1. Agreement to These Terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the RentalRep platform at rentalrep.co.za (the “Platform”), operated by RentalRep (Pty) Ltd (“RentalRep”, “we”, “us”, or “our”).

By creating an account or using the Platform in any way, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you may not use the Platform.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including but not limited to the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (“ECTA”), the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (“CPA”), and POPIA.

2. Who May Use RentalRep

You may use the Platform if:

• You are 18 years of age or older
• You are a South African resident or operating in the South African rental market
• You are registering as a Tenant, Landlord, or Estate Agency
• You provide accurate and truthful information during registration

By registering, you represent and warrant that all information you provide is accurate, complete, and your own. You may not impersonate another person or create an account on someone else's behalf without their explicit permission.

3. Account Registration and Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately at support@rentalrep.co.za if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe have been created with false information, are being used fraudulently, or are in violation of these Terms.

4. The Review System

4.1 Verified Reviews Only

All reviews on RentalRep must be tied to a verified lease agreement. You may only submit a review about a person or property with whom you have had a genuine, documented rental relationship. Reviews submitted without a valid lease agreement will be rejected.

4.2 Simultaneous Reveal

When both parties to a lease submit reviews, both reviews are held privately until the other party also submits their review, or until 90 days have passed, whichever comes first. After 90 days, a submitted review will be published regardless of whether the other party has responded.

4.3 Review Window

The review window opens 14 days before a lease end date and closes 90 days after the lease end date. Reviews submitted outside this window will not be accepted.

4.4 Honest and Accurate Reviews

You agree that all reviews you submit are honest, based on your genuine personal experience, and do not contain:

• False or misleading information
• Content that is defamatory, harassing, or abusive
• Hate speech or discriminatory content of any kind
• Private personal information about another person (e.g., ID numbers, banking details, medical information)
• Content that violates any applicable South African law

4.5 Anonymous Reviews

You may choose to post a review anonymously. In this case, your name will not be displayed publicly, but your identity remains known to RentalRep for moderation and dispute purposes. Anonymous reviews are still subject to all content rules above.

4.6 Review Removal

RentalRep reserves the right to remove any review that violates these Terms, following investigation. If your review is removed, you will be notified by email with the reason.

5. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Submit false, fabricated, or misleading reviews or lease agreements
• Use the Platform to harass, intimidate, or threaten any other user
• Attempt to manipulate your own reputation score through fraudulent means
• Access or attempt to access another user's account or private data
• Scrape, copy, or reproduce Platform content for commercial purposes without written permission
• Use the Platform for any purpose that violates South African law
• Interfere with the technical operation of the Platform
• Use automated scripts or bots to interact with the Platform

Violation of any of the above may result in immediate account suspension or termination, at our sole discretion.

6. Dispute Resolution

6.1 Disputing a Review

If you believe a review about you is factually inaccurate or violates these Terms, you may submit a dispute through the Platform within 30 days of the review being published. You must provide evidence supporting your claim.

6.2 Our Moderation Process

We will review all disputes within 14 working days. We may request additional information from either party. Our decision is final but you may appeal once with new evidence. RentalRep's moderation team makes final decisions; we do not have a legal obligation to remove reviews that are unflattering but truthful.

6.3 This Is Not a Court

RentalRep is not a dispute resolution body under the Rental Housing Act or any other legislation. If you have a formal legal dispute with a tenant, landlord, or agency, you should contact the Rental Housing Tribunal or seek independent legal advice. RentalRep's dispute process covers Platform content only.

7. Subscriptions and Payments

7.1 Free Tier

A basic free account is available to all users with limited features as described on the Platform's pricing page.

7.2 Paid Subscriptions

Paid subscription plans (Tenant Pro, Landlord Pro, Agency plans) are billed monthly in advance. All prices are in South African Rand (ZAR) and include VAT where applicable.

7.3 Payment Processing

All payments are processed by PayFast. By subscribing, you authorise PayFast to charge your selected payment method on a recurring monthly basis until you cancel.

7.4 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No partial refunds are issued for unused portions of a billing period.

7.5 Refund Policy

Refunds are assessed on a case-by-case basis. If you believe you have been charged in error, contact us at billing@rentalrep.co.za within 7 days of the charge. We do not offer refunds for change-of-mind cancellations.

7.6 Quality-Gated Features

Certain premium features (including promotional listings) require a minimum reputation score of 7.5 out of 10. If your score falls below this threshold after subscribing, access to these features will be suspended until your score recovers. No refund is issued for suspension periods resulting from score changes.

8. Intellectual Property

All content on the Platform, including the RentalRep name, logo, brand assets, software, and design, is the intellectual property of RentalRep (Pty) Ltd and is protected under South African and international intellectual property law.

By submitting a review, you grant RentalRep a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display, store, and use your review content on the Platform. You retain ownership of the content you create.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or commercially exploit any Platform content without our prior written consent.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law:

• RentalRep provides the Platform on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind
• We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any review or reputation score on the Platform
• We are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from your use of the Platform, including loss arising from reliance on a reputation score in a tenancy decision
• Our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the Platform shall not exceed the amount you paid to us in subscription fees in the 3 months preceding the claim

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded under the Consumer Protection Act.

10. POPIA and Your Privacy

Your personal information is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By agreeing to these Terms, you also acknowledge and accept our Privacy Policy, available at rentalrep.co.za/privacy.

11. Account Termination

11.1 By You

You may close your account at any time by contacting support@rentalrep.co.za. Upon closure, your public profile will be deactivated. Reviews you have submitted about others will remain on their profiles but will no longer display your name if you requested anonymity.

11.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account immediately and without notice if you violate these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or if we are required to do so by law. We will notify you by email where possible.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or in-app notification at least 14 days before they take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not accept the updated Terms, you must stop using the Platform and may request account closure.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform that cannot be resolved informally will be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

14. Contact

Email: legal@rentalrep.co.za

Support: support@rentalrep.co.za

Platform: rentalrep.co.za

This is an interim document pending formal legal review by a qualified South African attorney.