Terms of Service

1. Agreement

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Estate Pilot widget and client portal ("Service"), operated in Ireland.

By creating an account, submitting an enquiry, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

2. The Service

Estate Pilot provides software that enables estate agencies to manage property listings, client relationships, and transactions. The widget embedded on agency websites allows you to:

• Submit enquiries about properties
• Request property viewings
• Submit bids and offers on properties
• Register for, and bid in, live property auctions (Sections 5 and 6)
• Upload identity verification documents for AML compliance
• Track the status of your bids and interactions

We provide the technology platform. The estate agency you interact with is responsible for the property listing, pricing, and transaction process, and — where a property is offered by auction — for conducting the auction as a property services provider licensed by the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA). Estate Pilot is not an auctioneer, is not licensed to provide property services, and is not a party to any property transaction.

3. Accounts

Some features require an account. When you create an account:

• You must provide accurate and complete information.
• You must verify your email address before submitting enquiries, viewing requests, or bids.
• You are responsible for keeping your password secure. Do not share your credentials.
• You must notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.

You may delete your account at any time by contacting us at support@estatepilot.io. Some data may be retained as required by law (see our Privacy Policy).

4. Private Treaty Bids and Offers

This section applies to bids and offers on properties offered for sale by private treaty — the standard, non-auction sales process. Bids in a live auction work very differently and are governed by Section 5.

When you submit a private treaty bid or offer through the Service:

• Your bid is submitted to the estate agency managing the property. It is not a legally binding contract unless and until a formal sale agreement is executed.
• The agency may accept, reject, or negotiate your bid at their discretion.
• Bid amounts may be visible to other bidders in anonymised form (your identity is not disclosed).
• You may receive notifications about competing bids. You can unsubscribe from these per agency.

Estate Pilot does not provide property valuations, financial advice, or legal advice. You should seek independent professional advice before entering into any property transaction.

5. Live Auctions

Some properties are offered for sale by public auction conducted through the Service. The auction is conducted by the listing estate agency as auctioneer; Estate Pilot provides the bidding technology only.

Registration.To bid in an auction you must register in advance: verify your identity (Section 8), accept the auction's conditions of sale, and — where the agency requires one — provide a registration deposit (Section 6). The agency decides whether to admit you as a bidder.

Bidding for a company or another person. If you register or bid on behalf of a company or another person, you warrant that you have full authority to bind them. If you do not have that authority, you are personally liable as the bidder.

Conditions of sale. Each auction has conditions of sale prepared by or on behalf of the vendor. When you accept them during registration you agree to be bound by them if you are the successful bidder. We record your acceptance against the exact document shown to you, including the time of acceptance, your IP address, and a cryptographic fingerprint of the document. If the conditions of sale are amended after you accept them, you will be asked to review and accept the amended version before you can bid.

Auction bids are binding. Unlike a private treaty bid, an auction bid is an offer to purchase which is accepted by the fall of the (electronic) hammer. If you are the highest bidder when bidding closes and any reserve has been met, a binding contract for sale arises in accordance with the conditions of sale, and you are legally committed to complete the purchase. In accordance with Irish law, the sale is then documented in a written contract or memorandum of sale executed after the auction closes, as the conditions of sale provide.

No cooling-off period. Contracts for the sale of land are excluded from the cancellation rights in the European Union (Consumer Information, Cancellation and Long-distance Contracts) Regulations 2013. There is no cooling-off period after a successful auction bid.

You should have your solicitor review the legal pack and conditions of sale before bidding, and have your finance in place. Bid only what you are willing and able to pay.

6. Auction Registration Deposits

An agency may require a refundable registration deposit (sometimes called bidder security) before you can bid. The amount is displayed before you register. This is how it works:

• Saving your card. You save a payment card through our payment provider, Stripe. Your card details are held by Stripe — Estate Pilot never sees or stores them. Nothing is charged when you save your card.
• The hold.Approximately 48 hours before the auction (or when your registration is approved, if later), a pre-authorisation ("hold") for the deposit amount is placed on your card. A hold is not a charge: the funds remain in your account but are ring-fenced by your bank.
• Release. The hold is released without charge if you are not the successful bidder, if your registration is declined or revoked, or if the auction is cancelled or rescheduled. Banks typically remove a released hold within a few days.
• When the deposit is charged. The deposit is charged (captured) only if you are the successful bidder and fail to honour the conditions of sale you accepted — for example, by failing to execute the contract or memorandum of sale, or failing to pay the contract deposit, within the time they specify. In that case the registration deposit is forfeit, without prejudice to any further rights the vendor may have under the conditions of sale.
• Client moneys. Any captured deposit is processed by Stripe and paid over to the agency, which is responsible for dealing with it in accordance with the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011 and the Client Moneys Regulations made under it.
• Refunds. If a captured deposit is subsequently refunded (for example, following a resolved dispute), it is returned in full to the same card. Card-scheme processing typically takes 5–10 business days.
• Waiver. An agency may, at its discretion, waive the deposit requirement for a particular bidder.
• Your authorisation. By registering with a deposit, you authorise the placing of the hold on your card and, in the default case described above, its capture. Initiating a card-scheme chargeback against a charge made in accordance with these Terms and the conditions of sale you accepted is itself a breach of these Terms.

The registration deposit is separate from, and does not reduce, the contract deposit (typically 10% of the purchase price) payable under the conditions of sale if you are the successful bidder, unless the conditions of sale state otherwise.

7. Live Bidding — Platform Rules

Live auctions are conducted in real time over the internet. The following rules govern the bidding itself:

• A bid is effective only when it is recorded by our servers. The server's record of bids is authoritative and final, including bid amounts, order, and timing.
• We do not guarantee uninterrupted connectivity. You are responsible for your own internet connection and device; neither Estate Pilot nor the agency is liable for a bid that fails to arrive, or arrives late, because of connectivity or device issues on your side.
• On a technical failure affecting the auction, the auctioneer may pause, extend, restart, or void the auction without liability to bidders.
• The auctioneer may reject a bid, correct a bid recorded in error, or withdraw a lot. The auctioneer's determination of the successful bidder is final.

8. Identity Verification (AML)

Under Irish law (Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, as amended), estate agencies must verify the identity of parties to property transactions.

• To submit bids, you must upload proof of identity, proof of address, and proof of funds.
• Documents are securely stored and shared only with the specific agency you authorise.
• Documents are scanned for malware before processing.
• AML documents are retained for 5 years after the end of the business relationship, as required by law.
• You may revoke document sharing with an agency at any time, subject to legal retention requirements.

9. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information.
• Submit bids you do not intend to honour.
• Bid in a live auction without the intention and the means to complete the purchase.
• Upload documents that are forged, altered, or belong to another person.
• Attempt to access another user's account or data.
• Use automated tools to scrape, crawl, or interfere with the Service.
• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

10. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, code, and branding, is owned and protected by intellectual property laws. Property listings and associated content are owned by the respective agencies.

You retain ownership of documents and content you upload. By uploading documents, you grant us a limited licence to store, process, and share them with agencies you authorise, solely for the purpose of providing the Service.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Irish law:

• The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind.
• We are not liable for the actions, omissions, or representations of estate agencies using our platform.
• We are not liable for property valuations, transaction outcomes, or investment decisions.
• Our total liability to you shall not exceed the greater of €100 or the amount you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded under Irish law.

12. Your Responsibility to Us

You agree to indemnify Estate Pilot against losses, claims, and reasonable costs arising from your breach of these Terms — including submitting forged or altered documents, bidding without the authority you warranted, bidding fraudulently or without the intention or means to complete, or initiating a chargeback contrary to Section 6.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Ireland. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ireland.

If you are a consumer in the EU, you also retain any mandatory consumer protection rights provided by the laws of your country of residence.

14. General

• Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.
• Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and — for auctions — the conditions of sale you accept at registration are the entire agreement between you and Estate Pilot regarding the Service.
• Force majeure. We are not liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
• Assignment. We may assign these Terms to a successor of the Estate Pilot business. You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our consent.
• No waiver. A failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users at least 30 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

When you create an account, we record the date of your acceptance and the version of these Terms then in force.

16. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at:

support@estatepilot.io