Smart Reno Consumer Terms and Conditions

1. Reading, Agreeing and Keeping a Copy. These terms are legally binding.

These terms are a legally binding contract between you and us (RBC Ventures Inc., a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada) for the use of the Smart Reno service (“Smart Reno”).

To use Smart Reno, you must read and agree to these terms by checking the on-screen box. By checking the box, you also confirm that you are the age of majority in the place where you live. These terms apply to you on the date you check the box.

We will email you a link to the version of these terms that you have accepted, please keep a copy for your records. You can also view the current version at any time on the Smart Reno website.

These terms do not change any other agreement between us or that you may have with one of our subsidiaries or affiliates.

Additional terms, conditions, instructions or disclaimers that appear on your screen when using Smart Reno form part of these terms, and you accept them by continuing to use Smart Reno.

2. Services. What is the Service and how does it work?

By “services” we mean all the features, functions, content and information that we provide through Smart Reno. The services currently include an online home renovation marketplace utilized by homeowners to post their home renovation or improvement projects in order to be connected with contractors.

The Services include:

Home Renovation Marketplace – An online marketplace where you can post your home renovation or improvement projects in order to be connected with contractors.
Home Renovation Cost Estimator – An online tool that you may use to estimate the approximate cost of several types of renovation jobs based upon the inputs and details provided. The actual price of your home renovation or improvement project may differ from this estimate according to your request or the specifics of your project, and will be provided solely by the contractor.

This is not an exhaustive description of the services. There may be times when at least some of the services are not available.

We only provide the services in English and French.

The services may change over time. We may give you notice of changes as described in the “Changes” section.

3. No Contractor. We are not your contractor.

We are not your contractor and we do not provide any home renovation services through Smart Reno. Smart Reno, and any information or content they contain, are provided solely for informational purposes to help you choose a contractor to assist you with your home renovation. If you choose to retain a contractor to assist with your home renovation through Smart Reno, you agree that you and your contractor will enter into a separate contractual agreement, as well as payment details and terms, for the home renovation services being provided by your contractor (Renovation Agreement) and we will not have any liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, harm, injury, delay or inconvenience suffered or incurred by you or your contractor with respect to the Renovation Agreement. Any dispute that may arise between you and your contractor related to the home renovation services will be governed by the Renovation Agreement and we will not be named as a party to any such dispute. All of the contractors that we connect you with via Smart Reno are independent contractors and are not in any sense our partners, joint venturers, agents or employees. You understand and agree that we do not in any way make any sort of express or implied endorsement of the contractors that we connect you with via Smart Reno.

4. Costs, Fees and Related Charges. Do I have to pay service fees?

There are no fees for using Smart Reno, but we may charge fees in the future. We will give you prior notice of any fees, in accordance with the “Changes” section.

5. Privacy. Information we collect and how we use it.

Collecting information about you

We will collect information about you such as:

Personal information like your name, home address, email address and phone number; and
information for providing the services.

We can collect this information from you, from sources that you give us, or from other sources.

Using information about you

We can use the information that we collect about you for the following purposes:

to create your profile and provide you with the services;
to determine if you are eligible for products and services;
to help us better understand the needs of our users;
to help us better manage and improve our business, our technology and your relationship with us; and
as required or permitted by law.

Sharing information about you

We can share the information about you, for these purposes, with our service providers. These service providers must keep the information confidential. If a service provider is located outside Canada, the laws of that jurisdiction will apply to the service provider and to the information, and the information may be disclosed according to those laws.

We can also share information about you with our subsidiaries and affiliates for the following purposes:

to manage our risks and operations and those of our subsidiaries and affiliates;
to comply with valid requests for information about you from regulators or other entities who have a right to issue such requests; and
to let our subsidiaries and affiliates know your choices under optional uses, for the sole purpose of honouring your choices.

Other optional uses of your personal information

We can use information that we collect about you in the following ways, unless you opt out:

To promote products and services (from us or third parties), that you may be interested in.
To share with our subsidiaries and affiliates for the purpose of referring you to them or promoting products and services that you may be interested in. Our subsidiaries and affiliates can advise us of the products or services they provide to you.
To consolidate the information that we have about you with any information that our subsidiaries and affiliates may have about you, so that we can all more effectively manage our relationships with you.

You can opt out of these optional uses by contacting us as set out in the Communications and Notices section. We will respect your choices.

Your right to access information about you

You can obtain any personal information that we have about you at any time (subject to applicable laws) and have it amended as appropriate. You can do so by contacting us as set out in the Communications and Notices section.

You may obtain more information about RBC privacy policies by visiting www.rbc.com/privacysecurity.

Using non-personal information

We may create informational reports containing statistics, rules and data insights, as well as analysis and predictive models, based on information about you and other customers. The reports contain aggregated and de-identified information, not personal information, and cannot be used to identify you. These reports may be shared with third parties.

6. Content and Reviews. What happens when I submit a review or content?

Reviews

If you choose to submit a review about a contractor or the service, you confirm that the review is about your own genuine experience. By submitting a review, you agree that we may use, copy, publish or display all or part of your review in any media. If your review is about a contractor, you also agree that we may share your review with the contractor who may use, copy, publish or display all or part of your review in any media.

You are responsible for, and assume any risk associated with, your review. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you may expose yourself to liability if, for example, your review contains information that: is false, intentionally misleading or defamatory; violates a third party’s intellectual property, privacy or other proprietary rights; contains information that is unlawful, such as hate speech; or, violates applicable law.

Content

If you choose to submit images, screenshots, videos or other content, you maintain ownership of the content but hereby grant us a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use the content for any purpose, in any media, and hereby waive any moral rights associated with the content. You also represent and warrant that you have the right and authority to grant this license and that the content does not infringe a third party’s intellectual property, privacy or other proprietary rights.

7. Communications and Notices. How will we contact each other?

You can contact us at info@smartreno.com.

We will contact you and provide notices using the contact information that you provide to us. Our primary form of communication is email so please make sure it is correct and up-to-date at all times.

If you have consented, we may send you promotional materials by email unless you change your communication preferences by unsubscribing. Changes to your communication preferences for promotional content will not change how we communicate with you for operational and non-promotional content.

8. Smart Reno App

By downloading the Smart Reno app on your device, you consent to install it and you consent to any updates. You can withdraw your consent by deleting the app from your device.

If you have enabled push notifications on your device, we can send push notifications. These notifications are only for convenience and information purposes, unless you have consented to receive promotional push notifications within the app. You can enable or disable push notifications on your device settings or you can change your promotional push notification preferences within the app (if applicable).

9. Termination. How can we end these Terms?

Without giving you notice, and for any reason, we can suspend or terminate your access to Smart Reno and terminate these terms.

10. Changes. We can change the service.

Unless relevant laws or regulations say otherwise, we can change any part of the services without giving you notice and change anything in these terms by giving you notice of the change either before or after the change. When giving you notice, we will send you a link to the updated version of these terms. If you use Smart Reno after we give you notice of the change, you are deemed to have reviewed and accepted the updated terms.

11. Instructions. You are responsible for decisions you make when you are signed in.

If you provide sign-in credentials to use Smart Reno, then we can accept any instructions that you give using your sign-in credentials, and you are responsible for those instructions. Your instructions will have the same legal effect as if they were written instructions and signed by you.

12. Security. You are responsible for the security of your information.

You are responsible for keeping your sign-in credentials secure and confidential. We will not be responsible for any losses that you may experience if others use your sign-in credentials or if you lose them.

When using Smart Reno, it is important that you:

Do not reveal any confidential information to anyone other than us and do not allow other people to see your device screen when viewing confidential information.
Sign out after each session.
Do not leave your device unattended while using the app.
Take reasonable precautions to prevent losing your device or having it stolen.
Do not let other people use their fingerprints or other biometric tools to access your device.
Use reasonable security measures to keep your device sage, such as up-to-date virus scanning software and a firewall system, if those measures are available for your device.

We may impose additional security requirements in connection with the services, and you must comply with those as well.

13. Service Providers and Third Party Services. Other entities help us provide the services or offer third party services.

We may use other parties to help us provide the services.

These service providers retain all ownership rights, including all intellectual property rights, in their services and to their trademarks and logos that may appear when providing the services. These terms do not confer any right for you: (i) to use their services in any way other than as expressly permitted in Smart Reno, or (ii) to use any of their trademarks or logos.

Your use of any third party services is at your own risk and could be subject to additional terms and conditions imposed by the third party. We are not responsible for any representations or warranties (express or implied) related to any third party services, including any warranties relating to accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

14. Referral Fees. We may receive fees when we refer you to Third Parties.

A third party may pay us, or we may receive from a third party, directly or indirectly, a referral fee (including admin fees or subscription fees) when we refer you to the third party and you decide to purchase or obtain products or services from the third party. The amount of any referral fee paid or received for referrals will not affect the fees paid or payable, if any, by you to us or to the third party.

15. Code of conduct, Compliance and Prohibitions. How you are expected to behave.

Your use of Smart Reno must comply with these terms and all applicable laws.

You represent and warrant that:

You will not allow your contractor to proceed with work without verifying that they are licensed for the type of work that your project involves and ensuring that all permits are in place;
You will ensure that the contractor you select has obtained all permits, licenses and authorizations that may be required by the local bylaws, regulations and codes in force within your municipality;
You will ensure that, at all times during the performance of the work the site is accessible to your contractor and/or their employees, agents or subcontractors for the purposes of carrying out the work in accordance with the Renovation Agreement;
You will ensure that the site is safe and inform the contractor of any condition that could create an unsafe working environment;
You will keep records of all communications with your contractor;
You will inform Smart Reno of any attempt by your contractor to evade any legal, regulatory, contractual or fiscal obligations;
You will respect the terms of the Renovation Agreement that you enter into with your contractor and make payments in accordance with the signed Renovation Agreement;
You will work with your contractor to update the Renovation Agreement as necessary to reflect any changes to your project;
You will not make any acts or threats of physical or verbal violence, intimidation, or harassment to any member of the Smart Reno network;
You will not engage in any racist or discriminatory behaviour;
You will not request that your contractor perform work illegally.

The above obligations constitute the Smart Reno Code of Conduct for homeowners (Code of Conduct) which you acknowledge having read and accepted. A copy of the Code of Conduct is available at https://smartreno-com-develop.go-vip.net/en/terms/. Any breach of the Code of Conduct is considered a material breach of the terms and may result in the immediate termination of your membership and a permanent ban from the Smart Reno network.

16. Use.

Your use of Smart Reno is voluntary and solely for your own personal use.

When you use Smart Reno, you must comply with the terms and with all applicable laws and you cannot do the following things:

Provide information that is untrue, inaccurate or incomplete;
Use Smart Reno for any activities that are illegal, fraudulent, malicious, harassing or defamatory;
Use any robot, spider or other indexing device;
Sell or otherwise distribute the services or allow someone else to sell or distribute the services;
Do anything that could undermine the security, integrity, effectivity or goodwill of the app or the services; or
Reverse engineer or reverse compile the source code for the app or any of the service technology.

17. Ownership. You can use it, but you can’t keep it.

We grant you a non‑exclusive license to use Smart Reno in accordance with these terms. You cannot transfer this license or assign it to anyone else.

We or our licensors own Smart Reno at all times, including:

The copyright in Smart Reno; and
All intellectual property rights subsisting on each screen made available through Smart Reno.

For greater certainty, unless otherwise indicated, trademarks and logos, and all works, including texts, images, illustrations, software, HTML codes, audio clips and videos appearing within Smart Reno are our property, or that of our licensors, and without our express written permission, may not be reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, transmitted, distributed or modified, in whole or in part, in any form whatsoever, except for personal and non-commercial use, including viewing, printing or archiving of electronic copies of your activities, in accordance with these terms and as we may further instruct you.

Nothing in these terms or within Smart Reno is to be interpreted as conferring a right to use our works, trademarks or logos in any other way.

18. Liabilities and Indemnities. Read this carefully—it limits your right to sue us.

We provide Smart Reno on an “as is” and “as available basis” and we don’t make any representations or warranties about Smart Reno. More specifically, we don’t make any warranties (express or implied) about merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement or about anything else with respect to Smart Reno.

You are responsible for all the information or content that you give us.

Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries or affiliates are responsible for any loss, harm, delay or inconvenience that you may suffer with respect to:

these terms;
your use of Smart Reno; or
any products or services that you buy from us or from a third party that to whom we’ve referred you.

Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries or affiliates will be responsible or liable for any of these things even if we have been advised of their possibility, or even if we have been negligent.

You release and indemnify us ( including our subsidiaries and affiliates) for any claim, cost and liability incurred: (i) as a result of your use of Smart Reno; or (ii) as a result of your breach of these terms.

19. No Agency or Employment. You are not our employee.

The relationship between us and you is that of independent contractors. You are not in any sense a partner, joint venturer, agent or employee of us or any RBC company and you are not agents or employees of us or any RBC company for federal, state, provincial or local tax purposes or for any other purposes whatsoever. You are not entitled to any benefits (including but not limited to paid vacation and membership in insurance, pension, and other group plans) or forms of compensation that we or any RBC companies grant to o employees. We are not responsible for withholding and paying for you any taxes, unemployment insurance, or other amount to be deducted by statute from payments made to employees.

20. Records, Enforceability & Assignment.

The records (electronic or otherwise) that we keep with respect to Smart Reno are final and conclusive. They will be admissible in any legal or administrative proceedings. Electronic records will be admissible in the same manner as original paper documents. You waive any right to object to the introduction of any such electronic records into evidence.

You agree to these terms in electronic form and these terms are binding between you and us. You will not contest that these terms are not valid or enforceable because you accepted these terms electronically. If any provision of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the other provisions will remain valid and enforceable. If we fail to enforce the performance of any provision it does not mean that we have waived the provision or any right.

We can assign or transfer these terms, including the rights and obligations under these terms, to another person on notice to you.

You cannot assign or transfer these terms, or any of the rights or obligations set out in these terms, to any other person.

21. Electronic Agreement. Clicking = signing with a pen on paper.

These Terms and any related terms, conditions, instructions, disclaimers or documents may be accepted in electronic form and your acceptance is binding between you and us. Neither you nor we will contest the validity or enforceability of these Terms and any related documents because they were accepted or signed in electronic form.

22. Language. We will talk to each other in English.

You and we have expressly requested that these terms and all related documents, including notices, be drawn up in the English language. Vous et nous avons expressément demandé que cette entente et tout document y afférent, y compris tout avis, soient rédigés en langue anglaise. (Quebec only / Québec seulement).

23. Governing Law. What law applies?

These terms are entered into and governed by the laws of Ontario and the laws of Canada applicable in Ontario. Ontario courts have exclusive jurisdiction over each of us for the determination of any matters arising out of these terms.