Homeowner Terms
Draft. This policy is under legal review and may change.
Last updated: [EFFECTIVE_DATE] Version 1.0
In short: Using the Platform as a Homeowner is free. You pay CSI nothing to post jobs, find and book pros, chat or leave reviews. As a Homeowner you can post jobs (up to 5 open at once), receive comments and bids from pros, chat, book meetings and leave reviews. When you accept a bid or hire a pro, your agreement is with the pro, not with CSI. You decide who to hire, check their licence and insurance yourself, agree the price and terms with them in writing, and pay them directly. CSI does not hold your money and does not guarantee any pro or any work. Pros can rate you, and only pros can see those ratings. This summary is not part of the binding terms below.
1. These terms
1.1. These Homeowner Terms apply when you use the Platform with a Homeowner account. They are part of the Terms of Service. Words defined in the Terms of Service have the same meaning here.
1.2. If these Homeowner Terms conflict with the Terms of Service, Section 3.2 of the Terms of Service decides which controls.
2. Posting a Job
2.1. You may post a Job in a category and location, with a description, preferred timing, up to 10 photos and up to 2 videos. You may have up to 5 Jobs open at once. CSI may change this limit at any time and will show the current limit when you post a Job.
2.2. You must:
(a) describe the work honestly and accurately, including known hazards such as suspected asbestos, lead paint, mould, structural damage, live electrical issues, pests or animals on site; (b) post only Jobs at a property you own, or that you are authorised to arrange work for (for example, with your landlord's permission where your lease requires it); (c) post only photos and videos you have the right to share, and avoid showing other people, faces, vehicle plates, documents, security systems or anything else that identifies people or puts your property at risk; and (d) not include your full address, phone number or email in public parts of a Job post. The Platform lets you share your address with a specific Pro when you choose.
2.3. CSI staff review Job posts before they are published and may reject or remove a Job. Approval is not a check of the Job's accuracy, legality or safety. After approval you can add updates but cannot change the original post.
2.4. Your Job is shown only to approved Pros on the Pro Elite plan whose categories and service areas match it. CSI does not promise that any Pro will see, comment on or bid for your Job.
3. Comments, Bids and chat
3.1. Pros who can see your Job may post comments that are visible to you and to other matching Pros, may send you a private Bid, and may chat with you.
3.2. A Bid is the Pro's own offer. CSI does not set, review, approve or guarantee any Bid, price, estimate, timeline or description of work. A Bid may not include everything needed for your Job. Ask questions and get the full terms in writing before you accept.
3.3. When you accept a Bid, CSI marks that Bid as accepted and tells the other Pros they were not selected. Accepting a Bid on the Platform signals your choice of Pro. Whether, when and on what terms a binding Project Contract forms between you and the Pro depends on what you and the Pro agree and on the law that applies to you. CSI is not a party to it.
4. Hiring a Pro: your responsibilities
4.1. You alone decide whether to hire a Pro. Before hiring, you are responsible for:
(a) checking that the Pro holds every licence and registration your Job requires, using the official licensing body's website where one exists; (b) checking that the Pro has suitable, current insurance, for example by asking for a certificate of insurance directly from the insurer; (c) checking references, reviews and past work; and (d) not relying only on a Verification Badge. Section 8 of the Terms of Service explains what badges do and do not mean.
4.2. You and the Pro are responsible for agreeing, preferably in a signed written contract, the scope of work, price, deposits and payment schedule, start and completion dates, materials, clean-up, change orders, cancellation, warranties and who obtains permits and inspections.
4.3. You are responsible, together with the Pro as you agree between you, for complying with building codes, permit and inspection requirements, homeowners' association rules, and any lien laws that apply to your property.
4.4. You must give the Pro safe access to the work area and tell them about hazards you know of. You are responsible for securing valuables, pets and people at your property.
5. Payment for work
5.1. You pay the Pro directly, by whatever method you and the Pro agree. CSI does not collect, hold, escrow or refund any payment for work, and cannot recover money you pay to a Pro.
5.2. CSI recommends that you avoid paying in full in advance and that you pay by a method that offers buyer protection. See our Safety Tips.
5.3. Any refund, warranty claim, complaint about quality, delay, damage or non-performance is between you and the Pro. Section 6.6 and Section 19 of the Terms of Service apply.
6. Booking meetings
6.1. You may book a video meeting, phone call or on-site estimate with a Pro, based on the Pro's availability and the meeting types the Pro offers.
6.2. You and the Pro can cancel or reschedule a Booking through the Platform until 24 hours before its start. After that, contact the Pro directly. CSI is not responsible for a missed, late or cancelled meeting.
6.3. Video meetings use a Jitsi link (meet.jit.si), a third-party service. Do not record a meeting without the consent of everyone in it.
6.4. An on-site estimate means a Pro visits your property. Follow our Safety Tips. Some laws give you a right to cancel a contract you sign in your home within a set period; the Pro must tell you about any such right.
7. Reviews and your conduct
7.1. After a Job is marked done or a Booking is held, you may leave one review of the Pro. Reviews must be honest, based on your own experience, and follow the Community Guidelines and Review Policy.
7.2. You may let a Pro show your completed Job (including your photos) on the Pro's profile by ticking the box on the review form. You can withdraw this permission by contacting us, and we will remove the Job from the profile within a reasonable time.
7.3. You may ask questions on a Pro's profile. Questions and answers are public.
7.4. You must treat Pros with respect, must not discriminate against any Pro on a basis protected by law, and must not ask a Pro to do anything unlawful or unsafe, including unpermitted work where a permit is required.
8. Pros rate Homeowners
8.1. A Pro you have worked with or met through a Booking may give you a star rating and a short note. Ratings are shown to Pros only, as an average, when you post Jobs or request Bookings. They are not shown to the public or to you on the Platform. You may request a copy of the information we hold about you under the Privacy Policy.
8.2. If you believe a rating is false or abusive, report it as explained in the Community Guidelines.
9. No Homeowner fees
9.1. Using the Platform as a Homeowner is free. You pay CSI nothing to post Jobs, find and book Pros, chat or leave reviews. CSI does not offer a paid Homeowner plan or a Homeowner membership. The Pro Membership and Auto-Renewal Terms apply only to Pros, not to Homeowners.
9.2. The limit on how many Jobs you may have open at once is described in Section 2.1. CSI may change the limit for all Homeowners at any time.
10. History and data
10.1. Your account keeps a history of your Jobs, Bookings, Bids received, reviews and chats. When you delete your account, the Pros you dealt with keep their own history, with you shown as "Former member".
10.2. Your phone number and email are not shown to Pros until you accept a Bid or make a Booking with them. Your address is shared with a Pro only when you choose. After that, the Pro is responsible for how they use your details, and may use them only for your Job.
11. CSI's role, again
CSI is not your contractor and does not guarantee any Pro or any work. Sections 6 to 10 and 19 to 26 of the Terms of Service (including the release, indemnity, disclaimers, limitation of liability and dispute resolution) apply to everything you do as a Homeowner.