Terms of Service

1. What we do

apegato is a marketplace. We help landlords list furnished homes for monthly stays and help renters find, apply for and pay for them. We are not a landlord, a real estate brokerage or a property manager, and we are not a party to the lease between a renter and a landlord.

Leases are made on the Ontario Standard Form of Lease (Residential Tenancies Act, 2006) with an addendum we provide. The renter and landlord are responsible for their obligations under the lease and the law.

2. Your account

• You must be at least 18 and able to enter a binding contract.
• Give accurate information and keep it up to date. One person per account.
• Keep your sign-in secure. You're responsible for what happens under your account.
• Landlords must own the home they list or be authorised to rent it out, and must keep a working phone number on file.

3. Listings

Landlords are responsible for their listings being accurate and lawful: the price, photos, availability, amenities, house rules and the home's condition. We review listings before they go live and may edit, pause or remove any listing that breaks these terms or the law.

Listings must not discriminate on any ground protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code.

4. Checks and applications

Before applying, renters complete identity, income and credit checks. Identity checks are run by Stripe; income is reviewed from documents you upload; credit and Landlord and Tenant Board records come from our screening partner. You consent to these checks when you start them.

Landlords see the results of your checks for the homes you apply to, marked pass or fail against our published guidelines, and decide for themselves. Check results stay valid for 90 days.

Renters can have up to 3 applications open at once. When a landlord accepts, you get an offer and have 72 hours to choose it. Choosing one offer withdraws your other applications. Nothing is charged until the lease is signed.

5. Payments and fees

Rent and fees are paid through apegato and processed by Stripe. Renters pay a 4% service fee and landlords a 6% service fee on each rent payment, plus HST on the fee. Full details, including the screening fee and the last month's rent deposit, are on our Fees page (/legal/fees).

By adding a card or bank account you authorise us to charge it for amounts due under your lease and these terms, including rent on each due date. Bank payments use a pre-authorised debit (PAD) agreement you accept separately.

Landlords receive rent through Stripe Connect payouts, less our fee. Landlords must complete Stripe's verification to receive money and agree to Stripe's Connected Account Agreement.

6. Cancellations, notices and refunds

Ending a tenancy follows the lease and the Residential Tenancies Act, including the notice rules for monthly tenancies. Notices can be given through the app.

Service fees are generally not refundable once rent has been paid, except where we decide otherwise or the law requires it. The screening fee isn't refundable once a check has been run.

7. Messaging and conduct

Use the in-app messages to talk about a home or a tenancy. Don't share contact details to move payments off the platform, and don't send spam, harassment or anything unlawful. We may review messages to keep people safe and to prevent fraud.

Don't scrape the site, interfere with it, or use it to break the law.

8. Our role and liability

We don't inspect homes or guarantee renters, landlords or listings. To the extent the law allows, apegato is provided "as is", and our total liability to you for any claim is limited to the fees you paid us in the 12 months before the claim. Nothing in these terms limits rights you have under Ontario consumer protection law that can't be waived.

9. Suspension and closing your account

We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms or put others at risk. You can delete your account at any time from Settings, unless you have a live tenancy or unpaid rent; some records are kept as the law requires (see the Privacy Policy).

10. Changes and governing law

We may update these terms. If a change is significant we'll tell you by email or in the app before it takes effect. These terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply there.

Questions: [email protected]. Apegato Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada.