Editorial Policy

Editorial Independence

FairCost has commercial features. This page lists them, names the potential conflicts, and explains the structural controls that stop them from distorting our published prices. If something on this page is unclear or seems insufficient, write to me directly.

Last reviewed 25 May 2026 by Delah, Founder

Three principles this policy is built on

1
Prices are not for sale. No tradesperson, supplier, advertiser, or affiliate partner can pay to raise, lower, or otherwise influence the displayed price band on any category page. The pricing logic lives in our public codebase, not in a CMS field that a sales rep can edit.
2
Commercial content is clearly marked. Sponsored listings, featured providers, and affiliate links carry a visible label. If you can't tell whether something on FairCost is editorial or commercial, that's a bug — report it.
3
Conflicts are named, not hidden. The founder of FairCost also operates a Sydney cleaning business (MaidForYou). That conflict is disclosed on the cleaning category pages and below. We'd rather tell you about a conflict than hope you don't notice.

Commercial features on FairCost, and the controls on each

Featured Providers

Status: live for cleaning, plumbing, electrical, pest, painting

Tradespeople can pay to appear on a Featured Provider slot on relevant category and city pages. They get a clearly-labelled sponsored slot and a direct lead path. They do not get to influence the displayed price range, sit anywhere in the editorial body of the page, or appear in the Rip-Off Check verdict.

What they get

• Sponsored listing on relevant pages
• Lead delivery to their inbox
• Visible “Sponsored” label

What they don't

• No influence on price bands
• No removal of unflattering data
• No editorial mentions

Quote submissions

Status: live, free

Submitting a quote to FairCost is free and always will be. We don't accept paid submissions, and we don't weight a submission more heavily based on who submitted it. Every submission is reviewed for legitimacy before it affects displayed prices, and obvious test data or duplicates are excluded.

Affiliate referrals & rewards

Status: live

Where we earn a referral fee for sending users to a quoting platform or service, we disclose it on the page where the link appears. We do not allow affiliate economics to determine which platforms or tradespeople we recommend in editorial copy. If a platform pays a higher commission but delivers worse outcomes for users, it doesn't get recommended.

Direct conflict: MaidForYou

Founder also operates a business in one of the listed categories

I (Delah) own and operate MaidForYou, a residential and commercial cleaning business in Sydney. This means I have a direct financial interest in the cleaning categories on FairCost. The controls on this conflict are:

Disclosure on every cleaning page. The cleaning category pages link back to this policy so visitors can see the conflict.
MaidForYou doesn't set the price. The cleaning price bands on FairCost are the AU market median, not MaidForYou's rate card.
No preferential listing. MaidForYou does not get a free Featured Provider slot, doesn't appear higher in any rankings, and isn't recommended over other operators in editorial copy.

What to do if you spot a problem

If something on FairCost looks wrong — a price you can't reconcile with reality, a conflict that isn't disclosed where it should be, or a piece of content that reads more like an advert than editorial — tell us. Either we fix it, or we explain why we're holding firm. Both outcomes go in our public correction log.

Submit a correction →Read our pricing methodology