Terms of Service

FreeHomeSwaps (the “Service”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is a technology platform that helps travelers connect with one another to arrange home swaps. We are an online venue. Think of us as a classifieds board — comparable to Craigslist or SpareRoom — for people who want to exchange the use of their homes.

We do not own, manage, host, inspect, supervise, control, or insure any home listed on the Service. We are not a party to any agreement, exchange, or transaction between users. Every home swap is solely between the users involved. Any agreement you reach with another user — including dates, terms, condition of the home, the exchange of keys, what happens during the stay, and any payment, deposit, or fee — is between you and that user, and your responsibility alone.

By creating an account, accessing, or using the Service in any way, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (these “Terms”) and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

These Terms form a binding agreement between you and FreeHomeSwaps.

You must be at least 18 years old and capable of forming a binding contract under the laws of your country to use the Service. By creating an account you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements and that all information you provide is accurate, current, and complete.

You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for any activity under your account. Notify us promptly of any unauthorized use. We may suspend or terminate an account at any time, with or without notice, for any reason — including violation of these Terms, suspected fraud, or behavior we judge harmful to other users.

You retain ownership of the photos, descriptions, messages, and other materials you post (“Your Content”). By posting Your Content, you grant FreeHomeSwaps a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, modify (for technical reasons such as resizing), display, and distribute Your Content for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Service.

You represent and warrant that:

• You have the right to post Your Content;
• You have the right to offer the home you list — whether as owner, tenant with appropriate permission to sublet or swap, or otherwise authorized;
• Your Content is accurate and not misleading;
• Your Content does not violate any law, infringe any third-party right, or breach any contract you are bound by (lease, mortgage, HOA rules, etc.).

You agree NOT to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or to facilitate unlawful activity;
• Post false, misleading, fraudulent, or deceptive listings or messages;
• List a home you do not have the right to swap;
• Harass, threaten, defame, stalk, or impersonate any person or entity;
• Discriminate against other users on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any characteristic protected by law;
• Collect or harvest other users’ personal data for purposes outside the Service;
• Scrape, copy, or otherwise extract data from the Service by automated means;
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with the Service’s security, rate-limiting, or access controls;
• Upload viruses, malicious code, or any content that could damage the Service or its users;
• Send spam or unsolicited commercial messages through the Service;
• Resell, sublicense, or commercialize access to the Service.

We do not perform background checks on users. We do not verify the identity, criminal history, employment, financial standing, character, or trustworthiness of any user. We do not inspect any listed home for safety, suitability, condition, accuracy, or compliance with any law or standard. We do not verify whether any user has the legal right to offer the home they list.

You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for vetting any user you communicate with, and for satisfying yourself about the condition, suitability, ownership, and legality of any home you intend to visit or offer.

Any swap, agreement, or interaction between users is exclusively between those users. FreeHomeSwaps is not a party to it and bears no responsibility for it. This includes, without limitation:

• the accuracy of any listing or representation made by another user;
• the safety, security, or condition of any home;
• the conduct, identity, or trustworthiness of any user;
• any damage to property, theft, injury, illness, harassment, assault, or any other harm that occurs before, during, or after a swap;
• any cancellation, no-show, change of plans, or breach of arrangement;
• any tax, fee, fine, deposit, payment, or other financial obligation arising from a swap.

You release FreeHomeSwaps from any and all claims arising out of or in any way related to a swap or your interaction with any other user.

Your safety is your responsibility. Traveling to and staying in another person’s home, and hosting another person in your home, carries risk. Before agreeing to any swap you should:

• Verify the identity of the other user using your own judgment and any reasonable checks (video call, public profiles, references);
• Communicate clearly about expectations, house rules, valuables, locks, neighbors, and emergency contacts;
• Secure your home: remove or lock valuables, notify your insurer or anyone else who needs to know, change or share keys safely;
• Carry your own travel and contents insurance — FreeHomeSwaps does not provide insurance of any kind;
• Consult local emergency services and embassy resources before traveling internationally.

If at any time you feel unsafe, leave the situation and contact local authorities. FreeHomeSwaps cannot intervene in person and is not equipped to provide emergency assistance.

You are solely responsible for ensuring that your use of the Service — including offering your home for swap and visiting another user’s home — complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and contractual obligations. This includes, but is not limited to:

• short-term rental laws and licensing requirements in your city, region, and country;
• the terms of your lease, mortgage, condominium rules, homeowner-association rules, or any other contractual restriction on your use of the home;
• visa, customs, immigration, and health requirements for any country you travel to;
• any tax obligations arising from your use of the Service or any swap — whether on income, in-kind value, occupancy, tourist tax, or otherwise.

FreeHomeSwaps does not provide legal, tax, or immigration advice. Consult your own advisors.

The Service includes messaging features that allow users to contact each other. Messages between users are not actively monitored. We reserve the right (but undertake no obligation) to access, review, or remove any message that violates these Terms or applicable law, or to respond to legal process.

We will also send you transactional emails — account confirmations, password resets, and notifications about new listings that match your wishlist. You can manage email preferences from your account settings.

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, availability, or that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free.

We make no representation or warranty regarding any user, listing, home, swap, message, or any outcome of your use of the Service. We do not guarantee that any user is trustworthy, that any home is as described, that any swap will occur as planned, or that you will achieve any particular result.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties; in those jurisdictions the above exclusions apply to the maximum extent permitted by law.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, FreeHomeSwaps and its owners, officers, employees, agents, and partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including without limitation damages for loss of profits, data, goodwill, use, or other intangible losses, arising out of or related to your use of the Service, any swap, any other user, or these Terms — whether based in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or any other theory, even if FreeHomeSwaps has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

In no event shall our aggregate liability to you exceed the greater of (a) the total fees you have paid us in the twelve (12) months prior to the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred pounds (£100). Many users will never pay any fee; in those cases the £100 cap applies.

The limitations in this section reflect the allocation of risk between you and FreeHomeSwaps and a fundamental basis of the bargain. Some jurisdictions do not allow these limitations; in those jurisdictions the above applies to the maximum extent permitted by law.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless FreeHomeSwaps and its owners, officers, employees, agents, and partners from any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to (a) your use of the Service, (b) Your Content, (c) any swap or interaction with any other user, (d) your breach of these Terms or applicable law, or (e) your infringement of any third-party right.

FreeHomeSwaps and its underlying technology, design, branding, copy, and compilation of user content are owned by FreeHomeSwaps and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. Except for the limited license granted to you in these Terms, no rights are transferred to you.

You may stop using the Service at any time and delete your account from your settings page. We may terminate or suspend your access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, for any reason. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 5–8 and 12–19 — will survive.

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make a material change, we will provide reasonable notice — for example, by email to the address on file or by posting a notice on the Service — before the change takes effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any update constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall be brought exclusively in the courts of England and Wales, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts. Nothing in this section limits any non-waivable consumer-protection rights you may have under the laws of your country of residence.

• Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.
• Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of that provision.
• Assignment. You may not assign these Terms; we may.
• No agency. No agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship is created by these Terms.
• Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

Questions about these Terms? Reach us at hello@freehomeswaps.com.