Who We Are

Destiny empowers property investors to achieve their financial goals by providing education and support services. The company was started in 1994 from Reuben and Margaret Lomas' spare bedroom, and today has expanded throughout Australia.

Destiny's Purpose

To improve the collective economy by strengthening the financial position of the individual.

Destiny's Values

At Destiny, our values represent how we 'live at work'. They are the daily values upon which we align our actions and behaviours.

Client-Centric Approach

Destiny has developed standard operating procedures which ensures you remain at the centre of everything we do. Examples of such procedures include Client Advisory Boards, telephone surveys, clients as staff members, and rewards based on client satisfaction results.

Property Investing Principles

When working with you, the following principles act as our 'guiding hand':

1. Cash flow and capital growth are equally important
   Obtaining a suitable cash flow will enable you to stay in the market long enough to realise capital growth. For this reason, both cash flow and capital growth are fundamental concepts which astute property investors understand.
2. Mitigate risk to minimise failure
   Many inexperienced property investors fail every year primarily because they do not mitigate risks effectively. At Destiny, we believe all known risks associated with property investing should be considered and managed to minimise their impact.
3. Advice independent of property sales
   Advice and sales do not mix. To ensure our property investment advice remains uncompromised, we do not sell property. This is a commitment we will always uphold.
4. Appropriate finance
   The finance structure of your portfolio is an important piece of the puzzle. Appropriately structured finance will provide the necessary security and leverage to grow a portfolio, safely and successfully.
5. Invest widely
   Owning a number of properties within the same geographic market reduces your exposure to growth and limits your ability to leverage and buy more property. For this reason, we believe all investors should buy in varied markets across the country.
6. Research extensively
   The cornerstone of our strategy is research. Drawing heavily on the wisdom of the 20 Must-Ask Questions® we research every possible angle and issue regarding areas and properties. No investment property should be purchased without first conducting the right research.

No Third Party Commissions*

From time to time Destiny refers clients to third party service providers (for example quantity surveyors and accountants) based on merit. Our criteria for selecting third party service providers is quality, ethics, value and professionalism. Typically these service providers offer exclusive discounts to Destiny clients because we do not accept any referral fees or incentives.

*Excludes mortgage and insurance services

Fee-For-Service Pricing

On all property investment services, Destiny employs a transparent fee-for-service pricing model. This simply means that clients pay us a set fee for delivering a pre-defined service. We do not generate income from undisclosed commissions. This pricing model ensures our property investment education and support services are not tarnished by the opportunity to earn additional commissions.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

All Destiny property investment services are backed by the following guarantee:

'Destiny's services are guaranteed to your complete satisfaction. If you are not completely satisfied with a particular service, we will refund the professional fees you paid to us or provide the relevant service again free of charge. This guarantee is one of the many ways we do business with uncompromising integrity.'

Qualified & Experienced People

All Destiny branch managers are Qualified Property Investment Advisers (QPIA™) with the Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) and experienced property investors. This blend of qualifications and experience ensures the services delivered are both professional and practical. What's more, all Destiny personnel operate under PIPA's Code of Conduct (refer to: www.pipa.asn.au).

Property Investment Industry Regulation

The property investment industry is currently unregulated; to the detriment of Australian property investors. Margaret Lomas (Founder of Destiny) is national chair of the peak industry association, Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA). This association is lobbying the Federal Government to regulate the industry.

Homebuyers & Homesellers Protection Fund

Destiny is a financial contributor to the Homebuyers & Homesellers Protection Fund which aims to protect homesellers and homebuyers from unethical, dishonest and illegal conduct in the real estate industry (refer to: www.hhpf.com.au). Unfortunately some property investors are financially disadvantaged by unscrupulous operators who prey on new investors. This fund helps those people.

Swift Resolution of Complaints

Clients are invited to follow the process below to assist Destiny in the swift resolution of complaints:

1. Advise your local Destiny branch about the complaint either in writing via post or e-mail, or over the phone. If this complaint is about the local office, you may wish to lodge the complaint directly to Destiny's Head Office by e-mailing resolution@destiny.com.au or by phoning 02 4351 0380.
2. The local office or Head Office will record your complaint in point form and then propose a solution to you.
3. If you accept the solution, a date will be given to you for this resolution to be implemented.
4. If you are not happy with the recommended resolution, we will then happily attempt to create another solution which we hope you will be fully satisfied with.
5. In the event that we cannot come to a satisfactory resolution, we will then refer you to an external complaints handling scheme that we hope will be able to assist you.

We trust this process will assist to resolve any complaints you may have, but of course, we will strive to ensure that you never need to use it! However, if you do, please feel you are able to freely do so and accept our guarantee that we will do everything within our power to ensure a speedy and satisfactory outcome for you.

Destiny's Privacy Policy

Your right to privacy is important to us. This statement explains your privacy rights and our rights and obligations in relation to your personal information.

The Privacy Act regulates the way Destiny uses the personal information provided about you. Please read the following as it sets out how we may use information about you.

Privacy generally

You need not give us any of the personal information requested in any of our order or application forms or any other document or communication you receive from us. However, without this information, we may not be able to process your order or application, or provide you with an appropriate level of service. You may request access at any time to personal information held by us about you and ask us to correct it if you believe it is incorrect or out of date.

How we may use your personal information

We may use your information to:

• Process your order
• Process your application form
• Provide additional services where requested by you or your branch
• Facilitate our internal business operations, including fulfillment of any legal requirements and confidential systems maintenance

Our right to disclose your personal information

We may disclose your personal information only to the following people and in the following circumstances:

• To any referee nominated by you
• To those third parties that are involved in the provision or delivery of any products and/or services you may have purchased or requested from us, such as couriers and Australia Post.
• To our external service providers, subject to permission and request from you, such as valuers, real estate agents, conveyancers, insurance providers, quantity surveyors, property managers, accountants, building & pest inspectors, mortgage insurers, lenders and mortgage brokers.
• To any persons acting on your behalf, unless you tell us not to
• To merchants with whom you transact, to process your card transactions
• If you request us to do so or if you consent or where the law requires or permits us to do so

Your personal information will not be used in any manner other than is outlined herein and at no time will details about you be provided to any other party not contained in this statement without your permission.

Client Feedback

Destiny is committed to becoming the leading property investment service provider in the world. As such, we encourage you to provide us with feedback for improvement. Experience has shown that the best ideas typically come from our clients.

Questions?

Our Client Charter is also available for download as an Adobe PDF document.

If you still have questions please call our National Enquiry Centre on 1300 MyDestiny (1300 693 378).