Terms of Service

CaveatBuyer provides the services we make available from time to time through our website and applications (collectively, the “Services”). The nature, features, and scope of the Services may change as we evolve the platform. Use of the Services is subject to these Terms regardless of what specific features are available at any given time.

We offer three report tiers based on user type:

• Foundation Report (free): Analysis built from public records including county assessor data, permit history, environmental databases, flood maps, and similar government sources. Available to all users at no charge.
• Intelligence Report (paid): Adds proprietary intelligence products built by CaveatBuyer, including action items, cost estimates, and enhanced analysis. Available via single unlock ($49) or subscription ($149/month).
• Owner Intelligence Report (paid): Intelligence calibrated for current property owners, including maintenance prioritization, monitoring alerts, and ownership-context analysis. Available via annual subscription ($149/year, available June 2026).

Service Evolution

CaveatBuyer is a product under active development. We may add, modify, or discontinue features, adjust the scope of report tiers, run product experiments, change data sources, or modify the user experience at any time. Routine product changes do not constitute material changes to these Terms and do not require individual notification. We will notify you of material changes to these Terms or our Privacy Policy as described in Section 15.

Informational Purpose Only. Our Services are provided for informational purposes only. The nature and scope of what our Services are and are not is described in our Help Center and FAQ at caveatbuyer.com/faq, which we update from time to time. By using the Services, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and understand those descriptions.

Our Services rely on public records and third-party data sources that may be incomplete, inaccurate, or out of date. Property records, permit histories, and other public data are maintained by governmental and third-party entities outside our control. We make no representation that such data is complete or current.

Our platform uses computational methods and artificial intelligence to analyze data and generate reports. Such methods involve inference and estimation. Results are probabilistic, not definitive. The absence of a finding does not guarantee the absence of a condition.

Except as expressly stated, we make no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any purpose of our Services or any information provided through them. See Section 11 (Disclaimer of Warranties) for our full warranty disclaimer.

No reliance. You agree not to rely on any CaveatBuyer report as your sole or primary basis for any real estate purchase, sale, investment, or other transaction decision. CaveatBuyer reports are designed to supplement — not replace — your own research, professional consultations, and independent judgment. You acknowledge that AI-generated analysis may contain errors, omissions, or misinterpretations, and that you bear sole responsibility for any decisions you make based on report content.

You will not forgo professional services. By using the Service, you agree that a CaveatBuyer report is not a substitute for a professional home inspection, appraisal, land survey, environmental assessment, or legal review. We strongly recommend that all property buyers obtain an independent professional home inspection regardless of any findings or absence of findings in a CaveatBuyer report.

CaveatBuyer offers features that allow you to upload documents (such as seller disclosure statements, prior inspection reports, or property records) for analysis as part of report generation.

Your representations

By uploading a document, you represent and warrant that (a) you have the legal right to upload and share that document, (b) the document does not contain third-party personal information that you are not authorized to share, and (c) your upload does not violate any applicable law, contract, or third-party rights.

Uploaded content will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, available at caveatbuyer.com/privacy.

Retention

Uploaded documents are processed in connection with your report. We do not retain the original uploaded file beyond the processing session unless you explicitly save the analysis to your account. Analysis results derived from uploaded documents are stored as part of your report.

No sensitive personal information

Do not upload documents containing Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, passwords, health information, or other sensitive personal information of any person. We are not responsible for any harm arising from your uploading of sensitive personal information.

License

By uploading a document, you grant CaveatBuyer a limited, non-exclusive license to process that document for the purpose of providing the Service to you.

You may use CaveatBuyer reports for personal property research and decision-making. You may share reports with your real estate agent, lender, inspector, attorney, or other professionals involved in your transaction. You may not:

• Resell, redistribute, or commercially republish CaveatBuyer reports without our written permission
• Use reports to make automated decisions about lending, insurance underwriting, or employment
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically access the Service to extract data
• Misrepresent a CaveatBuyer report as a home inspection, appraisal, or professional assessment
• Use the Service for any purpose that violates applicable law

Not a consumer report

CaveatBuyer reports are not “consumer reports” as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) (“FCRA”). CaveatBuyer is not a “consumer reporting agency” as defined by the FCRA. You may not use any CaveatBuyer report, in whole or in part, as a factor in determining any person's eligibility for credit, insurance, employment, housing, or any other purpose regulated by the FCRA or similar state laws.

Downstream use restrictions

Your license to use a CaveatBuyer report is for personal property research and transaction decision-making only. If you share a report with third parties, those third parties may not use CaveatBuyer report content as a basis for lending decisions, insurance underwriting, property valuation, employment decisions, or any other consequential determination. You are responsible for informing any third party with whom you share a report of these restrictions.

CaveatBuyer owns all intellectual property rights in the Service, including our proprietary intelligence products, algorithms, report designs, and analysis methods. When you purchase or receive a report, you receive a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use that report for your own property research and decision-making.

The underlying data in Foundation Reports comes from public sources. Our proprietary contribution is the selection, synthesis, calibration, and presentation of that data into personalized intelligence. The intelligence layer — how we combine, interpret, and present data differently based on your profile — is our proprietary work product.

Trade secrets

The methods, algorithms, inference rules, scoring models, knowledge graphs, and analytical frameworks used to generate CaveatBuyer reports constitute proprietary trade secrets protected under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1836) and the Washington Uniform Trade Secrets Act (RCW 19.108). Your license to use a report does not include any right to reverse-engineer, extract, decompile, or reconstruct the analytical methods, decision logic, or data processing techniques underlying the report.

If you are a licensed real estate agent using CaveatBuyer's agent features, the following additional terms apply:

The Cardinal Rule: Agents cannot suppress findings

CaveatBuyer reports generated through agent accounts contain the same findings as reports generated directly by consumers. Agent branding is additive — it does not alter, filter, or remove any findings, severity assessments, or recommendations. This is non-negotiable and is central to the integrity of the Service.

Co-branding license

Paid agent subscribers receive a license to generate co-branded reports and to share those reports with their clients. Agent branding is applied to the report presentation only and does not imply that the agent authored or verified the report content.

Client sharing

Agents may share CaveatBuyer reports with their clients for the purpose of supporting a real estate transaction. Agents may not redistribute reports to parties outside the transaction without CaveatBuyer's written consent.

Agent representations

By using the agent product, you represent that you are a licensed real estate professional in good standing in the jurisdiction(s) where you operate. You agree to use CaveatBuyer reports only in connection with lawful real estate activities.

No endorsement

CaveatBuyer's inclusion of agent branding in reports does not constitute CaveatBuyer's endorsement of the agent, the agent's brokerage, or any transaction.

Payments are processed by Stripe. CaveatBuyer does not store your credit card number or payment credentials. All payment data is handled in accordance with Stripe's PCI-compliant infrastructure. By using our payment features, you also agree to Stripe's Terms of Service, available at stripe.com/legal/consumer, and Stripe's Privacy Policy, available at stripe.com/privacy.

Single unlocks ($49) provide Intelligence Report access for a single property address. Once generated, the report is yours to keep.

Subscriptions ($149/month) provide unlimited Intelligence Report access for the billing period. Subscriptions renew automatically. You may cancel at any time through your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.

Refunds. Because CaveatBuyer reports are digital products generated on demand, we generally do not offer refunds for delivered reports. If you believe a report contains a significant error or the Service failed to generate your report, contact us at hello@caveatbuyer.com and we will work with you to resolve the issue, which may include a replacement report or refund at our discretion.

Free tier. Foundation Reports are provided at no charge and are subject to these Terms. We reserve the right to modify the scope, availability, and features of the free tier at any time.

CaveatBuyer's total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising from or related to the Service is limited to the greater of (a) one hundred dollars ($100) or (b) the amounts paid by you to CaveatBuyer in the twelve (12) months preceding the applicable claim.

CaveatBuyer is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to lost profits, lost data, property damage, or personal injury, arising from your use of or reliance on the Service.

You acknowledge that CaveatBuyer reports are informational tools, not professional assessments, and you agree not to hold CaveatBuyer responsible for decisions you make based on report content.

Governing law

These Terms are governed by and construed under the Federal Arbitration Act, applicable federal law, and the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Good-faith negotiation

Before initiating arbitration or any legal proceeding, the parties shall use their best efforts to settle any dispute through good-faith negotiations.

Binding arbitration

If good-faith negotiations do not resolve the dispute, it shall be finally settled by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. Arbitration will take place in King County, Washington, before a single arbitrator.

Arbitration fees

The prevailing party in any arbitration proceeding shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys' fees, costs, and arbitration expenses from the non-prevailing party, as the arbitrator may determine in their discretion.

Small claims court

Either party may assert claims, if they qualify, in small claims court in King County, Washington, or in any United States county where you live or work.

Class action waiver

You agree to resolve disputes with CaveatBuyer on an individual basis. All claims and disputes must be arbitrated or litigated on an individual basis and not on a class basis. You waive the right to participate in a class action lawsuit, class arbitration, or any other representative proceeding. If this waiver is deemed invalid or unenforceable, neither party is entitled to arbitration; instead, all claims and disputes will be resolved in a court of competent jurisdiction in King County, Washington.

Opt-out

You have the right to opt out of this arbitration agreement by sending written notice to hello@caveatbuyer.com within thirty (30) days of first accepting these Terms. Your notice must include your name, residence address, account email address, and a clear statement that you want to opt out.

Injunctive relief

Notwithstanding the above, either party may seek injunctive or equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction for matters involving intellectual property or unauthorized access to the Service.

California residents

If you are a California resident, you hereby waive California Civil Code Section 1542.

You may stop using the Service at any time. You may request deletion of your account and associated data by emailing hello@caveatbuyer.com.

CaveatBuyer may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. If we terminate your account without cause, we will refund any prepaid subscription fees for the unused portion of your billing period.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends. Previously generated reports may remain accessible for a reasonable period to allow you to download them.

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email (if you have an account) or by posting a notice on the Service at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Routine product changes, feature additions or removals, and modifications to report content or data sources do not constitute material changes to these Terms.

Entire agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and CaveatBuyer regarding the Service.

Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of our right to enforce that provision in the future.

Assignment. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. CaveatBuyer may assign its rights and obligations without restriction.