Website Terms of Use

1. The Nature of the Service

Home Circle is a curated project marketplace connecting homeowners ("Homeowners") with vetted service professionals ("Charter Pros") through the referral and oversight of licensed real estate professionals ("Charter Partners"). Home Circle is not a contractor, an insurance provider, or a real estate brokerage.

2. User Accounts & Eligibility

• A-List Standard: You must be 18 years of age or older to create an account.
• Account Security: You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.
• Professional Status: Contractors and Realtors must provide proof of valid licensing and insurance (where applicable) to maintain "Charter" status on the platform.

3. The Mandatory Payment Protocol (Stripe & ACH)

To maintain the security of the marketplace and activate the Home Circle Shield, all financial transactions between Homeowners and Charter Pros initiated through the Service must be processed exclusively via the Home Circle platform.

• Accepted Methods: Payments are limited to Stripe Connect (Credit/Debit) and ACH Bank Transfers.
• No "Off-Platform" Payments: Users are strictly prohibited from soliciting or accepting payments via cash, check, or external apps (e.g., Venmo, Zelle).
• Processing Fees: Homeowners agree to pay the digital transaction fees associated with Stripe and ACH at the time of invoicing.

Payment processing services for The Home Circle Hub are provided by Stripe and are subject to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement. Project funds are held in your Digital Vault — Powered by Stripe — and only released to the contractor when you approve the work.

4. The Home Circle Shield ($20,000)

All projects paid through the platform are eligible for the Home Circle Shield — a workmanship guarantee of up to $20,000.

• Voiding the Shield: Any payment made "off-platform" (outside of Stripe/ACH) immediately and permanently voids the Shield and all Home Circle protections.
• Mediation: Home Circle serves as a neutral arbiter in workmanship disputes. Users agree to participate in the "Right to Cure" process before escalating claims.

5. Fee Structure (Charter Pros)

Home Circle retains a flat 5% success-based platform fee on every project. Fees are automatically deducted at the time of payment.

6. Intellectual Property & The "Lifetime Link"

• Realtor Branding: Charter Partners (Realtors) are granted a non-exclusive license to display their branding within the Homeowner's dashboard.
• Content: Any project photos or descriptions uploaded to the Service remain the property of the user, but you grant Home Circle a royalty-free license to use said content for platform verification and marketing.

7. Limitation of Liability

Home Circle provides a marketplace and a workmanship guarantee, but we are not liable for:

• Pre-existing property conditions.
• Manufacturer defects in materials.
• Indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from a project.
• The advice or actions of Real Estate Partners.

8. Fair Housing Compliance (Charter Partners)

Realtors and all users who post listings, bios, messages, or other real-estate-related content on the Service agree to comply with the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.) and 24 CFR Part 100, which prohibits statements that indicate a preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability.

• Realtor certification: By posting any real-estate content, Charter Partners certify that the content complies with federal Fair Housing requirements and applicable state law.
• Content removal: Home Circle may remove, edit, or flag for review any content that appears to violate Fair Housing standards.
• User responsibility: Each user is solely responsible for the content they post. Home Circle's trigger-word warnings and moderation review are aids, not legal guarantees.
• Report: To report content you believe violates Fair Housing law, contact contact@thehomecirclehub.com.

9. DMCA / Copyright

Home Circle respects intellectual property rights and responds to valid DMCA takedown notices. If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, please send a notice to our designated DMCA agent including (1) your signature, (2) identification of the copyrighted work, (3) identification of the allegedly infringing material and its location, (4) your contact info, (5) a statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorized, and (6) a statement under penalty of perjury that your notice is accurate.

DMCA agent contact: contact@thehomecirclehub.com (official registration pending).

10. Termination of Service

Home Circle reserves the right to suspend or terminate any user (Pro, Realtor, or Homeowner) who attempts to circumvent the platform payment system or fails to maintain the standards of the community.

11. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington and the State of Idaho. Any disputes shall be resolved via binding arbitration in Spokane, WA, or Coeur d'Alene, ID.

12. Our Stance on Transparency & Privacy

At The Home Circle Hub, transparency is the foundation of everything we build. You will notice that many of our lifestyle and project illustrations across our marketing are conceptually generated using advanced AI. We choose this path intentionally for two core reasons:

• Absolute Privacy: We believe a homeowner's sanctuary should remain private. We do not publish real families or the interiors of local residential homes for public marketing purposes.
• Market Fairness: Our platform is built to support all verified local businesses equally. By using conceptual imagery for our launch displays, we ensure we aren't unfairly favoring or misrepresenting one specific local merchant or contractor over another.

When you see a project portfolio in The Gallery, that work belongs to a real, verified local pro. But for our public campaigns, we use technology to protect our community's privacy and keep the playing field entirely level.