Our assessment

The whole Local Contact agreement is public, which nobody else in the .ca field manages. Clause 4.5 commits Safenames to relinquishing all rights of ownership once you notify a transfer of ownership, and clause 4.7 commits it to moving the domain to a registration agency you designate if it can no longer hold it: that is a wind-down clause, and almost no trustee writes one. Clause 3.10 bars it from modifying, deleting, assigning or licensing the domain without your instruction, and clause 2.10 leaves administrative control in your own portal. The costs are published in clause 5: an $800 one-off set-up fee and $250 a year, with no refunds under clause 5.5 and non-payment treated as a material breach. Two clauses cut the other way. Clause 11.2 lets Safenames form a company or register a trade mark to complete the service, and clause 11.4 says those items remain its sole property, so the qualifying vehicle is never yours. Clause 7.9 stops you using any Safenames agent for the same service after termination. Governed by English law.

Restricted TLDs covered

.ca, .au, .br.

Where this provider appears

.ca trustee comparison, with its fee, five-year total and exit terms in the table.
.au trustee comparison, with its fee, five-year total and exit terms in the table.
.br trustee comparison, with its fee, five-year total and exit terms in the table.

What is checked

Per-TLD fees and five-year totals, the contract terms on surrender and transfer, the legal entity that becomes the registrant of record in each country, non-payment behaviour, and what shows in each registry's public lookup. Figures are published only once verified against the provider's current pricing, with a date. Ratings are given per extension in each comparison table, weigh contract transparency, exit terms and holding structure ahead of price, and are not affected by affiliate arrangements because there are none.

Last checked September 2026. The assessment is editorial and based on the provider's published terms and public register data. Spotted something out of date? Email info@trusteeindex.com.