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AE INDEX
Melbourne Renovation Cost Index
Privacy
policy

Privacy policy

Short version: we collect what you type into the estimator, we use advertising tools that track visits, and if you request a referral we pass your details to a builder. Nothing is sold to anyone.

Who we are

AE Index publishes indicative cost data for Melbourne residential renovation at aeindex.com.au. We are not a building company. Enquiries about this policy, or requests to access or delete your data, can be sent to the contact address on this site.

What we collect

What you enter

The answers you give the estimator — project type, suburb band, floor area, finish level, building age, site access, heritage status, timing and budget expectation. On their own these do not identify you.

Contact details, if you give them

Your name, email address and phone number, but only if you ask us to email a report or refer your project to a builder. We do not ask for them to show you a cost estimate.

Analytics

Google Analytics records pages viewed, approximate location, device type and how you arrived. It is aggregate reporting, not a profile of you by name.

Advertising

We use the Meta pixel and its server-side equivalent to measure which ads lead to enquiries. Where you have given us your email or phone number, these are irreversibly hashed before being sent to Meta — Meta receives a scrambled value, never the address or number itself.

Why we collect it

To generate your estimate, to send you the report when you ask for it, to pass your project to a builder when you request a referral, and to understand which pages and which ads actually produce enquiries. That last one is how a free cost index pays for itself.

Who we share it with

WhoWhat they getWhen
Our partner builderYour name, contact details and the answers you gave the estimatorOnly when you submit a referral request
ResendYour email address and the report, for deliveryWhen you ask for the report by email
MetaHashed contact details and event data, for ad measurementOn visits and conversions
GoogleAggregate analytics dataOn every visit
CloudflareHosting and delivery of this siteOn every visit

We do not sell your information, and we do not pass it to any builder other than through a referral you have asked for.

Cookies and tracking

This site sets cookies for analytics and advertising measurement. You can block or delete them in your browser settings, or opt out of personalised advertising through Meta and Google's own ad settings. The estimator itself works with cookies disabled.

How long we keep it

Referral enquiries are retained while the enquiry is active and for a reasonable period afterwards for record-keeping. Analytics data is retained under the provider's standard periods. Estimator answers submitted without contact details are not retained in a way that identifies you.

Your rights

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) you can ask what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, and ask us to delete it. Email us and we will action it. If you are unhappy with how we have handled a request, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS. Credentials for the services above are held as encrypted environment variables and are not present in the code that runs in your browser.

Changes

If this policy changes materially we will update the date shown at the foot of this page. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the revised policy.

Your project, not an average

No details required

The estimator shows your range and the full calculation before we ask you for anything.

Common questions

Do I have to give my details to see a cost estimate?

No. The estimator shows your indicative range and the full calculation without asking for anything. Contact details are requested only if you want the report emailed or a builder to quote the project.

What exactly does the builder receive?

Your name, email, phone number and the answers you gave the estimator, so they can assess the project before contacting you. They receive this only when you submit a referral request.

Is my email address shared with Meta?

Not in a readable form. Where advertising measurement uses your email or phone number, it is irreversibly hashed first, so Meta receives a scrambled value it can match against its own hashed records but cannot reverse.

How do I have my information deleted?

Email us and ask. We will delete what we hold and confirm it. If a referral has already been passed to a builder, you will need to ask them separately as they hold it as their own record.

Related

When you are ready to build

AE Index is not a building company. When a project is ready to be priced properly, we pass it to a builder from our verified network — who will walk the site, inspect what is under the floor, and put a fixed price in writing. We are paid a fee by them on work that proceeds, and you are under no obligation to use them.

  • Current domestic builder registration, confirmed with the Victorian Building Authority
  • Domestic building insurance current and sighted
  • Two completed projects contacted directly — not supplied testimonials
  • Fixed-price contracts with a written variations policy
  • Re-checked annually, and removed from the network on any lapse

Last updated 28 July 2026

AE Index publishes indicative cost data for Melbourne residential renovation. Estimates are budget-setting figures, not quotes, and assume a standard site with no undisclosed structural, drainage or contamination issues. Square-metre rates are drawn from the Archicentre Australia CostGuide 2026, an independently published Australian cost guide, and are GST inclusive. Site adjustments are AE Index's own and are labelled wherever they appear. AE Index refers projects to a builder from its verified network and receives a fee on work that proceeds.