Terms of Service

1. What This Platform Is

EmpowerTenants is a community review platform that allows tenants to share their personal experiences with landlords and rental properties. Property ownership information displayed on the platform is sourced from Wake County public real estate records.

EmpowerTenants is a hosting platform for user-generated content. We are not the author, editor, or publisher of reviews submitted by users. Reviews reflect the personal opinions and experiences of individual tenants, not verified facts or conclusions of this platform.

EmpowerTenants is not a consumer reporting agency as defined under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and the content on this platform does not constitute a "consumer report" under that Act. This platform is not intended to be used, and may not be used, for any purpose covered under the FCRA, including but not limited to establishing eligibility for credit, employment, insurance, or housing decisions made by third parties in an official screening capacity.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to submit a review. By submitting a review, you represent that you meet this requirement.

3. User Accounts and Verification

To submit a review, we require verification of a valid email address via a one-time passcode. This verification is used solely to reduce fraudulent and duplicate submissions. We do not retain your email address after verification — see our Privacy Policy for details on how this works.

4. Review Submission — Your Representations

By submitting a review, you certify and agree that:

• You are or were a legitimate tenant, lease-holder, or authorized occupant of the property being reviewed
• The content of your review is truthful and based on your personal, direct experience
• You are not submitting the review on behalf of a competitor, business rival, or any party without direct tenancy experience at the property
• You will not submit more than one review per property
• Your review does not contain content that is knowingly false, defamatory, threatening, harassing, or unlawful

You, the submitting user, are solely responsible for the content of your review. EmpowerTenants does not independently verify the factual accuracy of review content beyond confirming email verification and tenancy self-certification at the time of submission.

5. Prohibited Content

You may not submit content that:

• Contains knowingly false statements of fact
• Contains slurs, hate speech, or discriminatory language directed at any individual or group
• Constitutes threats, harassment, or incitement to violence
• Discloses another person's private information (addresses, phone numbers, financial information) beyond what is necessary to describe your own tenancy experience
• Violates any applicable law
• Is submitted for a property you did not personally reside in or hold a lease for
• Is unrelated to a genuine tenancy experience (e.g. spam, advertising, unrelated content)

We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to remove content that violates these Terms. Removal decisions are based solely on whether content falls within the narrow categories described above and do not constitute an editorial judgment on the accuracy, fairness, or substance of a tenant's underlying experience or opinion.

We do not edit, alter, or rewrite user-submitted content. Content is either published as submitted or removed in its entirety for a Terms violation. We are under no obligation to proactively monitor all submissions, but will evaluate flagged content in good faith within a reasonable timeframe. This moderation policy operates consistent with 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(2), which permits interactive computer service providers to restrict access to material they consider objectionable without forfeiting the protections afforded under Section 230.

6. Dispute and Flagging Process

If a property owner or manager believes a review violates these Terms, they may contact us at legal@empowertenants.com to request review. We will evaluate flagged content in good faith. This process does not guarantee removal, and content that constitutes a genuine tenant opinion will generally not be removed solely because a property owner disputes its conclusions.

7. Landlord/Owner Response Rights

Property owners or managers who can verify their association with a listed property may be permitted to submit a single public response to a review. Response content is the sole responsibility of the submitting owner or manager, in the same manner as tenant review content is the responsibility of the submitting tenant.

8. No Warranty on Data Accuracy

Property ownership information is sourced from Wake County public records and may contain errors, be outdated, or fail to reflect current ownership. We make no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of this data. Not all listed properties are rental units — some may be owner-occupied residences.

9. Prohibited Use of Platform Content

You may not use content from this platform, in whole or in part, for:

• Tenant screening, background checks, or any formal eligibility determination regarding credit, employment, insurance, or housing
• Commercial resale, licensing, or bulk data extraction
• Any purpose that would cause this platform's content to function as a "consumer report" under the FCRA

10. Intellectual Property

The design, code, structure, and branding of EmpowerTenants are the property of [Your Name / EmpowerTenants LLC once formed] and are protected by copyright and trademark law. User-submitted review content remains the intellectual property of the submitting user, who grants EmpowerTenants a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display, distribute, and archive that content on the platform.

11. Section 230 Notice

EmpowerTenants is a provider of an interactive computer service as defined under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230). We are not treated as the publisher or speaker of information provided by users of the platform.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, EmpowerTenants and its founders/operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform, including but not limited to damages resulting from reliance on user-submitted content, inaccuracies in public record data, or actions taken by third parties based on content found on the platform.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless EmpowerTenants, its founders, and operators from any claims, damages, or legal fees arising from content you submit to the platform, or your violation of these Terms.

14. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or use of the platform shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Wake County, North Carolina.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be directed to: legal@empowertenants.com