These Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between you (our customer) and Downsize Detail, a trading name of Lifesphere Strategies Pty Ltd (ABN 86 672 048 690), a company registered in Australia, operating in Bowral and the Greater Southern Highlands, NSW. They set out what we'll do for you, what we need from you in return, how your personal information is handled, and how we resolve things if something goes wrong. Please read them before booking a service. If anything is unclear, call Chris on 0434 395 387 and we'll talk it through.
In these Terms, "we", "us" and "our" refer to Downsize Detail, a trading name of Lifesphere Strategies Pty Ltd (ABN 86 672 048 690), a company registered in Australia and operating in the Southern Highlands of NSW. "You" and "your" refer to the person or entity engaging our services.
By requesting a quote, confirming a booking, or accepting a service from us, you agree to be bound by these Terms. These Terms sit behind the written agreement we prepare for your job — the signed agreement sets out your price and scope, and where the two differ, the signed agreement prevails.
Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude, restrict or modify any rights you may have under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) or any other law that cannot lawfully be excluded. Your statutory rights as a consumer always apply.
Downsize Detail provides premium property preparation services for homeowners selling in the Southern Highlands. Every engagement is personally managed by Chris from the first consultation through to settlement. The scope of each job is assessed individually and priced accordingly — some properties need clearance alone; others require the full service from clearance to settlement.
Our services include, but are not limited to:
The specific services included in your engagement will be confirmed in the written agreement provided before work begins. Services not listed in the agreement are not included unless agreed separately in writing.
We do not provide valuation, appraisal, legal, financial, or insurance advice. Any comments we make about the potential value of items or the likely sale outcome of your property are general observations based on experience, not professional advice. You should obtain independent professional advice before making decisions that rely on such comments.
We quote by appointment only. You are welcome to book a free 15 minute call first to talk through your situation, and if it makes sense we then arrange an appointment at the property. The appointment is free and carries no obligation. Every quote follows that visit: we do not quote from photographs, over the phone, or sight unseen.
Please do not send photographs of your property by email, text or message — we do not accept or rely on them for quoting. The only assessment we use is what Chris gathers in person at the property, and any photographs needed for scoping are taken by Chris at the appointment. Seeing a property in person is the only honest way to price the work, and it is why our prices hold once they are written.
We offer two services. They can be taken on their own or together, and the ones that apply to you will be set out in the written agreement we provide. Quotes are valid for thirty (30) days from the date they are issued, unless we state otherwise in writing.
Preparing your property for sale is offered in two packages, each priced as a fixed fee and confirmed in writing before work begins:
Selling the contents of a property is a separate service with its own pricing. There is no upfront fee. We work on a commission on what actually sells and nothing on what does not, with the remainder being your share. The commission rate is agreed at the property and confirmed in your written agreement before anything is sold. Every item sold is recorded on an itemised statement showing what sold and what it made. Full terms are in Section 6.
This service can be taken on its own, or alongside a preparation package. Where you take both, your share of the sale proceeds is credited against your preparation invoice before payment is due, so the more your contents sell for, the less the preparation costs you. Where your share exceeds the invoice, we pay you the difference.
Skip, trade and service costs are separate from and in addition to our fixed fee, and are always billed to you directly by the provider:
You will not be committed to any skip, trade or service cost you have not approved.
We reserve the right to revise our service fee — only after discussing it with you and only before proceeding — where:
In any such case, we will stop work on the affected scope, explain the issue, give you a revised fee in writing, and only continue with your express approval. You will never be charged for variations you did not agree to.
A preparation package is confirmed once you sign our written agreement and pay the booking deposit (see Section 11). The deposit secures Chris's availability and your start date, and is applied in full against your final bill — it is not an extra charge.
Signing the agreement constitutes your authority for Downsize Detail to act as your property preparation manager for the agreed scope — including booking and supervising trade contractors on your behalf within pre-approved cost parameters. This authority continues until the engagement is formally completed or terminated in accordance with Section 10.
You can change your mind at any time before work commences, at no charge, and your deposit will be refunded in full — provided no trade or skip commitments have yet been made on your behalf (see Section 10).
On the day work begins, you (or an authorised representative aged 18 or over) should be available at the start of the job to walk through the property, confirm the scope, and identify anything to be kept or handled with particular care.
A contents sale is confirmed once you sign our written agreement setting out what we are selling on your behalf. No deposit is payable, as our commission is taken from what actually sells. Signing constitutes your authority for us to sell the agreed items on your behalf through the channels we judge will achieve the best result, including licensed auction partners where appropriate.
You confirm that you are the owner of the items, or the executor, administrator, or other person lawfully authorised to sell them. We may ask for evidence of that authority where an estate is involved.
To allow us to complete the service safely, lawfully and to the standard we promise, you agree to:
We cannot and will not remove items we have reasonable grounds to believe do not belong to you, or that you are not authorised to dispose of. If this situation arises, we will pause the job and contact you to resolve it.
The Treasure Trimmer Credit is the core of what makes us different: before disposal, we sort through items and identify anything with realistic resale value. Where you choose to have us sell, we sell those items on your behalf and your share of every sale is applied as a credit directly against your invoice.
The Treasure Trimmer Credit is a best-effort service, not a guarantee of any specific credit amount. Some jobs yield significant credits; others yield little to none. This is normal and is not a breach of these Terms. We will always tell you honestly what we've found and how we've valued it.
Our standard service does not include the removal of hazardous materials. For your safety and ours, and to comply with NSW work health and safety (WHS) and Environment Protection Authority (EPA) regulations, the following are excluded from standard clearance:
If any of the above are present, please tell us before you accept a quote. In many cases we can arrange a separately quoted, licensed disposal via an appropriate specialist. If hazardous materials are discovered only on the day, we will stop work in the affected area, explain the options, and continue only with your agreement.
It is your responsibility to identify and set aside, before we begin, any items of financial, legal, personal or sentimental significance that you do not wish to be removed. These include (but are not limited to):
While we sort with care and will always raise anything unusual we find, we cannot reasonably be expected to identify the personal significance of every item. To the extent permitted by law, we accept no liability for the loss of such items if they are not set aside or clearly marked before the clearance begins.
We care about where your items end up. Wherever reasonably possible, we divert items away from landfill through resale, donation to registered charities, or recycling. All items we cannot rehome are disposed of through licensed waste facilities in accordance with NSW EPA guidelines.
Once removed from your property, items become our responsibility and are handled at our discretion within the law. We make no further commitments about the ultimate destination of any specific item.
You may withdraw items from sale at any time before they are sold, at no charge. Where an item has already been listed, consigned to an auction partner, or committed to a buyer, we will do everything we reasonably can to withdraw it, but you may be liable for any listing or withdrawal fee the channel or auction partner charges that we cannot avoid. Items already sold cannot be recalled.
We keep this simple and fair both ways:
We understand that property transactions sometimes change direction. If your property is withdrawn from sale, the sale falls through at exchange or settlement, or your listing timeline changes materially:
Where your sale circumstances change after work has commenced, your deposit is applied against work completed on the same fair and proportionate basis as a mid-campaign cancellation (see B above).
A full preparation package is considered complete on whichever of the following occurs first: (a) settlement of the property sale and completion of any agreed post-settlement services; (b) the property is withdrawn from sale; or (c) the parties mutually agree in writing that the engagement is concluded. Upon natural completion, a final account is issued and payable in accordance with Section 11.
In the unlikely event that we need to withdraw from an active engagement due to circumstances beyond our control (illness, personal emergency, force majeure), we will give you as much notice as possible, provide a full handover of all active trade relationships and commitments, and charge only for work completed to that point. We will refund a fair and proportionate portion of any advance payments covering work not yet done.
There is nothing to pay upfront. The commission agreed in your written agreement is deducted from what each item actually sells for, and the rest is your share.
The selling period. We sell for ninety (90) days from the date clearance is completed, unless we agree something different with you in writing. Ninety days is deliberate: auction consignments commonly take six to ten weeks to sell and pay out, and a shorter window would cut good pieces off before they reach the right buyer.
Where you have also taken a preparation package. While you still owe us money, your share of anything sold comes off your next payment, so you simply pay less. Once your bill is paid in full there is nothing left to reduce, so your share is paid to you instead.
Settlement of your share. At the end of the selling period we issue an itemised statement of every item sold and what it made. Where money is owed to you, we will ask for your bank account details at that point and pay you within fourteen (14) days of the statement. We do not ask for or hold your bank details unless there is money to pay you.
Anything unsold. Items that have not sold by the end of the selling period are donated or returned to you, whichever you prefer. We will ask you which you would like before the period closes, never assume.
Package engagements are billed simply, in two or three payments that align with the natural phases of the work. The specific amounts will be confirmed in your written agreement. Unless the agreement states otherwise, the following structure applies:
The total fixed fee does not change regardless of the number of instalments, and it does not increase if your campaign runs longer than expected. Your Treasure Trimmer Credit (Section 6) is applied against these invoices before payment is due.
Skip and trade costs never pass through our hands:
Service fee invoices unpaid after seven (7) days of the due date may be subject to a reasonable late payment administration fee. We will always contact you first. Because skips and trades bill you directly, an unpaid provider account may cause that provider to pause work — we will flag this early and help you resolve it, so the overall campaign is not affected where avoidable.
Disputed invoices are paused pending resolution — we will never pursue collection while a good-faith dispute is open.
Payment is by bank deposit (EFT) only, to the account shown on your invoice. Please use the reference on your invoice so your payment can be matched.
The price we quote is the whole price. There are no additional charges on top of the figure confirmed in your written agreement. The ABN for Lifesphere Strategies Pty Ltd (trading as Downsize Detail) is 86 672 048 690 and appears on every invoice we issue.
Invoices are issued at the points set out in Section 11 and are payable by the dates stated on them. If anything on an invoice is unclear, call Chris and he will walk you through it.
This section is important. Please read it carefully as it explains the nature of our trade coordination role and the limits of our responsibility for work performed by third parties.
Downsize Detail is a property preparation management and coordination service. When we engage painters, carpet layers, cleaners, gardeners, removalists, pest controllers, or any other trade on your behalf, those contractors are independent businesses — they hold their own licences, their own Australian Business Numbers, and their own public liability and professional indemnity insurance. They are not employees, subcontractors, or agents of Downsize Detail.
Our role in relation to trades is to select, scope, book, coordinate, and supervise their work. We exercise genuine care in choosing trades we trust — people we know from experience can deliver to the standard your property deserves. However, our coordination role does not make us the legal provider of the trade service itself.
Subject to the Australian Consumer Law and to the extent permitted by law:
Nothing in this clause limits any right or remedy you may have against Downsize Detail under the Australian Consumer Law for our own coordination services, provided with due care and skill.
We engage only trade contractors who hold the licences, registrations, and insurance appropriate to their trade under NSW law. Where the work requires a licensed contractor under the Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) or other legislation, we confirm that the relevant contractor holds the required licence before engaging them. If you have concerns about a specific trade's credentials, please ask us and we will provide the details.
If a trade contractor's work is defective or unsatisfactory, we will:
We cannot guarantee rectification outcomes when the defect is in the trade's own workmanship, but we will always act as a genuine advocate on your behalf.
We will not commit any trade expenditure on your behalf without your prior written approval of the relevant quote. If a trade identifies additional work once on-site that was not included in the original quote, we will contact you for approval before authorising any variation. You will not be charged for trade cost variations you did not approve.
Think of us like a trusted project manager on your behalf. We choose the trades, keep them on track, and hold them to a high standard — but if a painter does a bad job, your recourse is against the painter, not against us. What we're responsible for is selecting the right trades, supervising the work, and making sure the whole campaign runs the way it should. That's what you're paying us to do, and we take that seriously.
We will take reasonable care of your property, fixtures, floors and surrounding areas during the clearance, and every area we clear is left broom clean. If something is not right, tell Chris and he will fix it. We carry public liability insurance appropriate to our work.
We are not responsible for pre-existing damage or for damage arising from ordinary wear associated with removing large or heavy items through tight spaces where there is no reasonable alternative route. Where possible, we will discuss any risks with you before proceeding.
If you believe we have caused damage, please notify us in writing within seven (7) days of the service so we can assess and, where applicable, arrange repair or compensation.
Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). Specifically, our coordination and management services must be provided with due care and skill, be reasonably fit for their purpose, and be supplied within a reasonable time. You are entitled to a remedy if these guarantees are not met.
Our liability to you is for our own coordination and management services — how we plan, supervise, communicate, and manage your engagement. It does not extend to the independent work of third-party trade contractors, which is addressed in Section 11B.
Subject to your non-excludable rights under the ACL, and to the maximum extent permitted by law:
Where any loss or damage is caused or contributed to by more than one party — for example, where a trade contractor's defective work combines with other factors — our liability (if any) will be assessed proportionately to the degree to which our own conduct contributed to that loss.
Nothing in this section limits any right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law or any other applicable law that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. If the ACL applies and limits how we may restrict our liability, we limit it only to the extent the ACL permits — which means, at our election, re-supplying the relevant service or refunding the amount paid for that component.
We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This section also serves as our privacy policy.
We do not sell your information. We share only what is reasonably required to deliver our services — for example, a disposal or resale partner may receive limited details about items being handled. Our third-party tools (such as email and invoicing software) may store your information on secure cloud servers, some of which may be located outside Australia. We take reasonable steps to ensure any provider we use has appropriate privacy protections in place.
We store personal information securely, using reasonable physical and technical safeguards appropriate to a small business, and keep it only as long as it's needed for the purpose it was collected or to meet legal obligations (for example, tax record-keeping).
You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to request corrections, and to ask us to delete information that is no longer needed. Email info@downsizedetail.com.au to make a request. If you believe we have mishandled your information, you may complain to us directly or, if unresolved, to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.
We only send marketing messages with your consent, and every marketing message includes a clear unsubscribe option, consistent with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).
We take "before and after" photographs of the spaces we clear for our own quality records. We only publish images from your job externally (for example, on social media or our website) where you have given us permission — a simple tick on your written agreement or your written consent at any time. Where you have given permission, we ensure:
If something goes wrong, please speak to Chris directly first — most issues are resolved quickly with a conversation. Call 0434 395 387 or email info@downsizedetail.com.au. We aim to acknowledge any formal complaint within two business days.
If we cannot resolve the matter between us, you may contact NSW Fair Trading (fairtrading.nsw.gov.au) for independent assistance. Unresolved consumer disputes may ultimately be escalated to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
These Terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. You and we each submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales.
We may update these Terms from time to time, for example to reflect changes in our services, technology or the law. The current version is always available on our website, with the "Last updated" date shown at the bottom of this page. Material changes will apply to new bookings made after the update date. The version of these Terms that applies to your booking is the version that was current on the date we confirmed your booking.
Downsize Detail is a trading name of Lifesphere Strategies Pty Ltd, a company registered in Australia.