BuyerView Terms of Service

1. Accepting These Terms

By creating an account or using BuyerView, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you don't agree, please don't use our platform.

Who can use BuyerView:

• You must be at least 18 years old
• You must provide accurate information when signing up
• You must comply with Australian law

We may update these terms from time to time. We'll notify you of significant changes via email or on the platform. Continued use after changes means you accept the updated terms.

2. How BuyerView Works

For Property Buyers:

Submitting Queries:

• You can submit queries about properties you've physically inspected
• We verify your location using GPS when you submit a query
• You have 14 days from your inspection date to submit queries
• After 14 days, you're no longer eligible to query that property

Query Guidelines:

• Queries must be about the property, not personal attacks on individuals
• Queries must be factual, not defamatory or misleading
• Queries must not violate anyone's privacy
• We moderate all queries before they're published (usually within 24 hours)

What Happens to Your Queries:

• Approved queries are published on the property's page
• The listing agent can choose whether to answer your query
• Other buyers can see your queries (posted anonymously by first name only)
• You can edit your query within 7 days of submitting
• You can delete your account, but queries remain (anonymized)

For Real Estate Agents:

Verification:

• You must verify your real estate license
• We check your credentials against state licensing registers
• Verification usually takes 24-48 hours

Answering Queries:

• You choose which queries to answer
• You're not obligated to answer any query
• Your answers are public and permanent
• You can't delete answers once posted (except in cases of error or dispute)

Dispute Process:

• If you believe a query is defamatory or inappropriate, you can flag it within 48 hours
• We'll assess flagged queries within 24 hours (business days)
• You can provide context or evidence to support your dispute
• Our decision is final, though you have one appeal right

3. Content Moderation

We moderate all queries before publishing.

We may reject queries that:

• Contain defamatory statements
• Include personal attacks or harassment
• Violate privacy (e.g., revealing private information)
• Are off-topic or spam
• Contain profanity or offensive language
• Make unsubstantiated accusations
• Violate any law

Moderation Timeline:

• We aim to assess queries within 24 hours (business days)
• You'll be notified if your query is rejected
• You can resubmit a revised query if you're within the 14-day window

We use:

• Automated moderation (AI screening)
• Manual assessment by our team
• Community flagging (users can report inappropriate content)

4. Your Responsibilities

As a User, You Agree To:

• ✓ Provide accurate information (email, name, property details)
• ✓ Keep your account secure (don't share passwords)
• ✓ Only submit queries about properties you've genuinely inspected
• ✓ Be respectful and truthful in all communications
• ✓ Comply with Australian law

You Must NOT:

• ✗ Create fake accounts or impersonate others
• ✗ Submit false or misleading queries
• ✗ Harass, defame, or threaten anyone
• ✗ Spam or post repetitive content
• ✗ Attempt to bypass our verification systems
• ✗ Use the platform for any illegal purpose
• ✗ Scrape or collect data without permission

If you violate these terms:

• We may remove your content
• We may suspend or terminate your account
• We may report serious violations to authorities
• You remain liable for any damage caused

5. Intellectual Property

Your Content:

• You own the queries you submit
• By submitting, you grant us a license to display, distribute, and store your content
• This license is worldwide, non-exclusive, and royalty-free
• The license continues even if you delete your account (queries remain anonymized)

Our Content:

• BuyerView owns all platform content, design, code, and branding
• You can't copy, modify, or distribute our platform without permission
• "BuyerView" name and logo are our trademarks

Agent Answers:

• Agents own their answers
• Agents grant us the same license as users (to display and distribute)

6. Privacy & Data

What We Collect:

• Email address, name, location data (when submitting queries)
• IP addresses, device information
• Queries, answers, and other content you post

How We Use It:

• To operate the platform (verify inspections, moderate content)
• To communicate with you (notifications, updates)
• To improve our services

For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

Your Rights:

• Access your data
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request deletion (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Opt out of marketing emails

Contact for privacy matters: privacy@mail.buyerview.ai

7. Geographic Verification

We verify you were physically at the property when you submit a query.

How it works:

• We check your device's GPS location
• We compare it to the property address
• You must be within reasonable proximity (typically 100 meters)

Why we do this:

• Prevents fake queries from competitors or trolls
• Ensures queries come from genuine buyers
• Reduces defamation risk

Important:

• We don't store your exact GPS coordinates long-term
• We only verify you were at the property, not track your movements
• You can decline location access, but you won't be able to submit queries

8. Liability & Disclaimers

What BuyerView Does NOT Guarantee:

We are a platform, not advisors.

• ✗ We don't verify the accuracy of agent answers
• ✗ We don't provide legal, financial, or property advice
• ✗ We don't endorse any property, agent, or transaction
• ✗ We don't guarantee agents will answer your queries

Use at Your Own Risk:

• Property purchase decisions are yours alone
• Always get professional advice (lawyers, building inspectors, conveyancers)
• Verify all information independently
• We're not responsible for your purchase decisions

Limitation of Liability:

To the maximum extent permitted by Australian law:

• We're not liable for indirect, consequential, or special damages
• Our total liability is limited to the amount you paid us (if any) in the past 12 months
• This includes damages from:
  • Inaccurate answers from agents
  • Rejected queries
  • Platform downtime or errors
  • Data loss or security breaches

Australian Consumer Law:

• Nothing in these terms excludes guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law
• If we breach a consumer guarantee, our liability is limited to resupplying the service

9. Disputes & Resolution

Between You and BuyerView:

If you have a complaint:

1. Email us first: disputes@mail.buyerview.ai
2. We'll try to resolve it within 14 days
3. If unresolved, you can escalate to:
   • Consumer Affairs Victoria: consumer.vic.gov.au
   • Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (if applicable)

Governing Law:

• These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia
• Disputes will be heard in Victorian courts
• You agree to submit to the jurisdiction of Victorian courts

Between Users (Buyer vs Agent):

If an agent disputes your query:

1. Agent flags the query within 48 hours
2. We assess within 24 hours (business days)
3. We may:
   • Leave the query as-is
   • Request you rephrase it
   • Remove it entirely
4. You can appeal our decision once
5. Our final decision is binding

If you believe an answer is misleading:

1. Email disputes@mail.buyerview.ai with evidence
2. We'll assess and may:
   • Ask the agent to clarify or correct
   • Add a disclaimer to the answer
   • Remove the answer if it violates these terms
3. We're not arbitrators of factual disputes - seek independent advice

10. Account Termination

You Can:

• Delete your account anytime via settings
• Queries remain on the platform (anonymized - your name removed)
• We retain data as required by law (typically 7 years)

We Can:

• Suspend or terminate your account if you violate these terms
• Remove content that breaches our guidelines
• Ban users who repeatedly violate rules

Reasons for termination:

• Submitting defamatory or false queries
• Harassment or abuse
• Creating fake accounts
• Attempting to manipulate the platform
• Illegal activity

If we terminate your account:

• You'll be notified via email
• You can appeal within 14 days
• Your content may be removed or anonymized
• You can't create new accounts

11. Third-Party Services

We use third-party services:

• Google Maps (location verification)
• Email providers (Resend)
• Cloud hosting (Netlify, Supabase)

These services have their own terms and privacy policies - we're not responsible for their practices.

External Links:

• BuyerView may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., Domain.com.au, council websites)
• We don't control or endorse these sites
• Use them at your own risk

12. Agent-Specific Terms

If you're a verified agent:

Additional Obligations:

• Keep your license current (we may re-verify periodically)
• Only answer queries about properties you represent
• Ensure answers are truthful and not misleading
• Disclose conflicts of interest (e.g., you own the property)

Prohibited:

• Answering on behalf of other agents without authorization
• Posting fake positive answers
• Using the platform to advertise unrelated services
• Harassing buyers who submit queries

Agent Accounts:

• Free for now (we may introduce paid tiers in future)
• We'll notify you 30 days before any pricing changes
• You can delete your account anytime

13. Future Changes

We may introduce:

• Paid features (premium subscriptions, advertising)
• New verification methods
• Additional moderation tools
• API access or integrations

We'll notify you of significant changes 30 days in advance.

Free features will remain free - core query functionality won't require payment.

14. Definitions

Key Terms:

• "BuyerView," "we," "us," "our" = COSTAPPLE PTY LTD trading as BuyerView
• "You," "your" = Users of the platform (buyers or agents)
• "Property" = Residential real estate listed for sale in Australia
• "Inspection" = Physically attending a property open for inspection
• "Query" = Content submitted by a buyer about a property
• "Answer" = Response from a verified agent
• "Platform" = BuyerView website and services

15. General Legal Stuff

Entire Agreement:

• These terms (plus our Privacy Policy) are the complete agreement
• They replace any prior agreements or understandings

Severability:

• If any part of these terms is invalid, the rest remains in force

No Waiver:

• Our failure to enforce a term doesn't mean we waive our right to enforce it later

Assignment:

• You can't transfer your rights under these terms
• We can assign these terms if we sell BuyerView

Force Majeure:

• We're not liable for failures caused by events beyond our control (natural disasters, network outages, etc.)