Terms of use

Last updated 1 September 2026

These terms apply when you use HouseChapter (housechapter.co.uk), operated by Claire Duffield trading as Folio Ventures, a sole trader based in the United Kingdom (contact address: 4 Borstal Hill, Whitstable, CT5 4LX). By using the service you agree to them. The short version: HouseChapter gives you organised information and tools; the decisions, and the professionals who advise on them, remain yours.

1. What HouseChapter is (and isn't)

HouseChapter provides guides, calculators, checklists, trackers, document storage and property information for moving home and home ownership in England & Wales. It is an information and organisation service. It is not, and does not replace, legal advice, conveyancing, financial or mortgage advice, surveying, tax advice, or safety inspection. Our survey interpreter, down-valuation toolkit, improvement calculator, landlord compliance tracker, mentor notes and similar features are general guidance based on published information. Always rely on your own conveyancer, broker, surveyor or other qualified professional for decisions about your specific circumstances.

2. Property data comes from public sources

Our property checks and reports use official open data (HM Land Registry, Environment Agency flood zones via planning.data.gov.uk, Police UK, the national EPC register and others). We present it faithfully but the underlying records can be incomplete, delayed or wrong, and a postcode-level answer is not a property-level survey. Verify anything that matters through your conveyancer's searches and your surveyor.

3. Predictions are estimates

Predicted completion dates, chain updates, cost estimates and value-uplift ranges are statistical estimates from typical patterns. Your transaction will differ. Never make binding commitments (notice on a tenancy, booking non-refundable services) on the strength of a prediction alone.

4. Your account and your content

Keep your login credentials secure, the vault is only as private as your password (use a strong, unique one). You own everything you upload; you give us only the limited licence needed to store and display it back to you and to people you explicitly share it with. You're responsible for having the right to upload what you upload, and for what you share through household invites and handover packs. Don't use the service unlawfully, don't upload malware, and don't attempt to access other people's data.

5. Third-party services

Links to comparison sites, trades platforms and other third parties are provided for convenience. We may earn a commission from some partners (never affecting the price you pay), but we don't endorse, control or take responsibility for their services. Your contract for any quote or job is with them, not us.

6. Paid services

Most of HouseChapter is free and always will be: the property checks, the calculators, your personalised plan, and reading or downloading anything you have added. Renters are not charged at all.

HouseChapter Move is a one-off payment of £39. It is a digital service, not a subscription: it does not renew, and nothing further is charged. It covers the whole move, including preparing, searching, buying or selling, moving day and settling in, and it continues for 6 months after your completion date is confirmed. There are no additional per-feature charges inside it. If we later offer an ongoing product for the period after those months, it will be optional and separately purchased, and you will never be enrolled or charged automatically.

Payment is taken by Stripe, our payment processor. We do not see or store your card details. Prices include VAT where it applies.

Refunds. You can ask for a full refund within 14 days of buying, for any reason, by emailing hello@housechapter.co.uk. We will refund to the original payment method. After 14 days we do not offer a general change-of-mind refund, but your statutory rights are not affected: if the service is faulty, not as described, or not provided with reasonable care and skill, you are still entitled to a remedy under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Your cancellation right. Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 you normally have 14 days to cancel a distance contract. Because access begins immediately, you are asked to agree at checkout that the service starts straight away. Our refund policy above gives you the full 14 days regardless.

If something goes wrong. Email hello@housechapter.co.uk and we will reply within five working days. If we cannot resolve it between us, you keep every right you would otherwise have, including raising the matter with your card provider or the relevant consumer body.

7. Availability

HouseChapter is provided "as is". We work hard to keep it available and your data safe, but we don't guarantee uninterrupted service. Keep original copies of critical documents: the vault is a convenience copy, not a legal document custody service.

8. Liability

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded (including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud). Subject to that: we are not liable for decisions you make in reliance on information or estimates in the service, for losses arising from third-party data being wrong, or for indirect losses that were not foreseeable.

Subject to the above, if you have bought HouseChapter Move our total liability to you is limited to the amount you paid. For the free parts of the service, it is limited to £100. Nothing here affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

9. Ending things

You can close your account at any time, which deletes your data as described in the privacy policy. We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms, and will give reasonable notice if we ever discontinue the service, so you can export your documents.

10. General

These terms are governed by the law of England & Wales and its courts have jurisdiction. If part of these terms turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still stands. We'll post any changes here with a new date; significant changes will be flagged to signed-in users first.

Questions? hello@housechapter.co.uk