Terms of Service
By creating a LORDLY account or using the app, you agree to these terms.
1. Who can use LORDLY
You must be at least 18 and legally able to enter contracts. You agree to give us truthful information when signing up and verifying.
2. Roles
- Landlords use LORDLY to manage properties, leases, rent, maintenance, inspections, and tenant screening.
- Tenants use LORDLY to view their lease, pay rent, request maintenance, and share verification with prospective landlords.
- Tradies use LORDLY to receive jobs, quote on work, get paid through escrow, and capture proof-of-work.
3. Money + escrow
Marketplace payments go through Stripe Connect. Landlords fund escrow when accepting a quote; funds release to the tradie once the job is marked complete (or after the auto-release window, where applicable). Disputes are reviewed by LORDLY staff. We don't hold or move money outside Stripe.
Platform reserve: a small percentage (currently 5%) of each marketplace release is held by LORDLY for up to 90 days as a reserve against card chargebacks, refunds, or disputes. The reserve is automatically released to the tradie at the end of the hold period unless consumed by a chargeback or claim against that payment.
Chargebacks + reversals: if a payment is reversed by the cardholder's bank or by Stripe (for example via a card dispute or BECS reversal) AFTER LORDLY has already released funds to a tradie, the tradie agrees to repay LORDLY the amount of the reversal. LORDLY may set off the amount against future payouts to that tradie or pursue recovery directly. Landlords agree not to initiate frivolous chargebacks for completed work and may have their account suspended for repeated bad-faith disputes.
BECS rent direct debit is operated by Stripe under their AU service rules. Failed payments are retried per Stripe's schedule. We don't act as a bank or financial intermediary.
4. Verification + reviews
You may be asked to verify your identity (Stripe Identity for tenants; Stripe Connect KYC for tradies; ABN, licence, and insurance for tradies). Verification is required for some features (e.g., tradie quotes appearing to landlords).
Honest reviews are required. Reviews must reflect a real interaction on the platform. Severe claims (eviction, bond claim, property damage, missed rent, tribunal order) require supporting evidence (e.g. tribunal order PDF, bond claim notice, photos with timestamps, paid invoice, agent email, rent ledger). Reviews lacking evidence on those categories will not be published.
Right of reply: anyone named in a review may post a written reply that is shown alongside the review. Replies are limited to 4,000 characters and must be factual.
Takedown: if you believe a review is false, defamatory, or breaches privacy law, submit a takedown request via the in-app takedown form. We aim to respond within 7 days. Pending review, claims with weak evidence may be redacted while investigation proceeds.
Indemnity: when you post a review, you warrant that the content is true and based on first-hand experience. You agree to indemnify LORDLY against any claim, loss, or legal cost arising from a review you posted that is later found to be false, defamatory, or in breach of law. LORDLY publishes user reviews as a host of third-party content; we are not the author and do not warrant the accuracy of any individual review.
5. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- Move payments off-platform once a tradie quote is accepted.
- Ask other users for personal contact details (phone, email, social handles) to circumvent platform messaging.
- Misrepresent who you are, who you represent, or your trade qualifications.
- Upload material you don't have rights to, or content that's defamatory, obscene, or illegal.
- Reverse engineer, scrape, or load-test the service.
6. AI features
LORDLY AI helps diagnose maintenance issues, generate notice drafts, and screen for off-platform contact attempts. AI output is a recommendation, not a legal opinion. You're responsible for the final action you take.
7. Liability
To the maximum extent allowed by Australian law, LORDLY's liability for any claim arising from your use of the service is capped at the fees you've paid us in the 12 months prior to the claim. We exclude liability for indirect or consequential loss. Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
You agree to indemnify LORDLY against any third-party claim, loss, fine, or legal cost arising from: (a) reviews or other content you posted; (b) your conduct toward other users on the platform; (c) your breach of these terms or any law; or (d) any tax, levy, or government charge that you, not LORDLY, were responsible for collecting or paying.
8. Termination
You can close your account at any time from the More menu. We can suspend or terminate accounts that materially breach these terms, with as much notice as is reasonable in the circumstances.
9. Governing law
These terms are governed by the law of Victoria, Australia. Disputes are subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Victorian courts.
10. Changes
We may update these terms. Material changes are notified at least 14 days before they take effect.