Privacy policy
This page explains what personal data Costwise collects, why, and what your rights are. In plain terms: we do not have a contact form, we never collect your name or phone number, and we have nothing to sell or share. The short version of this page is that there is very little to tell you.
Who we are
Costwise is an independent UK home-improvement cost-guide site run by Stephen Evans, who is the data controller for the data described here. For anything about your data, or to exercise any of the rights below, email [email protected].
What we collect and why
- Site analytics. We use Google Analytics and Cloudflare to understand how the site is used so we can improve it. Google Analytics only sets cookies if you accept them in the banner; if you decline, it runs without cookies and does not identify you. Analytics data is never used to contact you.
- Quote requests: we no longer collect these at all. Costwise has no contact or quote form of its own. On the guides where you can ask for quotes, either the form belongs to Leads Do Work and is filled in on their form, or the link takes you to Bark and you enter your details on their site. Either way we never see, store or transmit your name, address, phone number or job details. Nothing you type reaches us.
- Technical logs. Our host, Cloudflare, keeps standard server logs such as IP address and browser type, to deliver the site securely and prevent abuse.
We have no user accounts, we do not run a newsletter, and we do not track you across other websites.
Legal basis
Under UK GDPR we rely on your consent for analytics cookies, and on our legitimate interest in running and securing the site for the basic technical data above. There is no longer any lawful basis to describe for quote details, because we do not collect any. You can withdraw consent at any time.
Who we share it with
- Lead partners, who collect directly rather than through us. On 26 trades the quote form on the page belongs to Leads Do Work. It is their form, they are the data controller for whatever you enter, and it is covered by their own privacy policy, not this one. On the other guides the button is a link to Bark, and you fill their form on their website. We pass nothing to either of them, because we never hold anything to pass on. We may be paid a fee for the introduction, which is disclosed on the page.
- Service providers. The site is hosted on Cloudflare and analytics is provided by Google. Those are the only two providers that handle anything on our behalf. We previously used Formspree for a quote form; that form has been removed and Formspree no longer processes anything for us.
- Affiliate links. A few marked links go to suppliers who pay us a commission if you buy. When you click one, that supplier may set its own cookies. See our disclosure for how this works.
We never sell personal data. We could not sell your quote details even if we wanted to, because we do not have them.
Cookies
The only cookies we set are Google Analytics cookies, and only after you accept them in the banner. Decline and analytics stays cookieless. Your choice is remembered in your browser so we do not ask again, and you can clear it any time by clearing your browser storage for this site.
How long we keep it
We hold no quote details, so there is nothing to retain or delete on that side. Analytics data is retained for a limited period under Google's settings, and server logs are kept by Cloudflare for a short period for security. You can ask us to delete anything we do hold at any time.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you can ask us to give you a copy of your data, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to its use, or provide it in a portable form, and you can withdraw any consent. Email [email protected] and we will respond within one month. If you are unhappy with how we handle your data you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data we will update this page and the date above. This policy was last updated in June 2026.