Terms of use and privacy
Plain-English terms for using cdccheck.com.au. By using the site you agree to them. If you don't agree, please don't use the site.
The short version
- It's a pre-check, not an approval. Results are indicative only and depend on the figures you enter. Only a registered certifier or council can issue a complying development certificate.
- AI answers can be wrong. Answers in "Ask the Housing Code" are AI generated. Check them against the clause text and with a certifier.
- Your questions are stored and used. We keep the questions you ask and the answers, and use them to run and improve CDC Checker. See section 5.
- The quick check stays on your device. Figures you type into the quick check calculator are not sent to us.
- We count visits. Google Analytics tells us how many people visit and which features they use.
- Email updates are opt-in. If you give us your email for updates, we only use it to send CDC Checker news. Unsubscribe any time. See section 6.
- Don't type personal details such as names, phone numbers or addresses into the question box.
- Questions or requests? Email hello@cdccheck.com.au.
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Who we are
CDC Checker (cdccheck.com.au) is operated by CDC Check ("we", "us"). You can contact us at hello@cdccheck.com.au.
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What CDC Checker is, and isn't
CDC Checker gives general information about the NSW Housing Code (Part 3 of State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, "the Codes SEPP") to help you prepare before you lodge.
It is not a complying development certificate, a development approval, or legal, planning, building or certification advice. Results are indicative only:
- The quick check covers only the standards it lists. It does not check everything a certifier must assess, such as whether your land can use complying development at all (land exclusions), BASIX, the Building Code of Australia, or other parts of the Codes SEPP.
- Results are only as accurate as the figures you enter. We don't check your figures or your plans.
- The standards are our reading of the Codes SEPP as stated on the site. They can contain errors, and the law changes. The official legislation at legislation.nsw.gov.au prevails.
- A "pass" doesn't mean your design will be approved, and a "fail" doesn't mean it can't be.
Always confirm with a registered certifier or your council before you make decisions or spend money.
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AI-generated answers
Answers in "Ask the Housing Code" are written by artificial intelligence. We use Claude (by Anthropic) to write answers and Isaacus to search the Codes SEPP text.
- Answers can be wrong, incomplete or out of date, even when they sound confident and cite a clause.
- Answers are based on the version of the Housing Code stated on the site. The law changes, and your site may be affected by rules outside Part 3.
- You must check every answer against the clause text shown and the official legislation at legislation.nsw.gov.au, and confirm with a registered certifier.
- Don't rely on an answer alone to decide whether your design complies.
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The quick check calculator
The Housing Code quick check runs in your web browser. The figures you enter there are not sent to us or stored by us. We only record that a check was completed and whether it passed, through Google Analytics (see section 5).
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Your data and how we use it
When you ask a question, your data will be stored and used by us. By asking a question you agree to this.
What we collect
- The question you type and the answer we give, including the clauses cited.
- The date and time, and technical details such as how long the answer took.
- A one-way scrambled code made from your internet (IP) address. We use it to stop abuse. We don't store the IP address itself.
How we use it
- To answer your question.
- To review, test and improve the accuracy of answers, our search, and our rules, including building test sets from real questions.
- To understand which rules people find confusing and to plan and develop new features and services.
- To prevent misuse, enforce limits and keep the service secure.
- To publish general insights (for example, "the most-asked Housing Code questions"), but only in a form that doesn't identify you.
Who we share it with
We share your question only with the service providers we need to run CDC Checker:
- Anthropic (Claude), which writes the answer. Anthropic is based in the United States.
- Isaacus, which searches the Codes SEPP text for your question.
- Microsoft Azure, which hosts the site and stores our logs in Australia.
- Cloudflare, which runs a check that you're a person and not an automated program.
- Google Analytics, which uses cookies to count visits, pages viewed and which features are used (for example, that a question was answered). We don't send your question text to Google.
Some of these providers process data outside Australia, including in the United States. They handle data under their own terms and privacy policies. We don't sell your information.
Please don't include personal information
Ask about rules and figures, not about people. Don't include names, phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses, lot and DP numbers, or anyone else's details. If you do, they will be stored and used along with your question as described above.
How long we keep it, and your rights
We keep questions and answers for as long as we need them for the purposes above, then delete or de-identify them. We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles. You can ask to see, correct or delete information that relates to you, or make a complaint, by emailing hello@cdccheck.com.au. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au).
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Email updates
You can choose to give us your email address to get CDC Checker news. This is optional and separate from using the site.
What we collect
- Your email address and the role you pick (for example, homeowner or certifier).
- When you signed up, the wording you agreed to (as our record of your consent), and the same one-way scrambled code of your internet address described in section 5.
How we use it
- To email you news about CDC Checker, such as new checks, codes and features, and changes to the CDC rules that affect them.
- To understand who is interested in CDC Checker (for example, how many certifiers or builders), so we can decide what to build.
We don't sell or rent your email address, and we don't give it to certifiers, builders or advertisers. We don't send it to Google Analytics. It is stored with Microsoft Azure in Australia and handled by our email provider when we send you a message.
Unsubscribing
Every email we send tells you how to unsubscribe. You can also email hello@cdccheck.com.au at any time. We'll stop emailing you within 5 business days. We keep your address only until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it. After you unsubscribe, we may keep a note of the address so we don't email it again by mistake.
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Fair use
You agree not to:
- use automated tools, scripts or bots to send questions or copy content;
- try to get around rate limits, bot checks or other security measures, or to access our systems or API other than through the website;
- try to make the AI produce content unrelated to building and planning, or harmful, unlawful or misleading content;
- enter other people's personal information.
We may limit or block access if we think these terms are being broken.
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Content and copyright
Codes SEPP text shown on the site is © State of New South Wales, from legislation.nsw.gov.au, and is reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The official version on that site prevails. The rest of the site's design and content belongs to us.
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Our responsibility to you
CDC Checker is provided free, "as is", for general information. To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for any loss or damage, including redesign costs, delays or refused applications, that comes from relying on the site or its answers.
Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or changes any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law or any other law that can't be excluded.
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Changes
We may change, pause or stop any part of CDC Checker, including daily question limits, at any time. We may update these terms; the date at the top shows when. Using the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.
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Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.