Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 1 May 2026. Please read these terms carefully before using NI Trades. By creating an account, posting a job, applying as a tradesperson or otherwise using the platform, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these terms.

Tradesperson Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction

1.1. We are NI Trades, operator of the NI Trades platform. References to “NI Trades”, “we”, “us” or “our” refer to the operator of the platform. You can contact us at hello@nitrades.co.uk with any questions about these terms or the platform.

1.2. These terms apply to Tradespeople using the NI Trades platform, our online directory and introduction service for tradespeople and homeowners in Northern Ireland.

1.3. By accessing and choosing to use the NI Trades platform to offer your services, you are bound by the terms of this Agreement. If you do not agree to be bound by this Agreement, you must not use or access the platform.

2. Definitions

In this Agreement the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:

  • “Agreement” means these Tradesperson terms and conditions and the NI Trades Policies applicable to Tradespeople from time to time.
  • “Contact Details” means one or more items of personal contact information of a Customer (name, address, telephone number or email address) shared with you via the platform to enable direct communication.
  • “Content” means all postings, messages, text, files, images, photos, video, sounds or other materials posted on or via the platform by you, including without limitation messages sent to NI Trades and responses to Reviews.
  • “Customer” means any person who submits or publishes a Job on the NI Trades platform.
  • “Data Protection Legislation” means all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in the United Kingdom, including the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 as amended.
  • “Express Interest” means to take any action on the platform, including submitting an expression-of-interest, that signals to a Customer that you are available and willing to take on their Job.
  • “Featured” means the £55 per month subscription tier offering the benefits set out on the platform from time to time.
  • “Job” means a project or job submitted by a Customer on the NI Trades platform.
  • “Listed” means the £30 per month subscription tier offering the benefits set out on the platform from time to time.
  • “Materials” means content, data or information (including trade marks and branding) you provide to us in connection with you and your services.
  • “NI Trades Platform” means the website nitrades.co.uk (or any other domain owned and controlled by NI Trades from time to time) and any web or mobile application hosted by NI Trades from time to time, together with all the pages, Content, sub-domains and tools contained therein.
  • “NI Trades Policies” means any policy, procedure or set of rules or guidelines established by NI Trades from time to time, including the Quality Standards, Reviews Policy, vetting methodology and any other policies referred to in this Agreement, as updated from time to time.
  • “Review” means a review, rating or written feedback posted by a Customer about a Tradesperson on the platform.
  • “Service Agreement” means any agreement reached between you and a Customer concerning the services to be performed by you for the Customer in any form, including a verbal exchange, telephone, SMS, email or written statement or contract.
  • “Starter Free Trial” means the optional 3-month free trial subscription, capped at 5 expressions of interest in total.
  • “Subscription Fee” means the recurring fee payable to NI Trades for your chosen subscription tier.
  • “Tax” and “Tax Authority” have the meanings set out in clause 3.5.
  • “Trade Account” means your online Tradesperson profile registered on the platform.
  • “Tradespeople” and “Tradesperson” means any business, partnership or sole trader who registers on the platform in order to connect with Customers.
  • “VAT” means value added tax or equivalent tax in any other jurisdiction.
  • “You” means the Tradesperson entering into this Agreement to use the NI Trades platform.

3. Becoming a Tradesperson

3.1. You may apply for a Trade Account on the NI Trades platform by submitting our application form. When you apply, we will ask you to:

  • 3.1.1. provide information about you, your business and the services you offer;
  • 3.1.2. select the trade(s) and service area(s) you cover;
  • 3.1.3. verify your identity by uploading a current photographic ID;
  • 3.1.4. provide a current public liability insurance certificate;
  • 3.1.5. provide evidence of any statutory registration you claim (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, FENSA, OFTEC, CSCS or equivalent) to be displayed on your profile;
  • 3.1.6. nominate two referees we can contact by email or telephone; and
  • 3.1.7. provide such other information or documentation as we may reasonably request.

You may only use the NI Trades platform if you are aged 18 or over. By creating a Trade Account or otherwise using the platform, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old.

3.2. You guarantee to us that:

  • 3.2.1. you are, and will remain, established in the United Kingdom and provide your services in Northern Ireland;
  • 3.2.2. the information you provide to us in connection with your application is complete and accurate, and you will promptly notify us of any changes and keep your Trade Account up to date at all times;
  • 3.2.3. you will not in the course of your business hold yourself out as having qualifications, experience, registrations or expertise that you do not have;
  • 3.2.4. any documents you submit to us or to the platform are genuine documents or true copies of genuine documents.

3.3. We may at our option and at any time require you to promptly provide us with reasonable evidence that any information you have given us is true and up to date and that such information and your conduct is in compliance with this Agreement. We may suspend or restrict your Trade Account until you have supplied this evidence, and we may end this Agreement if you do not comply with our requests.

3.4. You permit us to collect information about you and in connection with your performance of this Agreement and disclose it to tax or other governmental or regulatory authorities if asked to do so or as required by law or for compliance with our legal or regulatory obligations.

3.5. You will ensure that:

  • 3.5.1. all notices, returns, reports, accounts, computations, statements, assessments, claims, registrations and any other information which should be submitted by you to any tax authority for the purposes of Tax and VAT will be made on a proper basis, submitted within applicable time limits and will be accurate and complete in all material respects;
  • 3.5.2. all Tax and VAT (whether of the UK or elsewhere) which you are liable to account for will be duly paid;
  • 3.5.3. you will maintain complete and accurate records, invoices, statements and other information in relation to Tax and VAT that meet all legal requirements; and
  • 3.5.4. all Tax deductible under the PAYE system, the Construction Industry Scheme and/or any other tax statute have been and will be deducted from all payments made (or treated as made) by you.

For the purposes of these terms, “Tax” means all forms of tax and statutory, governmental, state, federal, provincial, local, government or municipal charges, duties, imposts, contributions, levies, withholdings or liabilities wherever chargeable; and “Tax Authority” means any government or other body competent to impose, administer, levy, assess or collect Tax in the UK or elsewhere.

3.6. You represent and warrant that you will include in your Trade Account all information required to comply with consumer protection law and applicable safety requirements. You are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable law in connection with the services you offer, including laws relating to licensing, insurance, tax, health and safety and the engagement, supervision and payment of any employees, subcontractors or third parties engaged by you.

4. Use of the NI Trades platform

4.1. You agree to use the NI Trades platform for advertising and selling your services, communicating with us and your Customers, and in a way that does not infringe the rights of, restrict, or inhibit any other user’s use and enjoyment of the platform.

4.2. You guarantee to us that:

  • 4.2.1. when using the platform, you are operating in your business capacity as a sole trader, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, corporation or other business entity;
  • 4.2.2. you (and anyone who works for you or who you work with) have the unrestricted right to work in the United Kingdom;
  • 4.2.3. you must complete any identity verification, document verification and background checks that we reasonably require from time to time and that are permitted by applicable law. We may carry out checks ourselves or via third-party providers. You agree to provide information we reasonably request to enable checks to be completed;
  • 4.2.4. you have any and all insurance required to operate your business and provide your services, including having others working with or for you, and at all times maintain valid public liability insurance of at least £1 million;
  • 4.2.5. you will honour your commitments to Customers, including by responding promptly when a Customer has Expressed Interest, performing the Job as agreed with the Customer, and providing timely, high-quality services;
  • 4.2.6. you will at all times meet our published Quality Standards; and
  • 4.2.7. you will only offer and provide services for which you have the necessary skills and expertise, and provide these services safely and in accordance with all applicable law.

4.3. You agree to use all reasonable security practices to prevent unauthorised access or damage to the platform. These practices include:

  • 4.3.1. making sure any devices you use to access the platform have up-to-date anti-virus protection and not introducing any viruses into the platform;
  • 4.3.2. ensuring that your log-in details and passwords for your Trade Account are only used by you or your authorised employees and subcontractors; and
  • 4.3.3. telling us immediately if you think that your log-in details, passwords or other Trade Account information is being or may be used in an unauthorised way or that the security of the platform has been compromised in any way.

4.4. Except as permitted by applicable law which you and we cannot agree to exclude, you shall not:

  • 4.4.1. attempt to copy, modify, duplicate, create derivative works from, frame, mirror, republish, download, display, transmit, or distribute all or any portion of the platform in any form or media or by any means;
  • 4.4.2. attempt to de-compile, reverse compile, disassemble, reverse engineer or otherwise reduce to human-perceivable form all or any part of the platform;
  • 4.4.3. access all or any part of the platform to build a competing product or service;
  • 4.4.4. create multiple Trade Accounts for the same business without our written consent;
  • 4.4.5. use any data from the platform for the development of any software programme (including but not limited to training a machine learning or artificial intelligence system); or
  • 4.4.6. use any manual or automated software, devices, or other processes (including spiders, robots, scrapers, crawlers, avatars, data-mining tools or the like) to scrape, harvest or download data from the platform.

4.5. We aim to make the platform available to you and to Customers on a 24/7 basis. We reserve the right to take the platform or any part of it offline as reasonably required for routine and emergency maintenance and repairs. We will aim to give you as much notice of such downtime as may be reasonable. All communications using the internet may be affected by events outside our reasonable control.

4.6. You understand that in providing the platform we are reliant on services supplied by third-party providers. To the extent permitted by law, we will be excused for default or delay of performance and will have no liability to the extent that such default or delay is caused by any defect or deficiency in any products or services provided by any third-party provider.

4.7. If you engage any subcontractor, worker or third party to perform services secured via the platform, you must ensure that such person meets at least the same vetting, eligibility and background-check standards that apply to you under this Agreement. You remain fully responsible for the acts and omissions of any subcontractor or third party you engage, as if they were your own. You must ensure that all subcontractors comply with applicable law and this Agreement, including the Content and conduct requirements set out below.

5. Content

5.1. You are responsible for all Content that you submit, upload to, post, communicate or otherwise make available via the NI Trades platform. Such Content:

  • 5.1.1. must not be unlawful or contrary to applicable law and regulations, including Content that constitutes a criminal offence, facilitates illegal activity, is defamatory, infringes intellectual-property rights or is otherwise unlawful under UK law (“Illegal Content”);
  • 5.1.2. must not include any profanities, racial slurs, sexist remarks or any other rude, abusive or offensive language;
  • 5.1.3. must not include your contact details (telephone number, email address, website URL, social-media handle or postal address) or links to any other websites in your public profile, in messages to a Customer who has not yet hired you, or in your responses to Reviews;
  • 5.1.4. must not promote or refer to competing platforms or services.

If you post any Content which we consider is in violation of this clause 5.1, this is a material breach of this Agreement and we may suspend or terminate your access to the platform in accordance with clause 17.

5.2. You understand that NI Trades does not pre-screen or approve Content and we do not endorse any Content posted by users. However, NI Trades shall have the right but not the obligation to monitor, remove or alter any Content where we reasonably consider it necessary to comply with law, enforce this Agreement or protect users or the platform.

5.3. You can report Illegal Content by emailing hello@nitrades.co.uk. We will review reports and may remove Illegal Content and take account action including suspension or termination. We may prioritise reports depending on the type of Illegal Content (for example, if it poses an immediate safety risk or involves a serious criminal offence). You agree to cooperate with reasonable requests for information in relation to Illegal Content investigations.

5.4. You understand that NI Trades may use proactive automated systems to scan for Illegal Content. If you believe that your Content has been unfairly removed, or that your account has been unjustly suspended due to such systems, you have the right to file a complaint by contacting us. Upon receiving your complaint, we will review it and aim to respond within 10 working days where reasonably practicable. If your complaint is upheld, we will take appropriate action, which may include reinstating your Content or adjusting our automated systems to prevent future issues.

5.5. We may share information including Illegal Content and Trade Account details with relevant authorities where required by law or where reasonably necessary to investigate illegal activity or comply with our legal obligations. We may not notify you before disclosing your information to the relevant authorities, particularly if doing so could prejudice an investigation.

6. Ranking

6.1. The display of your Trade Account in Customer-facing search results and matching is ranked by us using an algorithm based on various parameters. We have set out below the main parameters taken into account, in order of importance and weighting applied:

  • 6.1.1. Relevance: only Tradespeople who offer the specific trade(s) and/or services requested are eligible to appear for a given Job.
  • 6.1.2. Geographical proximity: Tradespeople closer to the Job’s location are generally ranked higher because shorter distances usually mean faster availability and lower travel costs for the Customer.
  • 6.1.3. Customer feedback: verified Reviews from previous Customers can be a valuable indication of past satisfaction. The better your average rating and the more recent your Reviews, the higher you will appear in the ranking.
  • 6.1.4. Responsiveness and platform engagement: we evaluate how quickly and consistently you Express Interest in eligible Jobs and how promptly you respond to Customers. The more responsive your account, the higher you will appear in the ranking.
  • 6.1.5. Subscription tier: Tradespeople on the Featured tier may appear above Tradespeople on the Listed tier and the Starter free trial in some search and matching contexts. Featured placements are clearly identifiable on the platform.
  • 6.1.6. Newcomer rotation: we want even Tradespeople who have only recently been activated on the platform to have an opportunity to be seen. We may rank a Tradesperson activated within the previous 8 weeks higher than they would otherwise score under parameters 6.1.1 to 6.1.4.

We reserve the right to change these parameters at any time. If we make material changes to the main parameters used to determine ranking or their relative importance, we will normally give you at least fifteen (15) days’ notice before the changes take effect. Minor technical adjustments that do not materially affect the ranking parameters may be implemented without prior notice.

6.2. Sponsored placements (the Featured tier and any future advertising slots) are clearly identified as such on the platform and operate alongside, not instead of, the standard organic ranking algorithm.

7. Intellectual property

7.1. NI Trades is the owner or licensor of all the intellectual-property rights in and relating to the platform, including the designs, text, database, graphics and layouts as well as any analysis, data, improvements or new features developed from your Materials (“Derived Materials”). We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use the platform for the purposes set out in this Agreement.

7.2. You may use the NI Trades logo whilst you have an active Trade Account. In the event that your Trade Account is terminated for any reason, you must remove the NI Trades logo and any reference to your previous affiliation with NI Trades from all marketing and information material as soon as possible and in any event within 28 days of such termination.

7.3. In the event that you use any of the intellectual property owned by NI Trades other than as expressly set out in this Agreement, we may suspend or terminate your Trade Account and we reserve all rights to take appropriate legal action against you.

7.4. You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual licence to use, host, reproduce, display and publish your Materials for the purposes of (a) providing the platform (including improvements and enhancements thereto); (b) advertising your services on the platform; and (c) the creation, development or production of analysis, data, improvements, enhancements and new or improved features and functionalities. Except as stated in this Agreement, we will not acquire any rights to your Materials and any goodwill generated by our use of your Materials will accrue to you.

7.5. As soon as reasonably possible after this Agreement ends we will stop all use of your Materials on the platform. Notwithstanding this, we reserve the right to continue using your Materials in order to comply with our own regulatory, legal and internal compliance purposes.

8. Confidentiality

8.1. Neither you nor we (the “Recipient”) shall at any time disclose to any person any confidential information concerning the business, assets, affairs, customers, clients or suppliers of the other (the “Discloser”), except:

  • 8.1.1. to the Recipient’s employees, officers, representatives, contractors, subcontractors or advisers who need to know such information for the purposes of exercising the Recipient’s rights or carrying out its obligations under or in connection with this Agreement. The Recipient shall ensure that any such persons comply with this clause 8;
  • 8.1.2. as may be required by law, a court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental or regulatory authority.

8.2. The Recipient shall not use the Discloser’s confidential information for any purpose other than to exercise its rights and perform its obligations under or in connection with this Agreement (including complying with its legal and regulatory obligations).

9. Data protection

9.1. We and you are both data controllers as defined under the Data Protection Legislation in respect of personal data each of us processes in connection with this Agreement.

9.2. We each agree to comply with all Data Protection Legislation relevant to each of us as a data controller.

9.3. We will only use your personal data as set out in our Privacy Policy, as updated from time to time.

9.4. You agree that you shall:

  • 9.4.1. only use any personal data shared with you by us directly or via the platform, including Customer personal data (“Personal Data”), for the purposes of carrying out the agreed services for that Customer and complying with your contractual, legal and regulatory obligations (the “Agreed Purposes”);
  • 9.4.2. use appropriate measures to keep all Personal Data safe and secure;
  • 9.4.3. not disclose the Personal Data to any third party other than as strictly necessary for the Agreed Purposes;
  • 9.4.4. promptly inform us if you receive any data-subject rights request that relates to data we have shared with you;
  • 9.4.5. provide us with reasonable assistance in complying with any data-subject rights request;
  • 9.4.6. not disclose, release, amend, delete or block any Personal Data in response to a data-subject rights request without first consulting us wherever possible;
  • 9.4.7. assist us in responding to any request from a data subject and in ensuring compliance with our obligations under the Data Protection Legislation with respect to security, personal-data breach notifications, data-protection impact assessments and consultations with the Information Commissioner or other regulators;
  • 9.4.8. notify us without undue delay on becoming aware of any breach of the Data Protection Legislation;
  • 9.4.9. maintain complete and accurate records and information to demonstrate your compliance with this clause 9; and
  • 9.4.10. notify us without undue delay on becoming aware of any loss of, unauthorised use of or unauthorised access to any Personal Data.

10. Jobs, expressing interest and Customer communications

10.1. When a Customer posts a Job that matches your trade and area, you may Express Interest in that Job through the platform. Each Job is capped at three responding Tradespeople so that you are not bidding against a long queue.

10.2. The decision to engage you for a Job is made entirely by the Customer. NI Trades does not influence, broker, allocate or guarantee the outcome of any Job, and Expressing Interest does not entitle you to be hired or to be paid by NI Trades.

10.3. You may, at your own option, share your contact details with a Customer who has Expressed Interest in your services using the “Share details” option in your dashboard. The Customer’s contact details are released to you only when the Customer hires you for the Job. Until then, you must not attempt to obtain a Customer’s contact details by other means and must not solicit a Customer to contact you outside the platform.

10.4. Once a Customer has hired you, you and the Customer may communicate directly off-platform. Your interactions (including quotes, payment, delivery of goods or services and any other terms of your Service Agreement) with Customers found through the platform are solely between you and the Customer.

10.5. You agree that NI Trades shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such interactions. If there is a dispute between you and a Customer, between you and another Tradesperson or between you and any third party, you understand and agree that NI Trades is under no obligation to become involved.

10.6. In the event that you do have a dispute with a Customer or with another Tradesperson, you hereby release NI Trades, its officers, employees, agents and successors in rights from any and all losses, claims, demands and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind or nature, known or unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way related to such disputes, other than to the extent arising from our breach of this Agreement. Nothing in this clause limits or excludes either party’s liability for anything which cannot be limited or excluded.

10.7. NI Trades will not be involved or held liable for any Service Agreement between you and the Customer, and NI Trades is not a party to any Service Agreement, contract or other agreement that may arise between you and the Customer as a result of your use of the platform. Accordingly, we are not liable for any loss or damage that you incur resulting from any such agreement. This clause shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

11. Customer reviews

11.1. You acknowledge that you will be subject to Reviews from Customers if, after Expressing Interest, a Service Agreement has been agreed with the Customer and that Job has started and/or any money has been paid to you. You will be offered an opportunity to respond to any Review.

11.2. You shall not:

  • 11.2.1. submit or procure any Review falsely posing as a genuine Customer;
  • 11.2.2. allow or encourage Reviews for which you have paid or otherwise incentivised the originator of such Review;
  • 11.2.3. commission or procure any false or misleading Review; or
  • 11.2.4. use harassment, threats, intimidation or coercion to obtain or to influence Reviews.

11.3. You acknowledge and agree that NI Trades is not responsible for any Review that your Customers post, nor for any harm done by such Review or the legality or accuracy of such Review. We perform a number of checks on Reviews with the aim of ensuring that Reviews are authentic and posted by a genuine Customer, and we may remove Reviews that appear to be fake or fraudulent, or at the request of the author of such Review, at our sole discretion. We may also suspend or terminate accounts involved in false, misleading or fake Review activity.

11.4. You will at all times comply with our Reviews Policy as published on the platform from time to time.

12. Subscriptions, fees and cancellation

12.1. Tradespeople may choose between three subscription tiers:

  • Starter free trial: free for three months from the date your application is approved, capped at 5 expressions of interest in total. The trial is automatically gated by us at the 90-day mark or once the response cap is reached, whichever comes first. After expiry, you must upgrade to a paid tier to continue using the platform.
  • Listed: £30 per month, billed monthly in advance. Unlimited expressions of interest in eligible Jobs and the Verified badge.
  • Featured: £55 per month, billed monthly in advance. Everything in Listed plus top placement in category search and homepage rotation.

Current pricing is set out on the platform and may be changed on at least fifteen (15) days’ notice in accordance with clause 18.

12.2. Subscriptions are paid online by credit or debit card via our third-party payment processor. When you upgrade, you will be required to provide payment details and you authorise NI Trades to automatically collect the agreed Subscription Fee on each renewal date until you cancel. We may introduce additional payment methods from time to time and we will inform you when we do so along with any additional terms and conditions applicable to that payment method.

12.3. Subscription Fees are non-refundable, save where required by law or where we exercise our discretion under clause 12.6 to grant a refund. In particular, subscription fees are not refunded for partial months following cancellation, suspension or termination, nor for periods during which you elected not to use the platform.

12.4. If a payment fails or is later reclaimed by the bank or card issuer, you must repay the amount due using an alternative method as well as pay any costs incurred by us. We reserve the right to charge a £20 administration fee for any failed or reclaimed payment.

12.5. If any Subscription Fee is not paid within fifteen (15) days of the due date, we may suspend your Trade Account and your access to the platform on notice to you in accordance with clause 17.3 until the outstanding amounts have been paid in full. We may also charge statutory interest on overdue amounts at 4% above the Bank of England base rate from time to time (or 4% per annum where the base rate is below 0%) and recover fixed compensation and reasonable recovery costs in accordance with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and related regulations.

12.6. Any decision to issue a refund is made in line with NI Trades Policies (which may be changed from time to time) and at our sole discretion.

12.7. You may cancel your subscription at any time from your dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the then-current paid period. Your Trade Account will revert to inactive at the end of that period and your public profile will be hidden from Customers.

12.8. It is your responsibility to keep a copy of all your invoices securely. NI Trades does not accept any responsibility for your record-keeping duties owed to any third party including, but not limited to, HM Revenue and Customs.

13. Vetting — scope and limits

13.1. We carry out reasonable checks on Tradespeople at the point of application. These checks may include verification of a current photographic identity document, a current public liability insurance certificate as it stands on the date of our review, trade credentials or registration body memberships against the relevant public register on the date of our review, and contact with the referees nominated by the applicant.

13.2. You expressly acknowledge and accept (and you agree that the same applies to any representation made by us about your account on the platform) that:

  • 13.2.1. vetting is carried out at the point of application only — we do not run continuous, scheduled, periodic or real-time monitoring of any Tradesperson, and we make no commitment to re-check or re-verify any document, credential, registration or reference at any later date;
  • 13.2.2. public liability insurance can lapse, be suspended, be cancelled, be refused renewal or be revoked at any time after our application check, including but not limited to non-payment of premium, mid-term cancellation by the insurer, or refusal of renewal — we are not notified when this happens and accept no responsibility for verifying current cover at the point of hire;
  • 13.2.3. trade credentials and statutory registrations (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, FENSA and similar) can be suspended, revoked or allowed to lapse at any time after our application check without our knowledge;
  • 13.2.4. references are nominated by you and contacted by NI Trades only by email or telephone. We do not visit any site, do not inspect any completed or in-progress work, do not view photographs or other evidence of work, and do not independently verify the identity of referees, the relationship between the referee and you, or the accuracy of anything described by the referee. The reference check is an indicative check at application stage and is not a substitute for the Customer’s own due diligence on a specific Job;
  • 13.2.5. we do not independently test, inspect, supervise, audit or assess the quality, safety, legality or compliance of any work carried out by you;
  • 13.2.6. a “Verified” badge, “Insurance verified” label, credential display, star rating or similar indicator reflects only that a document or reference was received and reviewed at application stage on a specific date — it is not an endorsement, recommendation, accreditation, certification or guarantee of competence, conduct, current status, work quality or suitability for any particular Job.

14. Tradesperson obligations and warranties

By listing on NI Trades, you warrant and agree on a continuing basis that you:

  • are lawfully entitled to work in the United Kingdom and to offer the services you list;
  • hold and will maintain valid public liability insurance of at least £1 million, and will promptly notify us of any lapse, cancellation or reduction;
  • hold all qualifications, registrations or statutory certifications required by law for the work you offer (including Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, FENSA, OFTEC or equivalent where applicable) and will not perform work for which you are not legally qualified;
  • will comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including consumer-protection, health-and-safety, building-control, tax and anti-money-laundering obligations;
  • will provide Customers with written quotes, written contracts where requested, and receipts or invoices for payment;
  • will keep profile information accurate and current, and will not use the platform to solicit work outside its intended purpose;
  • will conduct yourself honestly, professionally and respectfully towards Customers and other users.

Breach of these obligations may result in the issue of warnings, immediate suspension or permanent removal from the platform, in each case without refund of any subscription fees paid.

15. Liability

15.1. Liability shall not be limited:

  • 15.1.1. by either party in respect of:
    • (a) death or personal injury caused by its negligence;
    • (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
    • (c) any other liability which cannot be limited or excluded by law; and
  • 15.1.2. by you in respect of your liability to us under clauses 15.3 and 15.4.

15.2. Subject to clause 15.1, NI Trades is responsible for losses you suffer caused by us breaching this Agreement unless the loss is:

  • 15.2.1. unexpected or unforeseeable;
  • 15.2.2. caused by a delaying event outside our control;
  • 15.2.3. avoidable by you taking reasonable action; or
  • 15.2.4. a loss of business, profit, goodwill or opportunity.

15.3. To the fullest extent permitted by law, NI Trades accepts no liability whatsoever for any act, omission, default, conduct, work, advice or communication of any Tradesperson, Customer, advertiser or other user introduced or encountered through the platform. This includes, without limitation, poor or defective workmanship, damage to property, personal injury, financial loss, theft, fraud, or any breach by a Tradesperson of statutory or trade-specific requirements.

15.4. If any third party (including a Customer, regulator, Tax Authority or other rights-holder) makes a claim or takes any action against us in connection with:

  • 15.4.1. your services and their supply through the platform;
  • 15.4.2. Content you have uploaded to or otherwise distributed through the platform, including your Trade Account, responses to Reviews, your communications with Customers, advertising, and any omissions or inaccuracies in such Content;
  • 15.4.3. things we have or have not done in reliance on information you have provided (or omitted to provide) to us; or
  • 15.4.4. things you have or have not done, including any breach of this Agreement,

(each a “Third Party Claim”), then you must, at our option and as we request, either help us defend or deal with the Third Party Claim or defend or deal with it on our behalf, in each case at your own expense. If we ask you to defend or deal with a claim on our behalf, you must get our prior written agreement before settling or compromising it or attempting to do so.

15.5. You must pay us an amount (calculated on a full indemnity after-tax basis) equivalent to any liabilities, fines, costs, expenses, damages and losses (including but not limited to any direct, indirect or consequential losses, loss of profit, loss of reputation and any tax liabilities or third-party charges) and all interest, penalties and legal costs and all other reasonable professional costs and expenses we incur out of or in connection with any Third Party Claim.

15.6. Subject always to clauses 15.1 to 15.5, our aggregate liability to you in any 12-month period, howsoever arising, shall not exceed the greater of (a) the total amount paid by you to NI Trades in the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) £100.

16. Changes to your account or business

16.1. There are only limited circumstances in which the legal owner of a Trade Account can be changed to a different person or legal entity. At no time may the owner of a Trade Account be changed to an individual or organisation not associated with the original owner.

16.2. In the event that the owner of a Trade Account is a limited company or partnership and that limited company is dissolved or partnership is terminated, you agree to contact us at hello@nitrades.co.uk immediately.

16.3. All Trade Account ownership and contact changes are made at our sole discretion, in line with our internal policy, which may be changed from time to time.

17. Termination and suspension

17.1. We can end this Agreement and your right to use the NI Trades platform for any of the following reasons:

  • 17.1.1. you have breached this Agreement or any part of this Agreement, including the NI Trades Policies;
  • 17.1.2. you have not paid one of our Subscription Fees by the due date;
  • 17.1.3. you have become insolvent, suspended (or threatened to suspend) trading, or your financial position deteriorates to such an extent that we think your ability to fulfil your obligations under this Agreement is at risk;
  • 17.1.4. you have received three (3) or more active formal warnings from us, in which case auto-suspension may apply in accordance with our published warnings policy;
  • 17.1.5. you fail to meet any applicable quality or eligibility criteria contained in the Quality Standards;
  • 17.1.6. you fail to complete requested checks or if we reasonably determine that the outcome of any background or qualification checks is unsatisfactory;
  • 17.1.7. we reasonably consider that you continuing to offer your services via the platform could expose the platform to disrepute, contempt, scandal or ridicule, or would reflect unfavourably on NI Trades’ reputation or other Tradespeople;
  • 17.1.8. we decide to stop providing the platform or to stop offering your type of services on the platform;
  • 17.1.9. we reasonably determine, or receive information or notice from a Tax Authority, that you are not meeting your tax obligations.

17.2. We will give you at least thirty (30) days’ notice that we are ending this Agreement as set out above, unless:

  • 17.2.1. our legal, regulatory or tax obligations require us to end this Agreement sooner;
  • 17.2.2. it is necessary for us to end this Agreement sooner or immediately, including (without limitation) if we reasonably believe that you present a danger to Customers or are acting fraudulently; or
  • 17.2.3. you have repeatedly breached this Agreement.

17.3. Without prejudice to clause 17.1, we may suspend your access to the platform at any time if any fees are overdue or if we believe there is a legal, regulatory, security or reputational risk to NI Trades, the platform, the Customers or other Tradespeople.

17.4. If we suspend or terminate your Trade Account and/or access to the platform, we will in most cases provide you with a statement of reasons on a durable medium for such suspension or termination at the time of such suspension or termination, setting out the specific facts or circumstances which led to our decision and the grounds on which we are suspending or terminating your Trade Account or access. However, we will not give you such a statement if:

  • 17.4.1. we are subject to a legal, tax or regulatory obligation not to provide the specific facts or circumstances or to set out our reasons; or
  • 17.4.2. you have repeatedly breached this Agreement.

17.5. You agree that NI Trades shall have no liability to you or any third party for any termination or suspension of your access to the platform.

17.6. You agree not to attempt to use the platform after this Agreement has been terminated or if your access to the platform has been suspended.

17.7. Suspension or termination of your access to the platform does not affect any obligation to pay amounts already accrued and due to us.

17.8. You may stop using the platform at any time. This Agreement will end when you have paid all outstanding Subscription Fees and contact us to inform us that you no longer wish to use the platform. Ending this Agreement does not prevent us from taking steps to recover outstanding amounts or enforcing any surviving rights or obligations.

18. Changes

18.1. We will let you know via email, message on the platform or another durable medium about any changes we are making to this Agreement, unless they are minor amendments which do not alter the content or meaning of this Agreement. We will normally give you fifteen (15) days’ notice before such changes take effect.

18.2. We will give you more notice if a change we are making impacts on the way you carry out your business or services.

18.3. We will not give you advance notice in limited circumstances where we have to make a change with immediate effect, such as for legal or regulatory reasons or to protect the platform, Tradespeople or Customers from fraud, malware, data breaches or other security risks.

18.4. If you do not want to accept the changes we are making, you may end this Agreement in accordance with clause 17.8.

19. Complaints and disputes

19.1. If you have a complaint about the platform or our handling of your Trade Account, including any suspension or termination, you should raise it by emailing hello@nitrades.co.uk.

19.2. We will deal with your complaint within a reasonable time frame depending on the complexity and scope of the complaint. If we have any questions about your complaint, we will ask you questions as part of the process. Both you and we agree to try to resolve all complaints by amicable and reasonable discussion. If the complaint cannot be resolved in this way, either of us can request mediation in accordance with clause 19.3, and in addition either party may bring legal action at any time in accordance with clause 20.8.

19.3. Either party can request that any dispute between us be referred to an independent UK mediation provider. Each party agrees to act in good faith when considering any requests for mediation and when engaging in mediation. We will bear a reasonable and proportionate amount of the total costs of any mediation, taking into account all relevant elements of the dispute, as determined by the mediator.

20. Other important terms

20.1. Force majeure. Neither you nor we shall be in breach of this Agreement or otherwise liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations if such delay or failure results from events, circumstances or causes beyond the affected party’s reasonable control. The time for performance of such obligations shall be extended accordingly. If the period of delay or non-performance continues for thirty (30) days, the party not affected may end this Agreement by giving ten (10) days’ prior written notice. The party affected shall take reasonable steps to prevent or minimise any delay or non-performance.

20.2. Assignment. We can transfer this Agreement so that a different organisation is responsible for supplying the platform. We will tell you in writing if this happens and we will ensure that the transfer will not affect your rights under this Agreement.

20.3. Entire agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and us in relation to the provision of the platform. Both you and we acknowledge that in entering into this Agreement neither of us relies on any statement, representation, assurance or warranty (whether made innocently or negligently) that is not set out in this Agreement.

20.4. Third party rights. Nobody else has any rights under this Agreement. This Agreement is between you and us. Nobody else can enforce it and neither of us will need to ask anybody else to sign-off on ending or changing it.

20.5. Invalidity / severance. If a court invalidates some of this Agreement, the rest of it will still apply. If any provision is held to be illegal or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed and the remainder of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless the business purpose of this Agreement is substantially frustrated.

20.6. Waiver. Even if we delay in enforcing this Agreement, we can still enforce it later. We might not immediately chase you for not doing something or for doing something you are not allowed to, but that does not mean we cannot do it later.

20.7. Statutory consumer rights. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes any right you have as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or any other non-excludable consumer-protection legislation in force in Northern Ireland.

20.8. Governing law and jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Northern Ireland. Disputes arising in connection with this Agreement shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Northern Ireland. If you live in Wales, Scotland or England, you can also bring claims against us in the courts of the country you live in. We can also claim against you in the courts of the country you live in.

Customer Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction

1.1. We are NI Trades, operator of the NI Trades platform. References to “NI Trades”, “we”, “us” or “our” refer to the operator of the platform. You can contact us at hello@nitrades.co.uk with any questions about these terms or the platform.

1.2. These terms apply to Customers using the NI Trades platform, our online directory and introduction service for tradespeople and homeowners in Northern Ireland.

1.3. By accessing and choosing to use the NI Trades platform to search for services, you agree to comply with and be bound by the terms of this Agreement. If you do not agree to be bound by this Agreement, you must not use or access the platform.

2. Definitions

In this Agreement the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:

  • “Agreement” means these Customer terms and conditions and the NI Trades Policies applicable to Customers from time to time.
  • “Content” means all postings, messages, text, files, images, photos, video, sounds or other materials posted on the platform by you, including without limitation messages sent to NI Trades, responses to Reviews and whenever you contact us.
  • “Customer” means any person who submits or publishes a Job on the NI Trades platform.
  • “Customer Account” means your online account on the platform.
  • “Express Interest” means when a Tradesperson signals to you via the platform that they are available and willing to take on your Job.
  • “Illegal Content” means Content that constitutes a criminal offence, facilitates illegal activity, is defamatory, infringes intellectual-property rights or is otherwise unlawful under UK law.
  • “Job” means a project or job submitted by you to the platform.
  • “Privacy Policy” means the privacy policy available at /privacy, as updated from time to time.
  • “Review” means a review, rating or written feedback posted by a Customer about a Tradesperson on the platform.
  • “Service Agreement” means any agreement reached between a Tradesperson and a Customer concerning the services to be performed. A Service Agreement may be reached by a verbal exchange, telephone, SMS, email or in the form of a written statement or contract.
  • “Tradespeople” and “Tradesperson” means any business, partnership or sole trader who registers on the platform in order to connect with Customers.
  • “You” means the Customer signing up to use the NI Trades platform in accordance with this Agreement.

3. Use of the NI Trades platform

3.1. You may only use the NI Trades platform if you are aged 18 or over. By creating a Customer Account or otherwise using the platform, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old.

3.2. You must use the platform solely for its intended purpose, which is to connect Customers with Tradespeople for genuine Jobs relating to home improvement, repair, maintenance or similar services in Northern Ireland. You must not use Jobs, messages or any other part of the platform for any other purpose, including:

  • (a) recruiting or soliciting Tradespeople for employment, contracting, internships or other professional opportunities unrelated to a genuine Job;
  • (b) research, advertising, marketing or promotional activities; or
  • (c) promoting goods or services that are not connected to a genuine Job posted on the platform.

If you breach this clause 3.2, we may remove the relevant Content and suspend or terminate your Customer Account in accordance with clause 10.

3.3. You agree to use the platform for posting Jobs, searching for and connecting with Tradespeople, communicating with us and Tradespeople, and in a way that does not infringe the rights of, restrict, or inhibit any other user’s use and enjoyment of the platform.

3.4. You agree to use all reasonable security practices to prevent unauthorised access or damage to the platform, including:

  • 3.4.1. making sure any devices you use to access the platform have up-to-date anti-virus protection and not introducing any viruses into the platform;
  • 3.4.2. ensuring that your log-in details and passwords for your Customer Account: (a) are only used by you; and (b) are not shared between users; and
  • 3.4.3. telling us immediately if you think that your log-in details, passwords or other Customer Account information is being or may be used in an unauthorised way or that the security of the platform has been compromised in any way.

3.5. Except as permitted by applicable law which you and we cannot agree to exclude, you shall not:

  • 3.5.1. attempt to copy, modify, duplicate, create derivative works from, frame, mirror, republish, download, display, transmit or distribute all or any portion of the platform in any form or media or by any means;
  • 3.5.2. attempt to de-compile, reverse compile, disassemble, reverse engineer or otherwise reduce to human-perceivable form all or any part of the platform;
  • 3.5.3. access all or any part of the platform to build a competing product or service;
  • 3.5.4. create multiple Customer Accounts;
  • 3.5.5. use any data from the platform for the development of any software programme (including but not limited to training a machine-learning or artificial-intelligence system); or
  • 3.5.6. use any manual or automated software, devices or other processes (including spiders, robots, scrapers, crawlers, avatars, data-mining tools or the like) to scrape, harvest or download data from the platform.

3.6. We aim to make the platform available to you and to Tradespeople on a 24/7 basis. We reserve the right to take the platform or any part of it offline as reasonably required for routine and emergency maintenance and repairs. We will aim to give you as much notice of such downtime as may be reasonable. All communications using the internet may be affected by events outside our reasonable control.

3.7. You understand that in providing the platform we are reliant on services supplied by third-party providers. To the extent permitted by law, we will be excused for default or delay of performance and will have no liability to the extent that such default or delay is caused by any defect or deficiency in any products or services provided by any third-party provider.

3.8. Any references on the NI Trades platform to checks, vetting or verification are provided for transparency only and do not constitute an endorsement, certification or guarantee of a Tradesperson or their services. Customers remain responsible for deciding whether to engage a Tradesperson and for agreeing the terms on which work is carried out (see clause 7).

4. Content

4.1. You are responsible for all Content that you submit, upload to, post, communicate or otherwise make available via the NI Trades platform and you must not post Illegal Content or other Content that includes profanities, racial slurs, sexist remarks or any other rude, abusive or offensive language. If you post any Content which we consider is in violation of this clause 4.1 we have the right to suspend or terminate your access to the platform in accordance with clause 10.

4.2. You understand that NI Trades does not pre-screen, monitor or approve Content. However, NI Trades shall have the right but not the obligation to monitor, remove or alter any Content where we reasonably consider it necessary to comply with law, enforce this Agreement or protect users or the platform. For more information on Reviews please see clause 8.

4.3. You can report Illegal Content by emailing hello@nitrades.co.uk. We will review reports and may remove Illegal Content and take account action including suspension or termination. We may prioritise reports depending on the type of Illegal Content. You agree to cooperate with reasonable requests for information in relation to Illegal Content investigations.

4.4. You understand that NI Trades may use proactive automated systems to scan for Illegal Content. If you believe that your Content has been unfairly removed, or that your account has been unjustly suspended due to such systems, you have the right to file a complaint by contacting us. Upon receiving your complaint, we will review it and aim to respond within 10 working days where reasonably practicable.

4.5. We may share information including Content and account details with relevant authorities where required by law or where reasonably necessary to investigate illegal activity or comply with our legal obligations. We may not notify you before disclosing your information to the relevant authorities, particularly if doing so could prejudice an investigation.

5. Intellectual property

5.1. NI Trades is the owner or licensor of all the intellectual-property rights in and relating to the platform, including the designs, text, database, graphics and layouts. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use the platform for the purposes set out in this Agreement.

5.2. In the event that you use any of the intellectual property owned by NI Trades other than as expressly set out in this Agreement, we may suspend or terminate your Customer Account and we reserve all rights to take appropriate legal action against you.

6. Data protection

6.1. NI Trades is a data controller of the personal data you provide to us and we collect about you in the course of providing the platform to you.

6.2. We will process your personal data as set out in our Privacy Policy, as updated or amended by us from time to time.

7. Posting Jobs and engaging Tradespeople

7.1. You can post a Job on the NI Trades platform to find suitable Tradespeople near you. Our matching system identifies and alerts relevant Tradespeople. Tradespeople may then Express Interest in your Job. You can review interested Tradespeople by reading their profiles, work history and Reviews. We cannot guarantee that any particular Tradesperson will Express Interest in your Job or that you will receive any responses.

7.2. The Tradespeople shown to you may be ordered based on a number of factors including relevance to your Job, location, feedback from other Customers, responsiveness to previous enquiries and subscription tier. Featured Tradespeople may appear more prominently in some search and matching contexts and are clearly identifiable on the platform.

7.3. Each Job is capped at three responding Tradespeople so that you are not bidding against a long queue.

7.4. You can choose to share your contact details with a Tradesperson via the “Share details” option once they have Expressed Interest, or by hiring them. When you hire a Tradesperson on the platform, your name, telephone number and email address are released to that Tradesperson so they can contact you to arrange the work.

7.5. Customer due diligence — your obligation before any work or payment. You acknowledge and agree that, before commissioning any work and before paying any deposit, instalment, balance or other consideration to a Tradesperson introduced through the platform, you will carry out your own due diligence at the point of hire. This is your responsibility, not ours. Without limitation, you should:

  • request and review a copy of the Tradesperson’s current public liability insurance certificate dated to the present, and verify that it is in force on the date the work begins;
  • verify any displayed statutory credential (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, FENSA, Certass, OFTEC and similar) by checking the registration number directly on the relevant public register on the day of hire;
  • confirm the Tradesperson’s identity, business name and trading address;
  • obtain a written quote setting out the scope of work, materials, timescale, total price and payment schedule before any deposit is paid;
  • contact references directly yourself if you wish to rely on them, and ask for further evidence of the work claimed (photographs, addresses, dates) — NI Trades does not collect or hold any such evidence;
  • satisfy yourself separately as to consumer-protection, cancellation rights, and any building-regulation, planning or notification requirements that apply to the work.

You confirm that any decision to engage a Tradesperson, to commence work, to pay any sum, or to extend or vary the scope of work is taken by you in your own judgement on the basis of your own due diligence and not in reliance on any check, badge, listing, profile, rating, Review, statement or implication on the platform. NI Trades has no role in that decision and accepts no responsibility for it.

7.6. Your interactions (including quotes, payment and receipt of goods or services and any other terms of your Service Agreements) with Tradespeople found through the platform are solely between you and such Tradespeople.

7.7. You agree that NI Trades shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such interactions. If there is a dispute between you and a Tradesperson or between you and any third party, you understand and agree that NI Trades is under no obligation to become involved.

7.8. In the event that you do have a dispute with a Tradesperson, you hereby release NI Trades, its officers, employees, agents and successors in rights from any and all losses, claims, demands and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind or nature, known or unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way related to such disputes other than to the extent arising from our breach of this Agreement. Nothing in this clause limits or excludes either party’s liability for anything which cannot be limited or excluded.

7.9. NI Trades will not be involved or held liable for any Service Agreement between you and the Tradesperson and NI Trades is not a party to any Service Agreement, contract or other agreement that may arise between you and the Tradesperson as a result of your use of the platform. Accordingly, we are not liable for any loss or damage that you incur resulting from any such agreement. This clause shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

8. Customer Reviews

8.1. Once a Service Agreement is in place in respect of your Job and that Job has started and/or you have paid money to the Tradesperson, you may provide a Review in respect of the relevant Tradesperson, subject to the NI Trades Reviews Policy.

8.2. You shall not:

  • 8.2.1. submit any Review falsely posing as a genuine Customer;
  • 8.2.2. post any Review for which you have been paid or otherwise incentivised;
  • 8.2.3. post any Review that contains any defamatory, offensive, vulgar, obscene or racist language;
  • 8.2.4. post any Review that contains personal data relating to the Tradesperson; or
  • 8.2.5. otherwise submit any false or misleading Review.

8.3. You acknowledge and agree that we perform a number of checks on Reviews with the aim of ensuring that Reviews are authentic and posted by a genuine Customer, and we may remove Reviews that violate our Reviews Policy or appear to be fake or fraudulent, or at the request of the author of such Review, at our sole discretion. We may also take action against the accounts involved.

8.4. You acknowledge and agree that we can disclose the poster of the Review to the Tradesperson it concerns.

8.5. We may contact you to request further information in relation to a Review you have submitted. If you do not respond within three (3) working days of being contacted, we may remove the Review.

8.6. You must not use a Review (or the threat of one) to pressure or attempt to coerce a Tradesperson into providing a refund, discount, additional services or any other concession to which you are not legally entitled. Such conduct may be treated as misuse of the platform and may result in removal of the Review or restriction of access to your Customer Account. This does not affect your right to leave fair and lawful Reviews or to exercise your statutory rights.

9. Liability

9.1. Liability shall not be limited by either party in respect of:

  • 9.1.1. death or personal injury caused by its negligence;
  • 9.1.2. fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
  • 9.1.3. any other liability which cannot be limited or excluded by law.

9.2. NI Trades operates the NI Trades platform as a facilitator only. We do not provide the services offered by Tradespeople and are not responsible for the acts or omissions of Tradespeople in connection with any Service Agreement.

9.3. To the fullest extent permitted by law, NI Trades accepts no liability whatsoever for any act, omission, default, conduct, work, advice or communication of any Tradesperson, advertiser or other user introduced or encountered through the platform. This includes, without limitation:

  • poor, defective, incomplete, delayed, unsafe or non-compliant workmanship;
  • damage to property, possessions or structures arising directly or indirectly from work carried out or attempted;
  • personal injury, illness or death arising from the act or omission of a Tradesperson (save where such loss is caused by our own negligence and cannot be excluded by law);
  • financial loss, including overpayment, deposits taken and not returned, costs of remedial work, consequential loss or lost earnings;
  • theft, fraud, misrepresentation or any criminal act committed by any user;
  • disputes over pricing, scope, timing, materials, behaviour, communication or any other matter between users;
  • any breach by a Tradesperson of statutory, regulatory or trade-specific requirements (including Gas Safe, NICEIC, building regulations or health-and-safety law);
  • the accuracy, completeness or currency of any credential, certificate, reference, Review, photograph or other Content displayed on the platform.

9.4. Subject to clause 9.1, NI Trades is responsible for losses you suffer caused by us breaching this Agreement unless the loss is:

  • 9.4.1. unexpected or unforeseeable;
  • 9.4.2. caused by a delaying event outside our control;
  • 9.4.3. avoidable by you taking reasonable action; or
  • 9.4.4. a business loss.

9.5. Subject to clauses 9.1 to 9.4, our aggregate liability to you in any 12-month period, howsoever arising, shall not exceed the greater of (a) the total amount paid by you to NI Trades in the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) £100. Customer accounts are free, so this cap will be £100 in nearly all circumstances.

9.6. Statutory consumer rights. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes any right you have as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, or any other non-excludable consumer-protection legislation in force in Northern Ireland. Where any provision of these terms would otherwise conflict with those rights, that provision is read as modified to the minimum extent necessary to comply with the law.

10. Termination and suspension

10.1. We can end this Agreement and your right to use the NI Trades platform if you have breached this Agreement or any part of this Agreement.

10.2. We will give you at least thirty (30) days’ notice that we are ending this Agreement as set out above, unless:

  • 10.2.1. our legal, regulatory or tax obligations require us to end this Agreement sooner;
  • 10.2.2. it is necessary for us to end this Agreement sooner or immediately, including (without limitation) if we reasonably believe that you present a danger to Tradespeople, NI Trades, other Customers or are acting fraudulently; or
  • 10.2.3. you have repeatedly breached this Agreement.

10.3. Without prejudice to clause 10.1, we may terminate and/or suspend your access to the platform at any time if we believe there is a legal, regulatory, security or reputational risk to NI Trades, the platform, Tradespeople or other Customers.

10.4. If we suspend or terminate your Customer Account and/or access to the platform, we will in most cases provide you with a statement of reasons on a durable medium for such suspension or termination at the time of such suspension or termination, setting out the specific facts or circumstances which led to our decision and the grounds on which we are suspending or terminating your Customer Account or access. However, we will not give you such a statement if:

  • 10.4.1. we are subject to a legal, tax or regulatory obligation not to provide the specific facts or circumstances or to set out our reasons; or
  • 10.4.2. you have repeatedly breached this Agreement.

10.5. You agree that NI Trades shall have no liability to you or any third party for any termination or suspension of your access to the platform.

10.6. You agree not to attempt to use the platform after this Agreement has been terminated or if your access to the platform has been suspended.

10.7. You may stop using the platform at any time and you can end this Agreement and delete your Customer Account by selecting that option from your Customer Account.

11. Complaints and disputes

11.1. If you have a complaint about NI Trades, please email hello@nitrades.co.uk.

11.2. On receipt of a complaint, we will:

  • 11.2.1. carefully consider the complaint and, if necessary, follow up in order to adequately address any issues raised;
  • 11.2.2. process the complaint within a reasonable period of time taking into account the importance and complexity of the issue raised; and
  • 11.2.3. inform the complainant of the result of our complaint-handling process.

We try to resolve all complaints by amicable and reasonable discussion. If the complaint cannot be resolved in this way, either of us can request mediation in accordance with clause 11.3.

11.3. Alternative dispute resolution is an optional process where an independent body considers the facts of a dispute and seeks to resolve it without you having to go to court. Either party may submit a complaint to an independent UK mediation provider. If you are not satisfied with the outcome you can still go to court.

12. Changes

12.1. We will let you know via email, message on the platform or another durable medium about any changes we are making to this Agreement, unless they are minor amendments which do not alter the content or meaning of this Agreement. We will normally give you fifteen (15) days’ notice before such changes take effect.

12.2. We will give you more notice if a change we are making impacts on the way you use the platform.

12.3. We will not give you advance notice in limited circumstances where we have to make a change with immediate effect, such as for legal or regulatory reasons or to protect the platform, Tradespeople or Customers from fraud, malware, data breaches or other security risks.

12.4. If you do not want to accept the changes we are making, you may end this Agreement in accordance with clause 10.7.

13. Other important terms

13.1. Force majeure. Neither you nor we shall be in breach of this Agreement or otherwise liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations if such delay or failure results from events, circumstances or causes beyond the affected party’s reasonable control. The time for performance of such obligations shall be extended accordingly. If the period of delay or non-performance continues for thirty (30) days, the party not affected may end this Agreement by giving ten (10) days’ prior written notice. The party affected shall take reasonable steps to prevent or minimise any delay or non-performance.

13.2. Assignment. We can transfer this Agreement so that a different organisation is responsible for supplying the platform. We will tell you in writing if this happens and we will ensure that the transfer will not affect your rights under this Agreement.

13.3. Entire agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and us in relation to the provision of the platform. Both you and we acknowledge that in entering into this Agreement neither of us relies on any statement, representation, assurance or warranty (whether made innocently or negligently) that is not set out in this Agreement.

13.4. Third party rights. Nobody else has any rights under this Agreement. This Agreement is between you and us. Nobody else can enforce it and neither of us will need to ask anybody else to sign-off on ending or changing it.

13.5. Invalidity / severance. If a court invalidates some of this Agreement, the rest of it will still apply. If any provision is held to be illegal or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed and the remainder of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless the business purpose of this Agreement is substantially frustrated.

13.6. Waiver. Even if we delay in enforcing this Agreement, we can still enforce it later.

13.7. Governing law and jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Northern Ireland. Disputes arising in connection with this Agreement shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Northern Ireland. If you live in Wales, Scotland or England, you can also bring claims against us in the courts of the country you live in. We can also claim against you in the courts of the country you live in.

Tip for homeowners: Before hiring any tradesperson, obtain a written quote, ask for proof of current insurance, agree a written payment schedule (never pay in full upfront), and check that any statutory work (gas, electrical) is certified by checking the registration number directly on the relevant public register on the day of hire. These steps protect you regardless of which platform or directory you use.

Vendor (Advertiser) Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction

1.1. We are NI Trades, operator of the NI Trades platform. References to “NI Trades”, “we”, “us” or “our” refer to the operator of the platform. You can contact us at hello@nitrades.co.uk with any questions about these terms or about advertising on the platform.

1.2. These terms apply to Vendors (also referred to as Advertisers) who purchase or run display advertising on the NI Trades platform.

1.3. By submitting an enquiry, executing an Insertion Order, paying an invoice or otherwise causing an advertising campaign to run on the platform, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these terms on behalf of the business you represent. If you do not agree to be bound by this Agreement, you must not run any advertising on the NI Trades platform.

2. Definitions

In this Agreement the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:

  • “Advertising Materials” means all artwork, images, logos, copy, video, audio, scripts, tags, landing-page URLs and other content supplied by you (or on your behalf) for display in your campaign.
  • “Agreement” means these Vendor terms and conditions, the applicable Insertion Order, our Advertising Policies and any other NI Trades Policies applicable to Advertisers from time to time.
  • “Campaign” means a specific advertising placement (or series of placements) you have purchased on the NI Trades platform, identified by package type, start date, end date and any targeting parameters.
  • “Insertion Order” means the booking confirmation, order form or invoice issued by NI Trades that records the package, fees, schedule and any agreed targeting for a Campaign.
  • “Package” means one of the advertising products offered by NI Trades from time to time (currently: Platform Takeover, Homepage Strip, Category Sponsor, Browse Page Display, Customer Dashboard Banner and Trade Dashboard Banner), each with its own dimensions, placements, audience and price.
  • “Vendor”, “Advertiser” or “You” means the business entity entering into this Agreement to advertise on the NI Trades platform.
  • “Vendor Account” means your online account on the platform, accessed via /dashboard/vendor.

3. Eligibility and account

3.1. To advertise on NI Trades you must be a business, partnership or sole trader established in the United Kingdom and entitled to enter into a binding commercial agreement.

3.2. You confirm that the person who accepts these terms or executes any Insertion Order on your behalf is authorised to bind the business you represent.

3.3. You must keep the contact, billing and brand-asset information on your Vendor Account current at all times. We will rely on the most recent information on your Vendor Account when issuing invoices, sending campaign updates, processing creative changes and corresponding about complaints or refunds.

3.4. You may not allow any third party (other than agencies you formally engage to manage your advertising) to access or operate your Vendor Account on your behalf without our prior written consent.

4. Booking, pricing and payment

4.1. Campaign pricing is set out in your Insertion Order and on the Advertise page or rate card published by NI Trades from time to time. NI Trades is not currently VAT registered, so the price quoted on your Insertion Order is the final amount payable. If NI Trades becomes VAT registered in the future and your Campaign continues across the registration date, VAT at the prevailing rate will be added to renewals from that date — never applied retrospectively to fees already paid.

4.2. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, Campaign fees are payable in full in advance of the Campaign start date by the payment method specified on the Insertion Order. We reserve the right to delay or refuse to launch a Campaign for which payment has not cleared.

4.3. Where we have agreed credit terms with you, invoices are payable within thirty (30) days of the invoice date. We may charge interest on late payments at the statutory rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

4.4. All amounts payable to NI Trades are non-refundable except as expressly set out in clause 8 (Cancellation and refunds) or as required by law.

5. Advertising Materials and approval

5.1. You are responsible for supplying all Advertising Materials to NI Trades in the format, dimensions and within the deadlines specified for the relevant Package. Failure to supply usable creative on time may delay or shorten your Campaign without entitlement to refund or extension.

5.2. You warrant that:

  • 5.2.1. you own or are licensed to use all Advertising Materials and that they do not infringe any third-party intellectual-property right, right of publicity, privacy right, trade mark or copyright;
  • 5.2.2. all claims, comparisons, prices, offers, qualifications, accreditations and endorsements in your Advertising Materials are accurate, substantiated and not misleading;
  • 5.2.3. your Advertising Materials and the products or services they promote comply with all applicable UK laws, including the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations and the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code); and
  • 5.2.4. you hold any registrations, licences, insurances or memberships that you display or claim in your Advertising Materials.

5.3. We may, at our sole discretion and without liability, refuse, withdraw, suspend, edit, reformat or reject any Advertising Materials before or during a Campaign if we consider that they breach this Agreement, our Advertising Policies, applicable law or our editorial standards, or if we receive credible complaints about them. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you and give you the opportunity to supply replacement creative.

5.4. We do not pre-screen or verify the accuracy, legality or quality of your Advertising Materials. Approval of creative for publication is not an endorsement and does not transfer any responsibility from you to NI Trades.

6. Placement, performance and reporting

6.1. Placements, rotations and impression counts are at our reasonable discretion within the parameters of the Package you have purchased. We do not guarantee a specific number of impressions, clicks, conversions, leads, sales, ranking position or any other performance outcome unless that figure is expressly stated as a minimum on the Insertion Order.

6.2. We will provide you with reasonable Campaign reporting through the Vendor Account, including impression and click counts. These figures are based on our own server-side measurement and shall be the definitive record of Campaign delivery for the purposes of this Agreement.

6.3. If during the Campaign there is a material technical fault attributable to us that materially reduces delivery, we will use reasonable efforts to remedy the fault and may, at our discretion, extend the Campaign or grant make-good impressions of equivalent value. This is your sole and exclusive remedy for under-delivery.

7. Prohibited content

7.1. You must not submit, and we will not knowingly publish, Advertising Materials that:

  • (a) are illegal under UK law or facilitate illegal activity;
  • (b) are misleading, deceptive or contain unverifiable claims;
  • (c) infringe any third party’s intellectual-property right, trade mark, right of publicity or privacy;
  • (d) defame, harass, threaten, discriminate against or incite violence against any person or group;
  • (e) promote weapons, illegal drugs, tobacco, vaping products, gambling, payday lending, adult content, “get rich quick” schemes, multi-level-marketing recruitment, cryptocurrency speculation or unregulated financial services;
  • (f) impersonate NI Trades or imply an endorsement, partnership or affiliation that does not exist;
  • (g) target, depict or are likely to be of particular interest to children;
  • (h) link to or contain malware, phishing pages, deceptive landing pages or content that materially differs from the offer in the creative; or
  • (i) breach our Advertising Policies as updated from time to time.

7.2. We may at our discretion suspend or terminate your Campaign and/or your Vendor Account if we reasonably believe you have submitted prohibited content. No refund is payable for Campaign time consumed before such suspension.

8. Cancellation and refunds

8.1. You may request to cancel an upcoming Campaign by emailing hello@nitrades.co.uk at any time before the Campaign start date. We will refund any amount paid for Campaign time that has not yet been served, less any production costs we have already incurred and less an administrative fee equal to 10% of the booking value (capped at £50).

8.2. Once a Campaign has started, fees for the portion of the Campaign that has been served are non-refundable. We may, at our discretion, refund or credit unspent fees on a pro-rata basis if you cancel a long-running Campaign for legitimate business reasons.

8.3. We may terminate or suspend your Campaign or Vendor Account immediately, without refund of fees relating to Campaign time already served, if you breach this Agreement, fail to pay an invoice, supply prohibited or infringing content, become insolvent, or if continuing to publish your advertising would expose NI Trades to legal or reputational risk.

9. Intellectual property and licence

9.1. You retain all intellectual-property rights in your Advertising Materials. You grant NI Trades a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, store, reproduce, reformat, transmit and display the Advertising Materials on the NI Trades platform and in the platform’s own promotional materials (e.g. case studies, sales decks) for the duration of your Campaign and for a reasonable period afterwards for archive and dispute-handling purposes.

9.2. NI Trades retains all intellectual-property rights in the platform, the Vendor Account interface, our reporting outputs and any code, designs or templates we provide.

9.3. You may not extract, scrape, copy, frame, mirror, republish or otherwise reproduce any part of the platform or any other advertiser’s materials without our prior written consent.

10. Data, privacy and analytics

10.1. Each party will comply with all applicable data-protection laws (including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018) when processing personal data in connection with this Agreement.

10.2. NI Trades is the controller of impression and click data collected on the platform. We share aggregate, non-identifiable performance reporting with you via the Vendor Account.

10.3. We do not share, sell or transfer to you the personal data of any platform user (homeowner, tradesperson, account holder or visitor). You will not attempt to identify, profile, contact, retarget or build a marketing list from any individual based on impression or click activity on the platform other than via the legitimate landing-page interactions of users who have themselves chosen to engage with your advertising.

10.4. Where you operate your own analytics, pixels or tracking on your landing pages, you are solely responsible for any consent, transparency, lawful-basis and contracting obligations that apply to that processing.

11. Indemnity

11.1. You shall indemnify and hold harmless NI Trades, its officers, employees, contractors and affiliates against all losses, damages, costs (including reasonable legal costs), regulatory fines and third-party claims arising out of or in connection with:

  • (a) any breach of this Agreement by you;
  • (b) any claim that your Advertising Materials or the products or services they promote infringe a third party’s rights, are unlawful, are misleading or are otherwise unsuitable for advertising;
  • (c) any breach of applicable advertising standards (including the CAP Code) or consumer-protection laws by you; or
  • (d) any personal-data breach caused by you or your processors.

12. Liability

12.1. Subject to clause 12.3, NI Trades’ total aggregate liability to you in connection with this Agreement, whether arising in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty or otherwise, shall not exceed the total amount paid by you to NI Trades for the relevant Campaign in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

12.2. Subject to clause 12.3, NI Trades shall not be liable to you for any: loss of profit; loss of business; loss of revenue; loss of goodwill or reputation; loss of anticipated savings; loss of, damage to or corruption of data; or any indirect, consequential or special losses, in each case howsoever arising, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such losses.

12.3. Nothing in this Agreement excludes or limits liability for: death or personal injury caused by negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under English or Northern Irish law.

13. Suspension and termination

13.1. Either party may terminate this Agreement on thirty (30) days’ written notice. Termination does not affect Campaigns already paid for and in flight, which will continue until their scheduled end date unless suspended for breach.

13.2. We may suspend or terminate your Vendor Account or any Campaign with immediate effect if: you fail to pay an invoice when due; you breach a material term of this Agreement; we receive credible complaints, regulatory contact or legal notices that lead us to believe your advertising is unlawful or harmful; or continuing to publish your advertising would expose NI Trades to material legal or reputational risk.

13.3. On termination of this Agreement, all provisions which by their nature should survive (including liability, indemnity, intellectual property and governing law) shall continue in effect.

14. Changes to these terms

14.1. We may update these terms from time to time. The current version is always available at /terms, and we will notify active Vendors of material changes by email or in-platform notice at least fourteen (14) days before the change takes effect.

14.2. Continued operation of any Campaign after the effective date of a change constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not accept a change, your sole remedy is to terminate any in-flight Campaign as set out in clause 13.1; we will refund the unspent portion of pre-paid fees on a pro-rata basis.

15. General

15.1. Entire agreement. This Agreement (together with the relevant Insertion Order and our Advertising Policies) constitutes the entire agreement between you and NI Trades in relation to advertising on the platform and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications.

15.2. Assignment. You may not assign or transfer this Agreement without our prior written consent. We may assign this Agreement to a successor in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of substantially all of our assets.

15.3. Notices. Notices to NI Trades should be sent to hello@nitrades.co.uk. Notices to you will be sent to the email address most recently provided on your Vendor Account.

15.4. Severance. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder shall continue in full force and effect.

15.5. Third-party rights. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to confer rights on any person who is not a party.

15.6. Governing law and jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Northern Ireland. Disputes arising in connection with this Agreement shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Northern Ireland.

For advertisers: our full Advertising Policies (creative specs, content categories we accept, brand-safety guidelines and the make-good policy) are available on request from hello@nitrades.co.uk. Bookings are confirmed by Insertion Order — please reach out before designing creative if you need clarification on a specific Package or placement.