Privacy Policy

This is an English translation for convenience; the German version is legally binding.

1. Controller

Responsible for data processing on this website within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Shikha Shrivastava
SS Real Estate und Dienstleistungsgesellschaft (trading as Great Minds Consulting)
Am Europakanal 40
91056 Erlangen, Germany
Phone: +49 176 4173 1628
Email: sshrivastava@greatmindsconsulting.eu

No data protection officer has been appointed, as there is no legal obligation to do so.

2. Overview

We process personal data only to the extent necessary to operate this website, answer your enquiries and provide our services (real estate brokerage under § 34c GewO and introductions to independent partners).

Legal bases are in particular Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract or pre-contractual measures, e.g. your enquiry), Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR (legal obligations, e.g. retention duties) and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest, e.g. secure operation of the website).

3. Hosting and server log files

This website is built and hosted with the Hostinger website builder: Hostinger International Ltd., 61 Lordou Vironos Street, 6023 Larnaca, Cyprus.

When you visit the website, technically necessary data is processed (including IP address, date and time, page visited, browser and operating system, referrer). This is necessary to deliver the website and ensure its security (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). A data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR is in place with Hostinger.

4. Cookies and cookie banner

We use technically necessary cookies required to operate the website (Section 25(2) TDDDG, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Non-essential cookies and external content are only used with your consent via our cookie banner (Section 25(1) TDDDG, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by deleting the cookies in your browser and making a new choice in the banner.

5. Contact forms, email and phone

If you contact us via a form, by email or by phone, we process your details (e.g. name, email address, phone number, content of your message, details of the property you are looking for) to handle your enquiry (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Form data is transmitted and stored via Hostinger’s infrastructure. If you use the “flat alert” in the Expat guide and enter search criteria (for example area, budget, move-in date), we use them to inform you by email or WhatsApp about matching offers (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, consent). You can withdraw your consent at any time.

Sharing with partners: If you ask us to introduce you to an independent provider (e.g. a financial broker or renovation company), we pass on your contact details and the information needed for the enquiry to that provider. This is based on your request or your consent when submitting the form (Art. 6(1)(a) and (b) GDPR). The provider is responsible for any further processing.

6. Online appointment booking with Calendly

For booking appointments we embed or link to Calendly (Calendly LLC, 115 E Main St, Ste A1B, Buford, GA 30518, USA). When you book an appointment, Calendly processes the data you enter (e.g. name, email address, chosen time) as well as technical data such as your IP address. The embedding only takes place with your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR); the booking itself serves pre-contractual measures (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Calendly is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; data transfers to the USA are based on the European Commission’s adequacy decision. More information: https://calendly.com/privacy

7. WhatsApp

Our website contains a link to WhatsApp. Only when you click it are you redirected to WhatsApp, and data is transferred to WhatsApp Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland. If you message us via WhatsApp, we process your message and phone number to answer your enquiry (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Please do not send us sensitive documents via WhatsApp. WhatsApp privacy notice: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea

8. External content and data

The background video on our home page is loaded from Pexels. To display interest rate trends, your browser retrieves current interest rate statistics directly from the European Central Bank (Sonnemannstrasse 20, 60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany). For the “Market update” section, headlines are loaded from haufe.de (Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG, Freiburg). In each case your IP address is transmitted to the provider; we do not set any cookies in the process. This is based on our legitimate interest in an informative and appealing presentation of the website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). All other images are delivered directly by our hosting provider.

Property listings from immowelt: On the “Current listings” page, a module from immowelt (AVIV Germany GmbH, Ostendstrasse 113, 90482 Nuremberg, Germany) is loaded only after you click “Load listings”. Your IP address and technical data are transmitted to immowelt, and immowelt sets a session cookie (IwAGSessionId). The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, Section 25(1) TDDDG), which you give by clicking and can withdraw at any time by deleting the cookies and not loading the module again. Enquiries you send via the module are forwarded to us by immowelt. immowelt privacy notice: https://www.immowelt.de/immoweltag/datenschutz

9. Storage period

We store personal data only as long as necessary for the respective purpose. We delete enquiries once they have been fully handled and no statutory retention obligations apply (e.g. 6 or 10 years under commercial and tax law, and the retention obligations under the Makler- und Bauträgerverordnung).

10. Your rights

You have the right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20) and to withdraw consent with effect for the future (Art. 7(3) GDPR).

Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR): Where we process data on the basis of legitimate interest, you may object at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation.

Right to lodge a complaint: You may lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The authority responsible for us is the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (BayLDA), Promenade 18, 91522 Ansbach, www.lda.bayern.de.

An email to sshrivastava@greatmindsconsulting.eu is sufficient for all requests.

11. SSL/TLS encryption

This website uses SSL/TLS encryption. You can recognise an encrypted connection by “https://” in your browser’s address bar.

Last updated: September 2026

Imprint

SS Real Estate und Dienstleistungsgesellschaft

Great Minds Consulting

Licensed real estate broker (§ 34c GewO)
Am Europakanal 40, 91056 Erlangen, Germany

Phone: +49 176 4173 1628
Email: sshrivastava@greatmindsconsulting.eu

Financing and renovation services are provided by independent partners we introduce – all advice and contracts are made directly with the respective provider.