - bidder record retention and use restrictions in NSW.
OAIC - APP 11 Security of personal information - destruction/de-identification obligations and exceptions where information is still needed or must be retained by law.

General information only. This article explains how RE Software's published platform terms and profile/submission model operate at a high level. It is not legal advice. Privacy, disclosure and record-retention requirements can differ by jurisdiction, record type and transaction. Subscribers should apply the laws and internal policies relevant to their business and seek legal advice where required.

Posted 9th April, 2025

Bidder Registration