Terms of service

At a glance

• MyBuddyMaid introduces you to verified domestic helpers. You interview them, you decide, and you employ the helper directly and pay them yourself.
• You pay us a one-time platform fee for a plan (Silver, Gold or Diamond). The fee buys verification, shortlisting, interviews and placement and replacement cover for the plan term: your first helper, plus a set number of further placements, each of which may be a replacement or a helper for another service. No part of it is what the helper is paid, and we never owe the helper's pay by any name.
• ₹2,000 of every plan fee is non-refundable: it pays for onboarding and verification. The rest is refundable only if we cannot introduce three suitable verified profiles within 45 days of payment. Once a helper has been hired there is no refund. Approved refunds are initiated within 14 business days and reach your original payment method within a maximum of 45 days of approval, depending on your bank.
• Cancel or reschedule a confirmed interview or trial with at least 24 hours' notice, or it counts against your plan.
• Provide safe, lawful access to your home. We can withdraw a helper immediately, with no refund, from an unsafe or abusive household.
• Do not hire a helper we introduced outside the platform for 12 months. Doing so costs liquidated damages of ₹21,000 per helper.
• Our liability to you is capped at the lesser of ₹5,000 or the fee you paid. Disputes go to a grievance officer first, then binding arbitration in New Delhi. Your rights under the Consumer Protection Act are not taken away.

1About these Terms

1.1Who we are. MyBuddyMaid Private Limited, a private limited company registered under the laws of India (CIN U96908DC2026PTC474931), having its registered office at C/o Kanchan Bhatiya, 2-A/3 SF, Front Side, Asif Ali Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi, Central Delhi 110002, Delhi, India, operates the MyBuddyMaid platform (the "Company", "MyBuddyMaid", "we", "us" or "our").

1.2What these Terms govern. These Terms of Service (the "Terms") govern your access to and use of the website at mybuddymaid.in, the booking application at mybuddymaid.in/app, our WhatsApp, telephone and email channels, and every service we provide through them (together, the "Platform"). They apply to every visitor, account holder and household that uses the Platform (the "Client", "you" or "your").

1.3Acceptance. By creating an account, submitting a Request, paying a Platform Fee, attending an interview we arrange, or otherwise using the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy. Your acceptance by electronic means, including clicking, tapping, messaging or paying, is a valid and binding contract under Section 10A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

1.4Eligibility. You may use the Platform only if you are at least eighteen (18) years of age, are competent to contract under Section 11 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, and are acting for your own household or with the authority of the household on whose behalf you act. Where you use the Platform on behalf of another person or a family, you confirm that you are authorised to bind them to these Terms. We may refuse, suspend or withdraw service from any person who is ineligible or who has previously been suspended.

1.5Documents that form part of these Terms. Our Privacy Policy, the Replacement Policy page, the Pricing and Plans page, the How We Verify Helpers page, and Annexures A, B and C are incorporated into these Terms by reference. If there is any inconsistency, these Terms prevail, except that the Privacy Policy prevails on the handling of personal data.

1.6Changes to these Terms. We may amend these Terms from time to time. Where a change is material, we will give at least fifteen (15) days' notice by email to your registered address and by notice in the application before it takes effect, except where a change is required by law or is needed urgently to protect the safety of Clients or Helpers. The version number and effective date appear at the top of this document, and earlier versions are available on request and on the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of a change constitutes acceptance of the amended Terms. If you do not accept a change, you must stop using the Platform; your rights under any Plan already paid for are not reduced by a change made during its Plan Term.

2Definitions

2.1In these Terms the following words have the following meanings:

• "Account" means the registered account you create on the Platform, whether by email and password or by signing in with Google.
• "Additional Placement" means the Introduction and Placement, under a Plan, of a Helper for a service category or requirement different from that of a Helper already placed under the same Plan, on the conditions in Section 6.
• "Business Day" means a day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday notified in the National Capital Territory of Delhi under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
• "Client" means the person or household that uses the Platform to seek a Helper, and includes every adult member of that household who interacts with a Helper.
• "Engagement" means the working relationship between a Client and a Helper that begins when the Client confirms that the Helper will start work, or when the Helper starts work, whichever is earlier, including any trial period.
• "Further Placement" means a Replacement or an Additional Placement.
• "Helper" (also referred to on the Platform as a domestic helper, service provider, professional, maid, cook, nanny or attendant) means an individual whose profile we introduce to a Client for possible Engagement, including part-time and full-time house help, live-in help, cooks, babysitters and nannies, elder-care attendants, general domestic help and, where offered, postnatal-care attendants.
• "Helper's Pay" means everything a Helper is entitled to receive from a Client for an Engagement, by whatever name it is called or calculated — pay, salary, wages, stipend, honorarium, remuneration, allowance, overtime, bonus, festival payment, advance, notice pay, reimbursement of expenses, or anything given in kind such as food or accommodation.
• "Introduction" means the sharing of a Verified Profile with a Client, whether or not an interview follows.
• "Placement" means an Engagement that begins as a result of an Introduction under a Plan, and includes each Replacement and each Additional Placement.
• "Plan" means the Silver, Gold or Diamond service plan described in Annexure A, or any other plan we publish from time to time.
• "Plan Term" means the period stated for a Plan in Annexure A, measured from the date of the first Placement under that Plan.
• "Platform Fee" means the one-time fee payable for a Plan, as stated in Annexure A at the time of confirmation.
• "Refund Window" means the period of forty-five (45) days beginning on the day the Platform Fee is received.
• "Replacement" means the Introduction and Placement of a different Helper in place of a Helper previously placed under the same Plan, on the conditions in Section 6.
• "Request" means a request for a Helper submitted through the application, the website, WhatsApp, telephone or email.
• "Service Area" means the cities, zones and localities listed as served on the Platform at the relevant time.
• "Verification Dossier" means the identity, reference, assessment and, where applicable, police-verification information about a Helper that we share with a Client before Placement.
• "Verified Profile" means a Helper profile that has completed the checks described on the How We Verify Helpers page for the relevant Plan.

2.2Independent status of Helpers. Helpers are independent individuals. They are not employees, workers, agents, partners, contractors or representatives of the Company, and nothing in these Terms or in any Introduction creates such a relationship. The Company does not employ Helpers, does not direct or supervise their day-to-day work, does not fix or pay their wages, and does not control their hours, methods, conduct or attendance in your home.

2.3You are the employer. Every Engagement is a contract between you and the Helper alone. As between you, the Helper and the Company, you are responsible for the terms on which the Helper works in your household, including wages, hours, rest days, leave, working conditions, accommodation for live-in Helpers, discipline, termination and compliance with every law that applies to the employment of domestic workers in your State. The Company is not a party to the Engagement and has no liability under it.

2.3.1What this allocation does and does not do. Sections 2.2 and 2.3 allocate responsibility between you, the Helper and the Company. They do not, and cannot, determine how any court, tribunal or authority characterises a relationship for the purposes of any law; that depends on the substance of the arrangement and the conduct of the parties. Where a law applies to the arrangement regardless of what this contract says, it applies.

2.4The Company's role. The Company is an introduction and verification service. Its obligations are those set out in Section 3 and Section 6, and no others.

2.5Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation". The singular includes the plural and the reverse. References to a law include that law as amended, re-enacted or replaced, and the rules made under it.

3What the Platform does and does not do

3.1Services covered. Through the Platform we introduce Helpers for the following categories of household work: part-time house help; full-time and live-in house help; cooks; babysitters and nannies; elder-care attendants; and general domestic help. Postnatal-care attendants are arranged on request only, are priced individually, and are not available in every locality. We may add, withdraw or rename categories at any time.

3.2Service Area. We introduce Helpers only within the Service Area. We may decline a Request for a locality outside the Service Area, and a change of your address to a locality outside the Service Area during a Plan Term ends our obligation to provide Introductions, Replacements and Additional Placements at the new address.

3.3Our obligations under a Plan. When you have confirmed a Plan and paid the Platform Fee, we will:

• (a) shortlist Verified Profiles that match the requirements you stated when you confirmed the Plan, up to the number of Verified Profiles included in your Plan for each round of matching;
• (b) arrange interviews between you and shortlisted Helpers, in person or by video, at times agreed with you;
• (c) share the Verification Dossier for a Helper you select before that Helper starts work;
• (d) provide Further Placements, that is Replacements and Additional Placements, on the conditions in Section 6 during the Plan Term; and
• (e) provide support by WhatsApp, telephone and email during the hours stated in Annexure B.

3.4What we do not do. You acknowledge that:

• (a) we do not employ Helpers and are not a party to any Engagement (Section 2);
• (b) we do not guarantee that any Helper will accept an offer, start on a particular date, attend regularly, perform to any standard, or remain in the Engagement for any period;
• (c) verification reduces risk but does not eliminate it: we do not and cannot predict a person's future conduct, and we do not carry out medical, psychiatric or psychological evaluation;
• (d) the accuracy of a Verification Dossier depends on documents, previous households and public authorities outside our control, and police verification is carried out by the police authority according to its own process and timelines;
• (e) the timelines we publish for matching, Replacements and Additional Placements are targets we work to, not guarantees; and
• (f) we do not supervise, inspect or monitor a Helper's work in your home.

3.5Requests. Submitting a Request costs nothing and does not create a Plan. After you submit a Request we will contact you by WhatsApp, telephone or email to confirm your requirements, your locality and the Plan that suits you. We are not obliged to accept a Request, and a Request that we have not confirmed does not entitle you to an Introduction.

4Plans, Platform Fee and payment

4.1Plans. The Plans, their fees, plan terms, the number of Further Placements included, profile counts and verification levels are set out in Annexure A. The Plan that applies to you is the Plan you confirm at the time of payment.

4.2Nature of the Platform Fee. The Platform Fee is a one-time, non-recurring charge for the Company's own services under Section 3.3: verification, shortlisting, interview arrangement, the sharing of Verification Dossiers, and placement and replacement cover during the Plan Term. It is not the Helper's Pay, in whole or in part, under any name; it is not an advance against the Helper's Pay, a deposit, a security amount, or money held by us for or on behalf of any Helper; and no part of it is paid to any Helper.

4.3When and how the Platform Fee is paid. The Platform Fee is payable in full when you confirm a Plan and before the first Introduction is made. Payment is accepted only through the channels we designate: the online checkout on the Platform, operated by PayU Payments Private Limited and accepting cards, UPI and net banking, or a payment link or bank account details issued to you in writing by the Company. We will never ask you to pay the Platform Fee in cash, to a personal account, or to a Helper, and any such request should be reported to us immediately.

4.4The Helper's Pay is yours, not ours. The Helper's Pay, working hours, rest days, leave, food, accommodation and every other term of the Engagement are agreed between you and the Helper and are paid by you directly to the Helper. The Company does not fix, collect, hold, disburse, guarantee, underwrite or arbitrate the Helper's Pay, is under no obligation to pay it in any circumstance, and is not responsible for any claim or dispute about it, including non-payment, late payment, short payment, deductions, or any statutory entitlement arising from the Engagement. Pay ranges published on the Platform are indicative market guidance, not a quotation, an offer, a recommendation or a promise, and the amount that applies is the amount you agree with the Helper.

4.5Taxes and invoices. Platform Fees are stated in Indian Rupees. The Company is not yet registered under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, and no GST is charged on Platform Fees at present. Once our registration is complete, GST at the applicable rate will apply to Platform Fees in addition to the amount stated; it will be shown on the pricing page and at checkout before you pay, and on the tax invoice we issue to the email address on your Account. Until then we issue an invoice without GST for every Platform Fee.

4.6Price changes. We may revise Platform Fees at any time. A revision applies only to Plans confirmed after it is published; the fee quoted to you when you confirmed your Plan is the fee that applies to it.

4.7One Plan per household. A Plan covers one household at one address. A household may hold only one active Plan at a time, and a Plan may not be transferred, resold or shared with another household.

4.8Failed and duplicate payments. A payment that fails or is reversed by the payment system is refunded by the payment system to the source according to its timelines, and no Plan is created until payment is received. A duplicate payment for the same Plan is refunded in full to the original payment method within ten (10) Business Days of our confirming the duplication.

5Verification, the Verification Dossier and confidentiality

5.1Checks performed. Before a Helper is introduced, we carry out the checks described on the How We Verify Helpers page for the Plan concerned, which at the date of these Terms comprise identity validation, address-document validation, previous-household reference checks and an in-person behavioural assessment, and police verification through the relevant police authority.

5.2Limits of verification. Section 3.4 applies to every check. In particular, a reference is the opinion of a previous household, an identity check confirms that a document is genuine and matches the person, and police verification reports what the police authority records at the time of the check. None of them is a warranty of future conduct.

5.3Confidentiality of the Verification Dossier. A Verification Dossier contains the Helper's personal data and is shared with you in confidence. You agree that you will:

• (a) use the Verification Dossier only to evaluate and, if you choose, engage the Helper concerned;
• (b) not copy, photograph, publish, post, forward or share the Verification Dossier or any part of it with any person outside your household, other than a law-enforcement authority when required by law;
• (c) not use any document in the Verification Dossier for any purpose other than the Engagement, and in particular not for any financial, credit, tenancy or identity purpose;
• (d) keep the Verification Dossier secure while the Engagement lasts, and delete or destroy it, and every copy, within thirty (30) days after the Engagement ends or after you decide not to engage the Helper, except for the single copy of the Helper's identity document that we recommend you keep for the duration of the Engagement; and
• (e) comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 in respect of the Helper's personal data in your possession, for which you are the responsible person once it is in your hands.

5.4Your own checks. We recommend that you interview every Helper yourself, agree duties, timings and pay in writing at the start, keep a copy of the Helper's identity document for the duration of the Engagement, secure valuables, and take the practical precautions any household would take with a new member of staff.

6Placement and replacement cover

6.1Entitlement. During the Plan Term you are entitled to the first Placement under the Plan and, in addition, to the number of Further Placements stated for your Plan in Annexure A. A Further Placement is either a Replacement or an Additional Placement (Section 6.6), in any combination you choose. Each Further Placement is itself a Placement and uses one from your entitlement; the first Placement under the Plan uses none. A Helper placed by way of a Further Placement may in turn be replaced under this Section 6, using a further one.

6.2When a Replacement applies. You may request a Replacement where:

• (a) the placed Helper leaves, stops attending, or becomes unavailable for any reason;
• (b) the Helper's work does not match the duties agreed at the start of the Engagement; or
• (c) the Engagement is not working for your household, provided you have given the Helper a fair opportunity and make the request in good faith.

6.3How to request one. Request a Replacement by WhatsApp, telephone, email or through the Platform within fourteen (14) days of the event that gives rise to it, stating what went wrong. We re-match against the requirements you stated when you confirmed your Plan, aim to share a new Verified Profile within forty-eight (48) hours, and arrange an interview before you confirm, exactly as for the first Placement.

6.4When a Replacement or an Additional Placement is not available. We are not obliged to provide a Replacement or an Additional Placement where:

• (a) the Engagement ended because of your breach of Section 9, including non-payment or late payment of the Helper's agreed wages, unsafe premises, or abusive conduct towards the Helper;
• (b) for a Replacement, you have materially changed the requirements for that Placement since you confirmed it, including a change of address outside the Service Area, or working hours or pay materially below what was stated (a different service category or requirement is a matter for an Additional Placement under Section 6.6, not for a Replacement);
• (c) you are Unresponsive within the meaning of Section 7.3(b);
• (d) the Plan Term has expired or your entitlement to Further Placements is exhausted;
• (e) for a Replacement, the request is made more than fourteen (14) days after the event that gives rise to it; or
• (f) the Plan has been suspended or terminated under Section 16.

6.5Further Placements are not refunds. A Replacement is the remedy for a Placement that does not work out, and an Additional Placement is a further service under your Plan. Except as provided in Section 7, no cash alternative, credit or refund is available in place of either, or for any part of your entitlement that is unused when the Plan Term ends or the Plan is terminated.

6.6Additional Placements. You may request an Additional Placement at any time during the Plan Term, for the same household at an address within the Service Area, by WhatsApp, telephone, email or through the Platform. We shortlist Verified Profiles for the new requirement, up to the number included in your Plan for a round of matching, arrange interviews and share the Verification Dossier before the Helper starts, exactly as for the first Placement. The forty-eight (48) hour target in Section 6.3 applies to Replacements only; an Additional Placement is subject to the matching timelines in Section 3.4(e) and Annexure A. Each Additional Placement uses one from your entitlement, and a Helper placed under it may be replaced under this Section 6, using a further one.

7Refunds

7.1General rule. Except as expressly provided in this Section 7 and in Sections 4.8 and 8.5, the Platform Fee is non-refundable. You acknowledge that our verification and matching work begins as soon as the Platform Fee is received and that the Platform Fee is consideration for that work and for placement and replacement cover, not for the outcome of any Engagement. In every case, ₹2,000 of the Platform Fee is non-refundable: it covers our onboarding, shortlisting and verification costs, including police verification (the "Non-Refundable Component", stated in Annexure B).

7.2Eligibility for a refund. You are entitled to a refund of the Platform Fee, less the Non-Refundable Component, if and only if:

• (a) we have not introduced at least three (3) suitable Verified Profiles matching the requirements you stated when you confirmed the Plan within the Refund Window;
• (b) during the Refund Window you responded to our communications within two (2) Business Days, attended the interviews we arranged, and did not materially change your requirements; and
• (c) no Engagement has commenced under the Plan.

7.3Grounds for immediate denial. A refund claim will be denied without further assessment where any of the following applies:

• (a) an Engagement has commenced under the Plan, including a trial period, whether or not it has since ended;
• (b) you were Unresponsive during the Refund Window, meaning that you did not respond to at least three (3) attempts by us to contact you by WhatsApp, telephone or email over a period of seven (7) or more days ("Unresponsive");
• (c) you declined three (3) or more Verified Profiles or interviews that matched your stated requirements;
• (d) you materially changed your requirements after payment (Section 6.4(b));
• (e) you denied a Helper entry to your premises, or failed to attend or make the premises available for an arranged interview or trial, without reasonable cause;
• (f) your premises lacked the basic conditions needed for the work, including running water, electricity, sanitation or, for a live-in Helper, safe and separate sleeping quarters;
• (g) you approved a Helper, whether in writing, verbally in the presence of a representative of the Company, or by permitting the Helper to start work, and later assert that the Helper was unsuitable without a new and material ground arising after the approval;
• (h) you are in breach of Section 9, Section 10 or Section 13;
• (i) the claim, or any information given in support of it or of the original Request, is false, misleading or fabricated; or
• (j) the Plan was purchased under a promotion, discount or bundle expressly stated to be non-refundable.

7.4How to claim. A refund claim must be filed within fifteen (15) days after the end of the Refund Window, that is, by the sixtieth (60th) day after payment, through the refund facility in your Account dashboard or, until that facility is available, by email to info@mybuddymaid.in sent from the email address registered to your Account. The claim must state your Plan reference, the payment identifier, the requirements you stated at confirmation, and each Introduction you received, with your reasons for regarding it as unsuitable. Claims filed late, from an unregistered address, or without this information are not accepted.

7.5Evidence for incident reports. Property damage, theft, misconduct or non-attendance by a Helper is addressed through a Replacement under Section 6 and, where appropriate, by the police; it is not a ground for a refund. Any such incident must be reported to us within forty-eight (48) hours of its occurrence or discovery, with a written description and, where the incident concerns damage or the condition of the premises, time-stamped photographs taken at the time, and, where theft or another offence is alleged, a copy of the complaint made to the police. A report made outside this period, or without this evidence, will not be treated as substantiated for the purposes of Section 6.

7.6Assessment. We will acknowledge a complete refund claim within two (2) Business Days and decide it within ten (10) Business Days of receipt. We may ask once for additional information, and the assessment period is extended by the time taken to provide it. Our decision, with reasons, is communicated to your registered email address.

7.7Processing time and method. An approved refund is processed to the original payment method only. We will initiate the refund with our payment gateway within fourteen (14) Business Days from the date of approval, and we will give you the gateway's refund reference on request. Once initiated, the time the amount takes to appear in your account is set by the gateway and by your bank or card issuer and is outside our control; for most cards and UPI accounts it is a further few working days. We expect an approved refund to be credited to your original payment method within a maximum of forty-five (45) days from the date of approval; where a credit is delayed beyond that period by the gateway or by your bank or card issuer, we will give you the refund reference so that you can trace it with them. Refunds are not paid in cash, to a different account, or to a third party. Payment-system charges, bank charges and currency differences, if any, are borne by you.

7.8Abuse prevention. No household is eligible for more than one refund in any period of twelve (12) months. Accounts created to circumvent this limit, to obtain a second Refund Window, or in a name other than that of the person paying are void, and any Plan purchased through them is non-refundable. Where a claim is denied under Section 7.3(i), we may terminate your Account under Section 16 and recover from you the costs we incurred in providing Introductions under the Plan.

7.9Your statutory rights. Nothing in this Section 7 limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 or any other law that cannot be excluded or limited by agreement.

8Cancellations, rescheduling and no-shows

8.1Cancelling a Plan. You may cancel a Plan at any time by notice to us. Cancellation ends our obligations under Section 3.3 from the date of notice and does not entitle you to any refund other than a refund to which you are already entitled under Section 7.

8.2Interviews and trial sessions. An interview or trial session that we have confirmed with you in writing is a "Confirmed Session". You may cancel or reschedule a Confirmed Session without consequence by giving us at least twenty-four (24) hours' notice before its scheduled start. Where you cancel or reschedule a Confirmed Session with less than twenty-four (24) hours' notice, or you or your household are not present or the premises are not available at the scheduled time (a "No-Show"):

• (a) the Introduction concerned counts as one of the Verified Profiles included in your Plan, whether or not you subsequently engage the Helper; and
• (b) any session fee stated in Annexure B for that Confirmed Session is forfeited in full and is not refundable or transferable.

8.3Repeated No-Shows. After two (2) No-Shows in succession we may pause Introductions under your Plan until you re-confirm your requirements and availability. The Plan Term continues to run while Introductions are paused.

8.4Cancellation by us or by a Helper. Where the Company or the Helper cancels or fails to attend a Confirmed Session with less than twenty-four (24) hours' notice, the Introduction is not counted against your Plan, any session fee paid for it is refunded or credited in full within ten (10) Business Days, and we reschedule on a priority basis. A Helper who withdraws before or shortly after the start of an Engagement is replaced under Section 6 without using one of your Further Placements.

8.5Cancellation of a Plan by the Company. If we cancel a Plan before the first Introduction for reasons of capacity or coverage, we refund the Platform Fee in full, without deduction of the Non-Refundable Component, within ten (10) Business Days of the cancellation.

9Your obligations, property access and safety

9.1Accurate information. You must give complete and accurate information about your household, the work required, the working hours, the accommodation offered to a live-in Helper, any animals in the home, and any circumstance a reasonable person would consider relevant to the Helper's safety or ability to do the work, and keep it up to date.

9.2Access. You must arrange safe entry for interviews and for the Engagement, including keys, digital locks or codes, gate or society passes, and any registration required by your residents' association, and be present, or have an authorised adult present, at every Confirmed Session.

9.3Working conditions and the law. As the Helper's employer you are solely responsible for providing lawful working conditions and for complying with every law that applies to the employment of domestic workers in your State, including, where applicable, minimum wage notifications, weekly rest, hours of work, registration requirements, the prohibition of child labour and bonded labour, and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, which applies to domestic workers in a dwelling. You must pay the agreed wages in full and on time, provide meals and safe, separate sleeping quarters to a live-in Helper as agreed, and not require the Helper to perform tasks outside the agreed duties, hazardous tasks without proper equipment, or any unlawful act.

9.4Immediate withdrawal. The Company and the Helper may end an interview, trial or Engagement immediately, and the Company may suspend or terminate your Plan, with no refund and no obligation to provide a Replacement, where the premises or the household present any of the following:

• (a) biohazards, including untreated sewage, mould contamination, hoarding, or unsafe accumulation of waste;
• (b) severe pest or vermin infestation;
• (c) structural, electrical or fire hazards;
• (d) abusive, threatening, violent, discriminatory or intimidating behaviour, or harassment of any kind, by any member or guest of the household;
• (e) animals that are aggressive and not secured away from the Helper;
• (f) illegal activity, or a request that the Helper take part in any unlawful act;
• (g) non-payment of agreed wages; or
• (h) for a live-in Helper, accommodation that is unsafe, unsanitary or not separate as agreed.

9.5Animals. You must disclose every animal in the home before the first interview and keep animals secured away from the Helper unless the Helper has agreed in writing to work with them. You are solely liable for injury, illness or loss caused by an animal in your home.

9.6Valuables and supervision. You are responsible for securing cash, jewellery, documents, devices and other valuables. We recommend a written inventory and a householder's insurance policy that covers domestic staff. Any camera or recording device in areas where the Helper works must comply with law and be disclosed to the Helper.

9.7No insurance. The Company does not insure Helpers, Clients or their property, and the Platform Fee does not include any insurance.

10Non-solicitation and direct engagement

10.1Restriction. During the Plan Term and for twelve (12) months after the later of your last Introduction and the end of your last Placement (the "Restricted Period"), you shall not, directly or indirectly, whether personally, through a family member, another household, an employer, a friend, another agency, or any other person:

• (a) engage, hire, employ or re-engage any Helper introduced to you by the Company, otherwise than through a Placement under a Plan;
• (b) solicit, refer or recommend any such Helper to any other person for engagement outside the Platform; or
• (c) induce or encourage any such Helper to end a Placement in order to work for you or for any other person outside the Platform.

10.2What is permitted. Continuing an Engagement that began as a Placement under a Plan, including after the Plan Term has ended and on terms agreed directly between you and the Helper, is not a breach of this Section. The restriction is directed at obtaining or passing on the benefit of an Introduction without a Plan.

10.3Liquidated damages. The Platform Fee is priced on the basis that Introductions are used only through the Platform, and the Company's loss from a breach of Section 10.1, comprising the Platform Fee foregone, the cost of verifying, assessing and matching the Helper, and the loss of the Helper from the verified pool, is real but difficult to quantify precisely. You therefore agree to pay the Company, as liquidated damages and as a genuine pre-estimate of that loss and not as a penalty, the sum stated in Annexure B for each Helper engaged, solicited or induced in breach of Section 10.1, within fifteen (15) days of written demand. That sum is set at approximately three times the highest Platform Fee, reflecting the fee foregone together with the sourcing, verification and assessment cost of the Helper concerned. Nothing in this Section displaces Section 74 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, and the sum is subject to reduction by a court or arbitrator to reasonable compensation where that provision so requires.

10.3.1Regularising instead. If you wish to engage a Helper introduced by us outside the Platform, you may instead purchase the Diamond Plan for that Helper before the Engagement begins, in which case Section 10.3 does not apply to that Helper. This Section is intended to protect the Company's investment in verification, not to prevent a household from employing someone it wishes to employ.

10.4Other remedies. Payment of liquidated damages is without prejudice to the Company's right to seek an injunction restraining a continuing breach, to terminate your Account and Plan under Section 16, and to recover the costs of enforcement.

10.5Helpers are not restrained. This Section binds you only. It does not restrict any Helper from working for any person, and does not restrict you from employing any person who was not introduced to you by the Company.

10.6Approaches by Helpers. If a Helper introduced by the Company proposes to work for you outside the Platform, you agree to inform us within seven (7) days.

11Limitation of liability

11.1Cap on liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the total aggregate liability of the Company and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents to you, for all claims of every kind arising out of or in connection with the Platform, these Terms, any Plan, any Introduction, any Verification Dossier or any Engagement, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, misrepresentation or otherwise, and including claims for property damage, loss, theft, personal injury, negligence, service delay or non-performance, shall not exceed the lesser of (a) ₹5,000 (Rupees five thousand) and (b) the Platform Fee actually paid by you for the Plan to which the claim relates.

11.2Excluded losses. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, punitive or consequential loss or damage, or for any loss of profit, income, business, opportunity, goodwill, data, or the cost of obtaining substitute services, however arising and even if the Company was advised of the possibility of such loss.

11.3Acts of Helpers. Because Helpers are not the Company's employees or agents and the Company does not supervise them, the Company is not liable for any act or omission of a Helper, including theft, damage to property, injury, negligence, breach of confidence, absence or abandonment of the Engagement. Your remedies in respect of a Helper's conduct are against the Helper, under the law, and, where Section 6 applies, by way of Replacement.

11.4Events outside our control. The Company is not liable for any failure or delay caused by a Helper's illness, family circumstances or withdrawal, or by strikes, curfews, public-health restrictions, severe weather, transport disruption, failure of telecommunications or payment systems, or any other event beyond its reasonable control.

11.5What is not excluded. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for death or personal injury caused by the Company's own gross negligence or wilful misconduct, or any right or remedy under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 that cannot be waived by agreement.

11.6Prompt notification. You must notify us of any claim against the Company as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event within thirty (30) days of the event giving rise to it, with the information reasonably needed to assess it. This requirement does not extinguish any right you have under law.

12Indemnification

12.1Your indemnity. You shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its parent and holding companies, subsidiaries and affiliates, and each of their directors, officers, employees, contractors and agents (the "Indemnified Parties") from and against all claims, demands, suits, proceedings, investigations, losses, damages, liabilities, penalties, costs and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, brought or incurred by or against any Indemnified Party by any third party, including a Helper, a member of your household, a neighbour, a residents' association, an insurer or a public authority, arising out of or relating to:

• (a) your breach of these Terms or of any applicable law;
• (b) the Engagement, including any claim for wages, benefits, compensation, injury, illness, harassment, discrimination or wrongful termination made by or on behalf of a Helper, or any claim by an authority in respect of your obligations as an employer;
• (c) the condition of your premises, including hazards, infestation, structural defects and the acts of animals kept or present there;
• (d) any instruction you give to a Helper, and any act or omission of a Helper carried out at your direction;
• (e) your use, disclosure or retention of a Verification Dossier or of any personal data of a Helper;
• (f) any content, information or material you submit to the Platform; or
• (g) any chargeback, payment reversal or fraudulent claim initiated by you or on your behalf.

12.2Procedure. The Indemnified Party will notify you of a claim within a reasonable time, may at its option control the defence and settlement of the claim with counsel of its choice at your cost, and will not settle a claim in a manner that admits liability on your part without your consent, which you shall not unreasonably withhold. You shall cooperate fully in the defence.

13Payment integrity, fraud and chargebacks

13.1Chargebacks. You agree to use the refund process in Section 7 for any dispute about a Platform Fee. Initiating a chargeback, dispute or payment reversal through your bank, card issuer, UPI provider or payment application in respect of a Platform Fee for which Introductions have been made, or without first completing the process in Section 7, is a material breach of these Terms.

13.2Consequences. On notice of such a chargeback or reversal, the Company may, without prejudice to any other remedy:

• (a) suspend your Account and Plan, withdraw every pending Introduction and withhold Replacements and Additional Placements until the matter is resolved;
• (b) submit to the payment gateway, bank or card network evidence of these Terms, your acceptance of them, the Introductions made and the communications between us;
• (c) recover from you the disputed amount, together with any chargeback fee, gateway fee or bank charge incurred and the reasonable costs of recovery;
• (d) report the matter to the police or other competent authority where the chargeback appears to be fraudulent; and
• (e) share information about the transaction, to the extent permitted by law, with the payment gateway and with fraud-prevention services used by the payments industry.

13.3Permanent suspension. Where a chargeback is found by the payment network to be unjustified, or where you initiate a second chargeback, we may terminate your Account permanently and decline any future Request from you or your household.

13.4Suspected fraud. We may withhold Introductions, require confirmation of your identity, or decline a Request or payment where we reasonably suspect fraud, identity misuse, payment with an instrument you are not entitled to use, or a breach of Section 7.8.

14Accounts, acceptable use and communications

14.1Your Account. You must keep your login credentials confidential and notify us immediately of any unauthorised use. You are responsible for everything done through your Account until you have notified us. Each person may hold one Account, and an Account may be used only for the household it was created for.

14.2Acceptable use. You must not:

• (a) provide false, misleading or incomplete information;
• (b) impersonate any person or misrepresent your relationship with any household;
• (c) use the Platform to harass, threaten, abuse or discriminate against any Helper or member of our team;
• (d) specify requirements that are unlawful, or that we consider abusive or degrading;
• (e) copy, scrape, extract, reproduce or index any content or Helper profile from the Platform, or use any automated means to access it;
• (f) interfere with the operation or security of the Platform, or attempt to gain unauthorised access to any account, system or data; or
• (g) use the Platform for any purpose other than seeking a Helper for a household.

14.3Communications. By using the Platform you agree that we may contact you by email, SMS, WhatsApp, telephone and notifications in the application about your Requests, Plan, interviews, Replacements, Additional Placements, payments, safety matters and changes to these Terms. These are service communications and are sent regardless of any marketing preference. We will send promotional communications only with your consent, which you may withdraw at any time as described in the Privacy Policy. Where we record a telephone call for quality or training purposes we will say so at the start of the call.

14.4Support chat and the automated assistant. Our support chat is answered first by an automated assistant and, when you ask for a person or the assistant cannot help, by a member of our team during the support hours published on the Platform. Outside those hours the assistant takes your message and we will respond within twenty-four (24) hours. We keep a record of support conversations on every channel, as described in the Privacy Policy.

The assistant's answers are drawn from the service, pricing and policy information published on the Platform and are provided for convenience only. If anything the assistant says conflicts with these Terms, the Annexures or the Plan you purchased, these Terms prevail, and nothing the assistant says varies these Terms, creates a discount, extends placement or replacement cover, or approves a refund. Only a written confirmation from the Company does that. Do not send card numbers, UPI PINs, passwords or one-time passwords through the chat; we will never ask for them, and Clause 13 applies to any request that appears to do so.

14.5Feedback and reviews. If you give us feedback, a review or a testimonial, you grant the Company a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual licence to use, reproduce and publish it, with your first name and city only, on the Platform and in our marketing, and you confirm that it is genuine and reflects your own experience. We will not publish a testimonial with your full name or photograph without your separate written consent. We do not pay for reviews and do not publish reviews we know to be false.

15Intellectual property

15.1Ownership. The Platform, including its software, design, text, graphics, data, locality content, Helper profiles, verification methodology and the MyBuddyMaid name, logo and marks, is owned by or licensed to the Company and is protected by the copyright, trade mark and other intellectual-property laws of India and other countries.

15.2Licence to you. We grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Platform for the purpose of seeking a Helper for your household in accordance with these Terms. No other right is granted, and all rights not expressly granted are reserved.

15.3Restrictions. You must not modify, adapt, translate, reverse-engineer, decompile, create derivative works from, frame, mirror, sell, rent or sublicense any part of the Platform, or remove any proprietary notice from it.

15.4Third-party marks. PayU, Google, WhatsApp and other names and marks appearing on the Platform belong to their owners and are used for identification only.

16Term, suspension and termination

16.1Term. These Terms apply from the moment you first use the Platform and continue until your Account is closed and every Plan Term has ended, subject to Section 16.4.

16.2Suspension and termination by the Company. We may suspend or terminate your Account, any Plan and any pending Introduction, with immediate effect and with notice where practicable, if you breach these Terms, if we reasonably suspect fraud, misuse or a threat to the safety of a Helper or a member of our team, if a chargeback is initiated under Section 13, if you become Unresponsive for thirty (30) days or more, or if we are required to do so by law. On termination for these reasons no refund is payable except a refund to which you are already entitled under Section 7.

16.3Termination by you. You may close your Account at any time through the Delete My Account facility in the application or by notice to us. Closing your Account cancels any active Plan under Section 8.1.

16.4Survival. Sections 2.2 to 2.4, 5.3, 7.7, 7.8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17 and 18, and every other provision which by its nature is intended to survive, continue in force after termination or expiry of these Terms or of any Plan.

17Governing law and dispute resolution

17.1Governing law. These Terms, and every dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, the Platform, a Plan, an Introduction or an Engagement, including non-contractual disputes or claims, are governed by the laws of India, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

17.2Step one: grievance redressal. Before commencing any proceeding you must first raise the matter in writing with our Grievance Officer at the contact details in Annexure C. We will acknowledge your grievance within forty-eight (48) hours and use reasonable efforts to resolve it within thirty (30) days of receipt.

17.3Step two: binding arbitration. Any dispute that is not resolved within thirty (30) days of a grievance under Section 17.2 shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, as amended, on the following terms:

• (a) the tribunal shall consist of a sole arbitrator appointed by agreement between the parties within fifteen (15) days of a written request by either party, failing which by the Delhi International Arbitration Centre on the application of either party;
• (b) the seat and venue of the arbitration shall be New Delhi, India, and the proceedings may be conducted by video conference;
• (c) the language of the arbitration shall be English;
• (d) the parties agree to the fast-track procedure under Section 29B of the Act where the amount in dispute does not exceed ₹10,00,000;
• (e) the arbitrator may award costs in accordance with Section 31A of the Act; and
• (f) the award shall be final and binding on the parties, and the parties shall keep the arbitration and the award confidential in accordance with Section 42A of the Act.

17.4Courts. Subject to Section 17.3, the courts at New Delhi have exclusive jurisdiction over any application for interim relief under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, any proceeding to enforce an award, and any matter that is not capable of arbitration under Indian law.

17.5Consumer remedies preserved. Nothing in this Section 17 prevents a Client who is a consumer within the meaning of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 from filing a complaint before the District, State or National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, or with the Central Consumer Protection Authority, in respect of a matter within their jurisdiction. The agreement to arbitrate in Section 17.3 is without prejudice to that statutory option, and a Client who elects it is not required to arbitrate that dispute.

17.6Individual proceedings and class-action waiver. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you and the Company agree that each may bring claims against the other only in an individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, representative or private-attorney-general proceeding, and that the arbitrator has no authority to consolidate claims of different Clients or to award relief to a class. If this waiver is held to be unenforceable in respect of a particular claim, that claim, and only that claim, shall be severed from the arbitration and heard by the courts under Section 17.4 after the remaining claims have been arbitrated. Nothing in this Section waives any right that cannot be waived under applicable law, including the right of consumers to file a complaint jointly under Section 35 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

17.7Clients outside India. If you access the Platform from outside India, these Terms apply to the extent permitted by the mandatory law of the country in which you habitually reside, and any non-excludable consumer protection of that country applies in addition to these Terms. Country-specific terms, where published on the Platform, form part of these Terms for Clients in that country.

18General

18.1Force majeure. Neither party is liable for any failure or delay in performing an obligation, other than an obligation to pay money, caused by an event beyond its reasonable control, including natural disaster, epidemic, public-health order, strike, civil disturbance, act of government, or failure of public utilities, telecommunications or payment infrastructure. A Plan Term is extended by the duration of any such event that prevents Introductions for more than fourteen (14) days.

18.2Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or any Plan without our prior written consent. The Company may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or part, to an affiliate or to a successor to its business, on notice to you.

18.3Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, that provision shall be applied to the maximum extent permissible, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

18.4Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the documents incorporated under Section 1.5 and the Plan confirmation issued to you, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company about their subject matter and supersede every previous agreement, representation and understanding, written or oral, including the Terms & Conditions published in the booking application before the effective date.

18.5No waiver. A failure or delay by either party in exercising any right or remedy is not a waiver of it, and a single or partial exercise of a right or remedy does not prevent any further exercise.

18.6Notices. Notices to you are sent to the email address or mobile number registered to your Account and are deemed received on the day of sending. Notices to the Company must be sent by email to legal@mybuddymaid.in or by registered post to the registered office in Section 1.1, and are deemed received on the Business Day after delivery.

18.7Relationship of the parties. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, franchise or employment relationship between you and the Company, or between the Company and any Helper.

18.8Third parties. Except for the Indemnified Parties under Section 12, no person other than you and the Company has any right to enforce any provision of these Terms.

18.9Language. These Terms are drafted in English. Any translation is provided for convenience only, and the English text prevails in the event of inconsistency.

18.10Electronic records. These Terms, your acceptance, every Plan confirmation and every communication between us are electronic records within the meaning of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and require no physical or digital signature.

18.11Contact. Questions about these Terms may be sent to legal@mybuddymaid.in or to the Grievance Officer in Annexure C.

Annexure APlans

A.1The Plan Term runs from the date of the first Placement under the Plan.

A.2Every Plan includes identity validation, address-document validation, previous-household reference checks and an in-person behavioural assessment of each Helper introduced, as described on the How We Verify Helpers page.

A.3Fees may be revised prospectively under Section 4.6. The fee stated in your Plan confirmation is the fee that applies to your Plan.

A.4Deployment window (Diamond Plan). On the Diamond Plan we aim to deploy a Helper — that is, to introduce a Verified Profile who is ready to start — within twenty-four (24) hours of your requirement being confirmed with our team. This window is a service target and not a guarantee: where it cannot be met we will tell you promptly, it does not by itself create a right to a refund, and your other entitlements under the Plan are unaffected.

A.5Further Placements. The number of Further Placements included is in addition to the first Placement under the Plan. Each may be used as a Replacement or as an Additional Placement, in any combination, on the conditions in Section 6.

Annexure BFees, charges and service levels

Annexure CGrievance Officer

C.1In accordance with the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Company has appointed the following Grievance Officer:

• Name: Shivraj Singh
• Designation: Grievance Officer, MyBuddyMaid Private Limited
• Email: governance@mybuddymaid.in
• Telephone: +91 93551 14869 (Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM IST)
• Address: C/o Kanchan Bhatiya, 2-A/3 SF, Front Side, Asif Ali Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi, Central Delhi 110002, Delhi, India

C.2Grievances are acknowledged within forty-eight (48) hours of receipt and resolved within thirty (30) days. A grievance relating to personal data that is not resolved to your satisfaction may be escalated to the Data Protection Board of India as described in the Privacy Policy.