Terms of Service

1Nature of Service & Intermediary Status

Habiw operates as a digital intermediary under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The platform provides:

• Algorithmic lifestyle compatibility scoring and geographic search for roommate seekers.
• Accommodation listings for verified hosts, individual flat owners, and PG operators.
• Operational tools for property managers (occupancy tracking, room/bed assignments, and rent payment logging).
• Self-service portable rental record credentials for verified tenants.

Compatibility metrics and scores are informative estimates and do not guarantee personal harmony, financial solvency, or lease compliance.

2User Eligibility & Mandatory Due Diligence

• Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years of age to register or use Habiw.
• Truthful Representation: You warrant that all profile details, lifestyle attributes, rental budgets, and property descriptions you provide are true, accurate, and up to date.
• Mandatory Offline Inspection: Seekers and tenants agree to inspect accommodations in person and verify landlord/flatmate identity proofs before paying booking tokens or security deposits.
• Prohibited Conduct: Automated data scraping, reverse-engineering, unsolicited commercial spam, harassing other users, posting discriminatory housing requirements, and listing properties without authorization are strictly prohibited.

3Anti-Gaming, Sybil Attacks & Multi-Accounting Prohibition

We employ automated client device telemetry (habiw_device_id), IP subnet signals, and listing address correlation to detect Sybil attacks and fraudulent duplicate accounts. Any user identified attempting to game platform quotas or referral incentives is subject to:

• Immediate permanent suspension of all associated accounts.
• Immediate de-indexing and deletion of all published listings.
• Permanent revocation and forfeiture of all accumulated referral perks and trial privileges.

4Subscriptions, Paid Services & Billing Terms

Habiw offers clear, transparent pricing tiers for property owners, coliving operators, and PG managers:

5Owner Responsibilities & Delegated Team Seats

Property owners and PG operators may grant delegated access seats to caretakers, wardens, or property managers to manage bed assignments, tenant records, and prospective inquiries:

• Primary Account Liability: The primary account owner remains solely and legally responsible for all actions, bookings, rent collections, communication conduct, and content published by their delegated caretakers and managers.
• Permit & Tenancy Compliance: Property hosts warrant that their listed properties adhere to all local municipal zoning laws, building safety codes, and rental registration regulations.
• No Misleading Photos or Pricing: Listings must accurately reflect the real condition, room amenities, deposit amounts, and maintenance fees of the accommodation.

6Portable Tenant Records & Rental Record Integrity

Habiw provides tools for verified tenants to maintain verifiable rental tenure records and reliability credentials (htr_... tokens):

• Landlord Integrity Obligation: Property owners logging rent payments and occupancy history agree to record accurate payment dates and amounts in good faith. Falsifying tenant payment defaults or recording malicious defamatory records is strictly prohibited and subject to account banning.
• Tenant Credential Ownership: Tenants retain full autonomy over their public verification tokens and may generate, share, or permanently revoke verification links at will.
• No Forgery: Altering, spoofing, tampering with, or attempting to forge verification tokens or rental certificates constitutes fraud and will result in immediate termination of platform privileges.

7Listing Deletion & Platform Moderation Rights

• Host Listing Autonomy: Property owners and hosts retain the continuous right to edit, unpublish, or permanently delete their property listings and tenant records at any time directly through their management portal.
• Platform Moderation Authority: Under Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2021, Habiw reserves the right to immediately suspend, de-index, or permanently remove any listing, review, or user profile reasonably suspected of fraud, scamming, impersonation, illegal activities, or breach of these terms without liability.

8Governing Law & Mandatory 30-Day Informal Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the Republic of India. Subject to the informal resolution mechanism below, the competent courts in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from these terms.