Terms of Service

1. What HouseTom is

HouseTom is a West Michigan home-services marketplace. We help homeowners find a verified local pro or handyman-style worker, see proof and price context, and choose one person to do the work. We connect the two sides. We are not the contractor, the general contractor, or your employer, and the person who does the work is not employed by us.

Each job request goes to one pro that the homeowner chooses. We do not broadcast a homeowner's request to multiple pros or resell it as a shared lead.

2. What it costs

Homeowners always pay $0 to use HouseTom. There is no charge to search, compare, or request a pro.

Pros and handyman-style workers pay a success fee only when a job closes. There is no per-lead fee and no minimum success fee — it is a pure percentage of the closed job amount. An optional monthly membership buys that success-fee rate down. Today there are three plans, available to any pro by volume:

• Free — $0/month, 8% success fee on closed jobs (pay as you close).
• Pro — $99/month, 4% success fee on closed jobs.
• Elite — $199/month, 2.5% success fee on closed jobs.

The membership is a fee that lowers your success-fee rate. It is not a lead fee and it does not buy you leads. Membership fees are billed monthly and can be canceled; success fees apply to jobs that close while the relevant plan is active.

Some pros use a service-call or visit deposit. When that applies, HouseTom may collect payment information before the introduction or charge the approved visit deposit through Stripe. That deposit is credited against the final bill. If the job becomes larger than expected, the pro can send an estimate, invoice, or change order through HouseTom for the homeowner to review before additional work or payment.

3. We do not hold your money

HouseTom is a marketplace, not an escrow service, a bank, or a general contractor. We do not hold project funds for the work itself. Payment for the actual job is arranged directly between the homeowner and the pro or processed through Stripe for the pro's benefit when a homeowner approves an invoice or visit deposit. Membership fees and success fees are billed through our payment processor (Stripe). We never act as escrow or as the principal holding your project money.

4. Pros are independent contractors

Pros and handyman-style workers who use HouseTom are independent contractors, not employees, agents, or partners of HouseTom. They are responsible for their own work, their own licensing where the law requires it, their own insurance, their own taxes, and their own compliance. Where a job requires a Michigan license, only appropriately licensed pros may take it. Handyman-style workers handle unlicensed handyman-type work and cannot take licensed-required jobs. Background checks will be part of onboarding; a handyman-style worker will be background-checked before their first job.

5. Your responsibilities

Give accurate information about your job or your business. Treat the other side fairly and lawfully. Do not misuse the platform, scrape it, or use it to harass anyone. Homeowners should confirm scope, price, and licensing directly with the pro before work begins. Pros should honor the commitments they make through the platform.

6. Disputes between homeowners and pros

Because we are a marketplace and not the contractor, disputes about the quality, scope, timing, or price of the work are between the homeowner and the pro. We will help where we reasonably can — for example, by sharing what the platform recorded, preserving invoice/change-order history, and collecting reviews — but we are not a party to your work agreement and we do not guarantee any pro's work. Verify a pro's license yourself at michigan.gov using the live LARA license number we display.

7. Limitation of liability

HouseTom is provided on an "as is" basis. To the fullest extent allowed by law, HouseTom is not liable for the acts, omissions, or work of any pro or homeowner, or for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform. Nothing here limits any liability that cannot be limited under Michigan law.

8. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. HouseTom operates in Kent, Ottawa, Allegan, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo counties.

9. Changes and contact

We may update these terms as the product grows. When we make material changes, we will update the date at the top of this page. Questions about these terms? Email us at hello@housetom.com.

This is a plain-language summary intended to help you understand how HouseTom works. Please consult the full terms for the complete and controlling text. See also our Privacy Policy.