Terms of Service

1. About Us

ROC Estates NI is an online estate agency registered in Northern Ireland. We provide a digital platform connecting property sellers with potential buyers across Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.

We are a member of the Property Redress Scheme and registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (Reference: ZA096404). These Terms of Service govern your use of our website and services.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using our website and services, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use our services.

These terms are governed by the laws of Northern Ireland and the courts of Northern Ireland shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any disputes arising from their use.

3. Our Services

We provide the following services:

• Online property listing and advertising for sellers
• Property search and browsing for buyers
• Offer management between buyers and sellers
• Property viewing scheduling and management
• Referrals to solicitors and mortgage advisers
• AML identity verification as required by law

We act as an estate agent and not as a party to any property transaction. We do not provide legal, financial or surveying advice.

4. Registration and Accounts

• You must be at least 18 years old to create an account
• You must provide accurate and complete information during registration
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials
• You must notify us immediately of any unauthorised use of your account
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms

5. Seller Obligations

If you list a property for sale through our platform, you agree to:

• Provide accurate and truthful property details, descriptions and photographs
• Confirm you are the legal owner of the property or have authority to sell it
• Comply with the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
• Disclose all material information that may affect a buyer's decision, including any disputes, defects or planning matters
• Complete the required AML identity verification before your listing is published
• Pay all applicable listing fees and charges as agreed
• Notify us promptly when a property is sold, withdrawn or let
• Comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 by providing a valid EPC

6. Buyer Obligations

If you use our platform as a buyer, you agree to:

• Only submit genuine offers that you intend to honour
• Provide accurate personal and financial information when making offers
• Have appropriate funding in place (mortgage agreement in principle or proof of funds) before submitting offers
• Respond to reasonable information requests from sellers in a timely manner
• Not engage in gazundering or other bad-faith negotiation practices
• Comply with AML verification requirements when requested

7. Fees and Payments

• Our listing packages and fees are displayed on our website and may be updated from time to time
• Payments are processed securely through our approved payment providers
• All prices are inclusive of VAT where applicable
• Refunds are provided in accordance with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 where applicable
• For bespoke or completed services, refund rights may not apply once the service has been delivered

8. Anti-Money Laundering

As an estate agent operating in the United Kingdom, we are required to comply with the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (as amended).

• We must verify the identity of our clients (both sellers and buyers where applicable)
• We may request proof of identity (photographic ID) and proof of address
• We may request proof of funds or source of funds documentation
• We are required to report suspicious activity to the National Crime Agency (NCA)
• We cannot inform you if a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) has been filed (tipping off is a criminal offence)

9. Property Redress Scheme

We are a member of the Property Redress Scheme, an approved redress scheme under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013. If you are dissatisfied with our services:

1. First, contact us directly at info@rocestatesni.co.uk so we can try to resolve the matter
2. If we cannot resolve your complaint within 8 weeks, or if you are unsatisfied with our response, you may escalate to the Property Redress Scheme
3. The Property Redress Scheme can be contacted at www.theprs.co.uk

10. Intellectual Property

• All website content, branding, logos and design are our intellectual property or used under licence
• Property photographs and descriptions remain the intellectual property of the seller/photographer but you grant us a licence to use them for marketing purposes
• You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute our website content without written permission

11. Limitation of Liability

• We act as an intermediary between buyers and sellers; we are not a party to any property transaction
• We do not guarantee the accuracy of property descriptions, measurements or photographs provided by sellers
• We are not liable for any loss arising from a failed transaction, misrepresentation by a seller or buyer, or actions of third parties
• Our total liability shall not exceed the fees paid by you for our services
• Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law

12. Prohibited Conduct

You must not:

• Use our services for any unlawful purpose
• Provide false or misleading information
• Harass, threaten or abuse other users
• Attempt to circumvent our security measures
• Use automated tools to scrape or collect data from our website
• List properties that you do not own or are not authorised to sell
• Submit fraudulent offers or engage in shill bidding

13. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account and access to our services at any time if you breach these terms. You may close your account at any time by contacting us. Upon termination:

• Active property listings will be removed
• Outstanding fees remain payable
• We will retain data as required by law (see our Privacy Policy)

14. Dispute Resolution

These terms are governed by the laws of Northern Ireland. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Northern Ireland, except where you have a statutory right to bring proceedings in a different court. For consumer disputes, you may also use the EU/UK Online Dispute Resolution platform or the Property Redress Scheme as an alternative to court proceedings.

15. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to amend these Terms of Service at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. Material changes will be notified to registered users by email.