Privacy Policy

Last reviewed: October 2026.

Who we are

HomeCalc.ca is operated by Hami Tahm, a sole proprietor based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For the purposes of Canadian privacy law, Hami Tahm is the person accountable for personal information handled by HomeCalc.ca — the “privacy officer” under PIPEDA.

Contact: Hami@HomeCalc.ca — mark the subject line “Privacy”.

What information we collect

We collect as little personal information as possible. Specifically:

You volunteer

• Email address, if you send us a message at Hami@HomeCalc.ca or fill in a form.
• Any information you include in the body of your message.
• Calculator or Journey inputs and results only when you deliberately ask us to email a report or opt in to saving an editable Journey. An editable Journey may include home price, down payment, income, debts, housing costs, and related calculator inputs.

Automatically, when you visit

• IP address (anonymized for analytics — see “Analytics and cookies” below).
• Device and browser information (type, operating system, screen size) — used by our hosting and analytics providers to serve the site correctly.
• Pages visited, time on page, referring URL — aggregated for analytics.

Not collected

• We do not ask for your name, age, income, SIN, date of birth, or any personal financial information.
• On the website, values you enter are processed in your browser by default. They are transmitted only when you submit an email/report form or explicitly select the saved-Journey option. (The HomeCalc connector for Claude and ChatGPT works differently and keeps anonymous, rounded usage statistics — see its section below.)
• We do not have password accounts or payment processing. Optional saved Journeys use private passwordless links instead.

Why we collect it

The information we collect is used for a short list of purposes:

• Replying to you when you email us.
• Sending you the calculator report or Journey summary you asked for. Asking for a report does not subscribe you to anything, and it is not a request to be contacted by a broker.
• Understanding which pages are used and how, in aggregate, so we know where to improve the site.
• Meeting legal and security requirements — for example, keeping server logs for a limited time to identify abuse or technical issues.
• For the HomeCalc connector only: anonymous, rounded usage statistics, used to improve the calculators and to publish aggregate market research.

We do not use personal information for advertising profiles or retargeting, and we never sell it to advertisers or data brokers. The one exception is the optional mortgage-broker referral described under “Who we share information with” below — which happens only if you explicitly opt in.

Analytics and cookies

HomeCalc.ca uses Google Analytics 4 to measure aggregate traffic patterns. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect information about how visitors use the site. We configure Google Analytics with IP anonymization enabled and we do not use Google Analytics for advertising or remarketing purposes.

We also use Google Search Console, which collects search-related data (what queries led people to our site) but does not identify individual users.

To understand how visitors use our calculators, we use Microsoft Clarity, which records session behaviour (such as mouse movement, clicks, scrolling, and heatmaps) to help us improve the site. Clarity masks text you type into forms and fields by default, so it does not capture the numbers you enter into calculators or your contact details. Clarity runs for all visitors and is not controlled by the cookie banner below — that banner governs Google Analytics. If you would rather not be included, you can opt out of Microsoft Clarity across all sites using Microsoft's opt-out page, or by enabling your browser's tracking-protection or Do Not Track setting. See also the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

Cookies used:

• _ga, _ga_* — Google Analytics, for measuring unique visitors.
• Session cookies set by our hosting provider (Vercel) for performance and security.

Your cookie choices: When you first visit HomeCalc.ca, we ask for your consent before setting Google Analytics cookies. Google Analytics is off by default — those cookies are set only if you select “Accept all” or enable Analytics in the cookie banner. You can change or withdraw that choice at any time using the “Cookie preferences” link in the site footer. Microsoft Clarity is not covered by this banner — see “Analytics and cookies” above for how to opt out of Clarity. You can also disable cookies in your browser settings; the site will function normally either way.

To see how the cookie banner is used, we keep anonymous daily totals of banner views and choices, including when preferences are reopened. These totals reflect browser-tab sessions, not people, and do not include contact details, calculator entries or identifiers. Requests may appear briefly in our providers’ technical logs.

Calculators embedded on other websites

Our calculators are free for anyone to embed on their own website. When one loads inside another site, we record which calculator it was and the domain name of the host site (for example example.com) — that is how we know where the free widget is being used.

This is about the website, not about you. We deliberately do not record the page address, page title or query string of the host page, we set no cookie for this, and we store nothing that identifies the visitor — no IP address, no session identifier, and none of the exact figures entered into the calculator. Numbers typed into an embedded calculator are processed in your browser; we never receive the exact figures unless you choose to email yourself the results. Embedded calculators work just like the rest of HomeCalc.ca, including the site analytics described under “Analytics and cookies” above.

We use limited, aggregated embed data to improve HomeCalc and understand broader trends. It excludes contact details and exact financial entries.

HomeCalc connector (Claude / ChatGPT)

The HomeCalc connector lets AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT run our calculators inside a conversation. It is free, needs no account, and is read-only. When an assistant uses it, the assistant sends us only the numbers needed for that calculation, and we return the result. Its endpoint and tools are described in the connector developer documentation.

No personal data. The connector has no login and never stores names, emails, IP addresses, exact figures, account identifiers or conversation text. For each calculation we keep anonymous, rounded usage statistics: which calculator, which assistant (Claude or ChatGPT), the time, whether it succeeded or returned an error, the province, rounded ranges of the inputs (for example the price in $100,000 bands, income in $25,000 bands, the interest rate rounded down to the nearest 0.25%) and yes/no outcomes (for example whether CMHC insurance applies). Our hosting provider keeps standard request logs, including IP addresses, for about a day for security and operations. Usage statistics are deleted after 24 months. We use them only to improve the calculators and to publish aggregate market research, and we never sell them.

The statistics cannot be linked to you or to each other: we store no session, conversation or device identifier. Your conversation itself is governed by the privacy policy of the assistant you use (Anthropic or OpenAI).

Who we share information with

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information to advertisers or data brokers. There is one narrow, opt-in exception — the mortgage-broker referral described at the end of this section.

We use a small number of service providers, each of which processes information only on our instructions:

• Vercel — website hosting. Vercel may process IP addresses and request metadata as part of delivering the site.
• Google (Analytics and Search Console) — aggregate traffic analytics.
• Resend — email delivery. When you ask us to email you a calculator report or a Homebuyer Journey summary, Resend sends that message on our behalf and processes the recipient email addresses you entered, including any spouse, realtor, or partner address you chose to add.
• Supabase — data storage for site operations, including the email address you submit through a calculator form together with the calculator inputs and results sent with it, saved editable Journey data you explicitly opt into, anonymous connector usage statistics, anonymous daily cookie-banner totals, and, if you ask for a broker referral, the name and phone number you provide and the consent record.

We may disclose personal information where required by law — for example, in response to a valid court order or law enforcement request in Canada.

Optional mortgage-broker referral

HomeCalc.ca is not a mortgage brokerage or lender. Asking for a report never shares your details with a broker. A referral happens only if you separately ask for one:

• “Help me find someone” request (Ontario). After your mortgage renewal report has been sent, you can ask HomeCalc to help identify a licensed Ontario mortgage brokerage that may be available. If you do, we keep your name, email, phone number, preferred contact time (if given), the province, the page you were on, and the consent wording you agreed to with the date and time. We use it only to look for a match and to contact you about your request. It does not allow us to share your information with any brokerage: nothing is disclosed until we show you the specific brokerage and you separately approve that introduction (below). You can withdraw the request right after sending it, or at any time by emailing hami@homecalc.ca.
• Named-brokerage introduction (Ontario pilot). On some pages, after your report has been sent, we may offer an optional introduction to one named, licensed Ontario mortgage brokerage. Nothing is shared unless you open that offer, enter your details and tick the consent box, which names the brokerage and its licence number. We then share only your name, email, phone number, the best time to reach you if you gave one, and what you asked to talk about — with that one brokerage. Once it has your details, the brokerage's own privacy policy applies; the offer links to it.
• Homebuyer Journey. The Journey's email form offers an optional, unticked box asking for a licensed mortgage broker to contact you. If you tick it, we share only your name, email and phone number with a licensed mortgage brokerage. From July 17 to August 27, 2026, individual calculator pages offered the same box; it has since been removed from them.

In every case we do not share your calculator inputs or results, HomeCalc may receive a referral fee from the brokerage, and you pay nothing. Leaving the offer alone changes nothing — the calculators and your report work exactly the same.

When you opt in, we record the exact consent wording you agreed to, together with the date and time, and keep that consent record for three years so the referral is verifiable. You can withdraw consent or ask us to delete your contact details at any time by emailing Hami@HomeCalc.ca.

How long we keep information

• Emails you send us: retained as long as they remain useful for replying to you and for our records, typically under two years unless an ongoing matter requires longer.
• Server logs: retained by our hosting provider for a limited period (typically 30 days) for security and debugging.
• Google Analytics data: retained under Google's default 14-month window.
• Calculator email captures: the email address you submit and the calculator inputs and results sent with it (and, if you asked for a broker referral, the name and phone), kept until you ask us to delete it.
• Saved editable Journeys: the private link expires 180 days after the most recent update. We retain the owner email and optional spouse email so either person can request a replacement link. The owner can disable the spouse link or delete the saved Journey; a spouse can remove their own access. Expired or revoked Journey records are deleted through our scheduled data-retention process.
• HomeCalc connector usage statistics (anonymous and rounded — see above): deleted automatically after 24 months. The hosting provider's request logs for the connector, which include IP addresses, are kept for about a day.
• Anonymous cookie-banner totals: kept for 25 months.
• Broker-referral consent records (the wording you agreed to, plus the date and time): retained for three years from the date of consent so the referral remains verifiable.
• “Help me find someone” requests: used only while we look for a match and follow up with you. If you withdraw, the request is marked withdrawn straight away and we stop using it and stop contacting you about it. We keep the request record — your contact details and the consent wording, date and time — only as long as needed to show what you agreed to and when you withdrew. You can ask us to delete your contact details at any time by emailing hami@homecalc.ca.

You may ask us to delete email correspondence at any time by emailing Hami@HomeCalc.ca.

Your rights under PIPEDA

Under the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we hold about you.
• Know how we use it and who it has been shared with.
• Correct personal information that is inaccurate.
• Withdraw consent to our use of your personal information, subject to legal limits.
• Complain to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe we have not met our obligations — priv.gc.ca.

To exercise any of these rights, email Hami@HomeCalc.ca with “Privacy request” in the subject line. We will respond within 30 days.

Children

HomeCalc.ca is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently received information from a child, email Hami@HomeCalc.ca and we will delete it.

International transfers

Our service providers, including Google, Vercel, Supabase, and Resend, may process information outside of Canada, including in the United States. Where this occurs, we rely on the service providers' contractual and technical safeguards to protect personal information. By using HomeCalc.ca, you acknowledge that your information may be transferred to and processed in these jurisdictions.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our practices change or when the law changes. Material changes will be reflected by updating the “Last reviewed” date at the top of this page. Please check back periodically.

Contact the privacy officer

Privacy Officer (PIPEDA) for HomeCalc.ca:

Hami Tahm
Email: Hami@HomeCalc.ca
Subject line: “Privacy”

For complaints about the way we handle personal information, you may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca. Quebec residents may contact the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec at cai.gouv.qc.ca.