CONTENT GUIDELINES

1. Purpose and Scope.

1.1 Why Guidelines Matter. The marketplace works because Members can trust what they see: a Contractor’s portfolio reflects real work, a Homeowner’s project listing describes a real property, and a Review reflects a real experience. These Guidelines exist to keep Member Content accurate, lawful, and useful, so that quoting, verification, and escrow decisions rest on reliable information. They apply to all Member Content wherever it appears on the Platform, including content that is later edited or deleted.

1.2 Your Responsibility. You are solely responsible for the Member Content you submit, as provided in the Terms of Service. Ratedeed does not pre-approve Member Content, does not endorse it, and makes no guarantee of its accuracy, but it may review, moderate, remove, or restrict content at any time where these Guidelines or the Terms of Service are violated. By submitting Member Content, you grant Ratedeed the license described in the Terms of Service and represent that you have the rights needed to submit it.

2. Authenticity and Accuracy.

2.1 Truthful Representations. Member Content must be accurate and must not mislead. Contractor profiles must accurately state trade categories, experience, service areas, and business identity, and any license, certification, insurance, or bonding claim must be true and current at the time it is made. Misrepresentation of credentials or unlicensed work is a material violation of the Terms of Service with the consequences described in Sections 16 and 18, including holds on affected escrowed funds and reports to state licensing authorities.

2.2 Real Projects Only. Portfolio photographs and project descriptions must depict work actually performed by the submitting Contractor or the submitting Contractor’s direct supervision, must not use stock imagery, images obtained from other sources, or images of projects performed by others, and must not exaggerate the role played in a project. Homeowners must post listings for properties they own or are authorized to improve, with photographs that show the actual property.

2.3 Current Information. Where your Member Content is material to escrow or verification, such as license numbers, insurance coverage, or service areas, you must keep it current and promptly correct it when it changes. Outdated information that is corrected on request is treated differently from information maintained misleadingly, which may be treated as a violation.

3. Prohibited Content.

The following categories of Member Content are prohibited on the Platform: content that is unlawful or that facilitates unlawful activity, including unlicensed contracting where a license is required; content that is fraudulent, deceptive, or that misrepresents identity, credentials, or project history; content that is harassing, threatening, defamatory, discriminatory, or that promotes hatred or violence; content that is obscene or sexually explicit; content that infringes intellectual property or privacy rights, including the personal information of others posted without consent; content that contains malware, links designed to deceive, or unsolicited commercial solicitation; content that solicits or negotiates payment outside the escrow system or inserts off-platform contact information for the purpose of fee avoidance; and content that interferes with the dispute, review, or verification processes described in the Terms of Service and the Dispute Resolution Policy. This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive, and Ratedeed may remove equivalent content in the same manner.

4. Review and Rating Standards.

4.1 Honest, Experience-Based Reviews. Reviews must be based on a genuine project experience on the Platform and must describe that experience accurately. Reviews that are fabricated, purchased, exchanged for compensation, posted by accounts that did not experience the project, or posted on behalf of another person are prohibited. Reviews should focus on the work, communication, timeliness, and professionalism actually observed.

4.2 No Manipulation. Neither Members nor their agents may manipulate Reviews: soliciting Reviews only from persons likely to be favorable, conditioning refunds or concessions on the content of a Review, threatening or intimidating a Member into changing or removing a Review, submitting negative Reviews to pressure a settlement, or coordinating Review campaigns are all prohibited. Such conduct may result in removal of affected Reviews, forfeiture of amounts owed, and enforcement measures under the Terms of Service.

4.3 Responses. Contractors may post one response to a Review of their work. Responses are subject to the same standards as other Member Content: they may correct facts and provide context, but must not disclose private project details beyond what the Review itself discloses, must not include personal attacks, and must not demand that the Review be changed as a condition of any refund or cure owed under the Project Agreement or the Dispute Resolution Policy.

5. Photographs and Documents.

5.1 Quality and Privacy. Photographs should be clear, dated where possible, and focused on the work or property concerned. Photographs of occupied properties should avoid identifiable images of residents and guests who are not parties to the project, and documents submitted for verification should be redacted of unrelated personal information where redaction does not defeat the purpose of verification.

5.2 Ownership and Licenses. You must own or have permission to use the images and documents you submit, and you must not submit content that violates copyright, trademark, or privacy rights, consistent with Section 13 of the Terms of Service. Copyright and trademark complaints are handled through the notice and counter-notice procedures described in the Terms of Service, directed to our designated agent at legal@ratedeed.com with the subject line “DMCA Takedown Notice.”

6. Messaging Standards.

The Platform’s messaging tools are the evidence base for Milestone Objections, escrow determinations, and mediation under the Dispute Resolution Policy, so communications should be professional, on-topic, and free of the prohibited content described in Section 3. Messages may be reviewed in connection with a dispute, a report, or a trust-and-safety investigation, as described in the Privacy Policy. Do not use messaging to send unsolicited advertising, chain messages, or bulk solicitations; to request, offer, or coordinate payment outside escrow; or to transmit documents by means designed to evade Platform record-keeping. Material scope or price changes must be documented through the Platform or in a Change Order to be effective for escrow purposes.

7. Moderation and Enforcement.

7.1 Moderation Actions. Where Ratedeed determines, in its reasonable judgment, that Member Content violates these Guidelines or the Terms of Service, it may take the moderation and enforcement measures described in the Terms of Service, including removing or limiting the content, attaching a notice to it, reducing search placement, withholding verification badges, holding escrowed funds where the violation affects a project, issuing warnings, suspending features, or suspending or terminating the account.

7.2 Graduated Enforcement. Enforcement is generally graduated: minor or inadvertent violations typically result in removal of the content and a warning, while repeated violations, material violations, or violations involving misrepresentation, unlicensed work, fraud, or safety may result in immediate suspension or termination without prior warning. Ratedeed may consider the severity, intent, and pattern of violations when selecting a measure, and measures may be combined, including with the escrow measures described in Sections 4.5 and 18.4 of the Terms of Service.

7.3 No Obligation to Monitor. Ratedeed does not undertake a duty to pre-screen all Member Content and does not monitor off-platform conduct, but it may act on information it receives, including Member reports, screening results, and information from law enforcement or licensing authorities. The absence of a moderation action does not indicate that content is compliant or endorsed.

8. Reporting, Copyright, and Appeals.

8.1 Reporting Violations. Suspected violations of these Guidelines should be reported to support@ratedeed.com, identifying the content and, where possible, the reason it violates the Guidelines. Reports made in bad faith to burden competitors or other Members are themselves a violation of the Terms of Service. In urgent situations involving safety or imminent property damage, contact local emergency services first, then notify Ratedeed.

8.2 Copyright Procedures. Copyright and trademark complaints are handled under the notice, takedown, counter-notice, and restoration procedures described in Section 13 of the Terms of Service, including the DMCA procedures applicable to copyright. Knowingly false notices may expose the sender to liability for damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees, under Section 512(f) of the DMCA.

8.3 Appeals. Where enforcement is taken against your account or content based on these Guidelines, you may appeal through the Platform or by writing to support@ratedeed.com within fourteen (14) days, identifying the action and explaining why it was mistaken, with any supporting evidence. Appeals are reviewed under the standards described in the Terms of Service; this appeal process does not extend to, and does not limit, the arbitration rights and procedures in Section 25 of the Terms of Service.

9. Nondiscrimination and Equal Access.

9.1 Commitment. Ratedeed is a marketplace open to all lawful users. Contractors may not refuse, decline, deprioritize, or condition service based on a person’s race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, familial or marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, and must comply with all applicable fair access and civil rights laws in advertising, quoting, scheduling, and performing work.

9.2 Consistent Quoting. Quotes and pricing must be based on job scope, materials, location, and other legitimate business factors, not on protected characteristics of the Homeowner. Photographs of Members or their households may not be used to screen or select jobs.

9.3 Homeowners. Homeowners likewise may not harass, abuse, or discriminate against Contractors on the basis of protected characteristics.

9.4 Accessibility. Contractors should accommodate reasonable requests from persons with disabilities, such as alternative communication formats or scheduling adjustments, consistent with applicable law.

9.5 Reporting and Enforcement. Suspected violations may be reported under Section 8 and are enforced under Section 7, up to and including removal from the Platform, consistent with Section 18 of the Terms of Service.

10. Changes and Contact.

Ratedeed may update these Guidelines to reflect new features, evolving safety practices, or legal requirements. The revised version will be identified by a new effective date and posted on the Platform, and material changes will be communicated as described in the Terms of Service; the current version applies to Member Content submitted after its effective date. Questions about these Guidelines may be directed to support@ratedeed.com; legal notices may be directed to legal@ratedeed.com or to our registered office at [Registered Office Address], United States. These Guidelines are one of the incorporated policies of the Terms of Service, and reading them together with the Terms of Service, the Privacy Policy, and the Dispute Resolution Policy will give you the complete picture of your rights and obligations as a Member.