Terms of Service

1. What Palbuilder is (and is not)

Palbuilder is an online marketplace that connects homeowners with independent contractors for home-improvement work, with milestone-based payment protection. When a homeowner accepts a contractor's quote, the money for each milestone is committed before work starts, processed through Stripe Connect, and released to the contractor when the homeowner approves the work or as these Terms provide.

Palbuilder is not: a party to the work contract (the agreement to perform work is between the homeowner and the contractor); a contractor, builder, or construction manager; a bank (the charge settles in the platform’s Stripe balance, and Palbuilder instructs transfers and refunds under these Terms; applicable legal duties remain); or an insurer or guarantor (payment protection controls when money moves; it is not an insurance policy or performance bond).

2. Accounts and eligibility

You must be 18 or older, able to form a binding contract, and use the service for real projects on property you own or are authorized to improve (homeowners) or services you can lawfully provide (contractors). One account per person or business; keep your information accurate; you are responsible for activity under your account.

3. How a job works

Scope of Work. The homeowner describes the project; a guided interview produces a written scope the homeowner confirms. That confirmed scope is the baseline for quotes and the reference document in any dispute.

Sealed quotes. Invited contractors submit itemized quotes. Quotes are sealed — contractors cannot see competitors' prices, identities, or count. A quoting round runs for 72 hours; if fewer than 3 quotes arrive, we may extend it once by a further 72 hours to invite more contractors. The homeowner may accept a quote at any time while the round is open.

Acceptance. Accepting a quote creates an immutable agreement snapshot (scope + quote + milestones + fee rate). The fee rate is locked at acceptance.

Funding before work. After accepting the agreed price, the homeowner pays the full job amount before work begins. Funds are allocated to milestones and released as each milestone is completed and approved, subject to the review, dispute and automatic-release rules below. Later approved additions require payment of the additional amount before that work begins.

The contractor proposes measurable checkpoints and their dollar amounts; the homeowner accepts them with the quote. The contractor finances materials and work until the first accepted checkpoint.

Evidence and release. The contractor submits completed work with photo evidence. The homeowner approves (release) or opens a dispute. If the homeowner does nothing for 7 days after submission, the milestone releases automatically, with reminders on days 3, 6 and 7. Opening a dispute or project stop-work case pauses the clock.

Job minimums: $500 for marketplace jobs; $100 for jobs a contractor brings to the platform.

4. Fees

Homeowners pay $0 in Palbuilder fees. Contractors pay a success fee deducted from each milestone release, plus payment-processing costs at the processor's actual rates, itemized on every payout:

A customer relationship first made through a Palbuilder marketplace introduction remains marketplace-priced for all future jobs between that homeowner and that contractor. There are no lead fees, subscription fees, or charges to receive invites or submit quotes.

5. Payment protection

Stripe Connect processes the full upfront charge using separate charges and transfers. Project accounting allocates it to accepted work, platform fees, processing costs and any refund. Unreleased funds are not represented as independently safeguarded funds. Contractor entitlement depends on accepted work, the Job Agreement, closeout/dispute decisions and applicable law; an upfront charge does not make unperformed work irrevocably earned. If funds remain committed with no activity for 60 days, we escalate to both parties rather than holding indefinitely. All money movements reconcile daily, and every transaction is recorded and retrievable by both parties.

6. Contractor-brought jobs

A contractor may invite an existing customer to run a job through Palbuilder's payment protection at the 1% rate — only where the relationship did not originate through a Palbuilder marketplace introduction. Origination is determined by platform records. All other terms apply identically.

7. Cancellation, early termination and stop-work requests

Palbuilder cancellation window. For the Texas pilot, the homeowner may cancel within three Monday–Friday business days after acceptance, excluding federal holidays, through the end of the final day in America/Chicago, for a full refund including processing costs. This contractual benefit supplements any applicable statutory rights; it never shortens them. The applicable deadline is shown in the project record.

No routine early-start waiver. A request to start early does not waive mandatory cancellation rights. Routine work must wait until the displayed cancellation window ends. The pilot does not provide an emergency-waiver shortcut.

Before work starts. Cancellation is free before funding. After funding but before work starts, Palbuilder returns the funded amount in full and absorbs unrecovered processing costs. This benefit does not remove any longer statutory right.

Protected cancellations. A valid statutory cancellation does not require contractor approval or a termination fee. Use the project cancellation page or send written notice to the contractor or Palbuilder at support@palbuilder.com; legally valid notices delivered outside the app remain effective. Support records delivery/receipt evidence, applies the governing deadline and coordinates any required return of goods. A platform response target cannot extend a legal refund deadline.

Early termination by agreement. Outside protected cancellation rights, the homeowner may request a stop and an itemized closeout calculation. New discretionary work, purchases and ordinary milestone releases pause while the request is reviewed. Necessary site-safety measures must be documented and separately coordinated; this is not permission for unlimited new charges.

Closeout calculation. The contractor identifies completed unpaid work, documented nonrecoverable project materials and completed shutdown work, less prior payments, supplier credits and other offsets. Materials retained or reusable by the contractor cannot also be charged as a total loss. Any separate termination compensation requires a contractual basis and review for enforceability; there is no automatic percentage penalty. Future closeout tasks must be agreed, performed and accepted before their cost is released.

Decision. The homeowner may explicitly accept a specific calculation version, request revision/support review, or request continuation. Continuation requires contractor confirmation of the schedule and support clearance for a qualification, breach, damage or safety stop. Silence never accepts a new closeout charge. Contractor approval of the accounting is not a veto over a legally effective cancellation or the homeowner's withdrawal of permission for further discretionary work.

Money. Accepted closeout amounts are allocated from remaining funded money; the homeowner is not charged twice. Contractor allocations are net of the locked platform rate and proportional recorded processing costs. Palbuilder absorbs processing costs attributable to refunded portions and any unknown processing costs at closeout. A claim exceeding remaining funds requires separate resolution; this workflow does not authorize an additional debit. Payment instructions, Stripe transfers and bank refunds have separate statuses; a pending refund is not represented as completed.

8. Contractor problems, damage and payment disputes

Stop and contact support. From contractor assignment, including before the first checkpoint, a homeowner may report inadequate qualifications, unsafe work, defects, missed obligations or property damage. A description is required; photographs are helpful but not required to open the case. If anyone is in immediate danger, contact emergency services at 911 rather than waiting for support.

Hold and evidence. The case pauses ordinary work and releases on the affected project. Both parties can add evidence, explanations, invoices and insurance details. A complaint is an allegation, not proof of fault. There is no automatic cancellation penalty for reporting it. Closing an ordinary support ticket does not remove a financial hold.

Review and resolution. Support may clear a proposal for express acceptance, record a reasoned payment decision under these Terms, or coordinate safe resumption. Outcomes can include full refund, partial payment for accepted usable work or agreed correction. Every payment decision records its basis. Automated analysis may assist but does not determine legal liability or independently authorize a disputed charge.

Damage claims. Property damage is recorded separately from project payment settlement. Support can help gather evidence and relevant insurance information. A project refund does not promise full compensation for damage; closing project accounting does not close an unresolved damage claim or release third-party claims.

Existing milestone disputes. Either project party may dispute submitted work, pausing its release clock. The ordinary 72-hour evidence target and proposal process remain operational targets, not deadlines extinguishing legal rights. A project closeout may supersede a milestone payment proposal only through an approved, audited allocation with no duplicate payment.

External rights. This process does not replace applicable construction-defect notices, inspection/cure opportunities, limitations periods, regulator complaints, card-dispute rights, court proceedings or applicable arbitration. An internal payment decision is not a court judgment. Any settlement release must have an expressly reviewed scope; accepting a payment calculation does not automatically waive unrelated, unknown or nonwaivable claims.

Texas scope. Federal and Texas requirements apply according to the transaction facts. Electronic acceptance after a home visit is not automatically treated as a wholly online sale. Where applicable, Texas Property Code Chapter 27 requires disclosures and a separate defect-notice/inspection process. Additional state launches require a separately reviewed rule profile; a Texas choice-of-law clause does not remove another state's mandatory protections.

9. Disputes with Palbuilder; arbitration

Before formal proceedings, contact support@palbuilder.com — we will try to resolve the issue within 30 days. Unresolved disputes between you and Palbuilder are resolved by binding individual arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. Either party may instead bring an individual claim in small-claims court. You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days of accepting these Terms by emailing support@palbuilder.com with "Arbitration opt-out". Claims proceed individually, not as class actions. Nothing waives rights that cannot be waived under applicable law.

10. Texas provisions

Texas Property Code § 41.007 requires the following notice in residential improvement contracts; Palbuilder includes it in every agreement regardless of state:

“IMPORTANT NOTICE: You and your contractor are responsible for meeting the terms and conditions of this contract. If you sign this contract and you fail to meet the terms and conditions of this contract, you may lose your legal ownership rights in your home. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND DUTIES UNDER THE LAW.”

Contractors and suppliers may have statutory lien rights (Tex. Prop. Code ch. 53); Palbuilder's payment records are available to both parties as evidence of payment. Applicable Texas Construction Trust Fund Act duties (ch. 162) and third-party lien rights are not displaced by Stripe processing or an internal settlement.

11. Nationwide provisions

Contractor licensing varies by state and city; contractors are solely responsible for holding every license or registration their jurisdiction requires, and represent on each quote that they do. Residents of states with mandatory consumer-protection rights keep them — where a state right is more protective than these Terms, the state right controls for that resident. California residents: complaints may be directed to the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, and to support@palbuilder.com. You consent to transact electronically; agreement copies are delivered durably and remain retrievable in your account. Contractors are independent businesses responsible for their own taxes.

12. Verification and reviews

Verification badges are descriptive: they state exactly what was checked (identity, insurance certificate and its current-to date, business registration, references) and when. A badge is not an endorsement or guarantee. Invites pause automatically when a contractor's insurance lapses. Reviews can be written only by a homeowner after at least one released milestone with that contractor; one review per job; the contractor may post one public reply.

13. Off-platform payment

Payment protection only works when payment runs through the platform. Soliciting or making payment outside Palbuilder for a job that originated on the platform is a material violation and may lead to removal. Site visits, meetings, and phone calls are normal and allowed — the rule is about the money, not the meeting.

14. Acceptable use

No fake jobs, quotes, or reviews; no misrepresenting identity, licensure, or insurance; no harassment; no circumventing sealed quoting; no use of the platform for anything other than genuine home-improvement projects.

15. Content and privacy

You keep ownership of what you upload and grant us the license needed to operate the service — including showing your project materials to invited contractors and using submitted evidence in the dispute process for that job. Personal information is handled per our Privacy Policy; we do not sell personal data. Evidence photos are used only for the job and dispute they belong to.

16. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

The service is provided “as is.” We do not warrant contractors' work, timeliness, or fitness; hiring decisions are yours. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Palbuilder's aggregate liability arising from the service is limited to the greater of $100 or the Palbuilder fees you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential damages. Where law does not permit a limitation, it applies to the fullest extent permitted; nothing limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited or your non-waivable statutory rights.

17. Changes, termination, miscellany

We may update these Terms prospectively with notice; material changes to fees or the arbitration section receive advance notice, and fee changes never apply to already-accepted agreements. Either side may close an account at any time; funded agreements in flight complete under the Terms in force at acceptance. Governing law: Texas, subject to Section 11's consumer carve-out. If a provision is unenforceable, the rest stands.

18. Contact

General help, verification documents, dispute filings, legal notices and privacy requests: support@palbuilder.com