1. Purpose

Fixena is designed to create a trusted environment where homeowners and professionals can connect to manage, maintain and improve homes.

The Homeowner Code of Conduct sets out the standards we expect from homeowners using Fixena.

It is designed to support:

• respectful relationships;

• honest job requests;

• safe access to properties;

• fair treatment of professionals;

• responsible use of the platform;

• protection of professional information; and

• a positive marketplace experience.

These Standards apply to homeowners and other users who use Fixena to:

• create a Home Passport;

• post jobs;

• contact professionals;

• request quotes;

• communicate with professionals;

• engage professionals;

• leave reviews; or

• use other Fixena marketplace functionality.

Homeowners should provide accurate information when creating a job.

Where relevant, this includes:

• description of the work;

• photographs;

• property type;

• location;

• access information;

• preferred dates;

• known problems;

• relevant measurements; and

• other information reasonably necessary for professionals to assess the work.

Homeowners should not deliberately provide misleading information to obtain unrealistic quotes.

If important circumstances change after a professional has responded, the homeowner should update them where reasonably possible.

Homeowners are responsible for providing professionals with reasonable and safe access to the property for agreed work.

Homeowners should:

• disclose known hazards that could reasonably affect the work;

• provide appropriate access;

• keep pets under reasonable control where necessary;

• identify relevant security arrangements;

• disclose relevant restrictions;

• avoid deliberately creating unsafe working conditions; and

• follow reasonable safety instructions given by the professional.

A homeowner should not knowingly ask a professional to undertake work in circumstances that are unsafe or unlawful.

Where a visit has been agreed, homeowners should ensure that the professional can reasonably access the property at the agreed time.

If the homeowner cannot provide access, they should give reasonable notice wherever possible.

Repeatedly arranging appointments and failing to provide access may result in restrictions on marketplace use.

Homeowners must treat professionals respectfully.

Fixena does not tolerate:

• threats;

• intimidation;

• harassment;

• violence;

• discriminatory behaviour;

• sexual harassment;

• abusive behaviour; or

• deliberately threatening or humiliating conduct.

Serious misconduct may result in suspension or removal from Fixena.

Homeowners should provide professionals with a reasonable opportunity to understand the work before expecting a quote.

Homeowners should not deliberately:

• misrepresent the scope of work;

• conceal material information;

• request extensive unpaid work or designs from multiple professionals without genuine intention to proceed;

• pressure professionals into unsafe work; or

• demand work substantially beyond the agreed scope without discussing the additional cost.

A homeowner is generally free to compare quotes and decide which professional to appoint.

Homeowners should communicate reasonably with professionals.

This includes:

• responding to reasonable questions;

• confirming appointments;

• providing access information;

• communicating changes;

• notifying professionals when a job is no longer required; and

• raising concerns in a reasonable manner.

If a homeowner no longer wishes to proceed, they should tell the professional rather than leaving them without an explanation where reasonably possible.

Homeowners should give reasonable notice when cancelling or rearranging appointments.

Repeated cancellations, missed appointments or unreasonable behaviour may affect access to Fixena marketplace functionality.

Where a professional has incurred agreed costs as a result of a cancellation, the parties should resolve the issue fairly and in accordance with any agreement between them.

Homeowners are responsible for paying professionals for work they have agreed to purchase, subject to the terms agreed between the homeowner and professional.

Fixena’s Match Fee is separate from payment for the underlying work.

Fixena does not automatically guarantee payment, workmanship or completion of a job unless a specific Fixena service expressly provides such protection.

Homeowners should discuss additional or changed work with the professional before asking the professional to proceed.

Where additional work affects:

• price;

• materials;

• timing;

• scope; or

• safety,

the homeowner should seek agreement before the work is carried out wherever reasonably possible.

Homeowners must respect information received about professionals.

Information obtained through Fixena should not be:

• published without permission;

• used for unrelated purposes;

• sold;

• used for harassment;

• used to impersonate the professional; or

• shared unnecessarily.

A homeowner should not publish a professional’s private telephone number, address, identity information or other personal information without an appropriate reason and permission.

Homeowners remain responsible for information they add to their Home Passport.

They should:

• provide accurate information where possible;

• avoid knowingly uploading fraudulent documents;

• avoid uploading unnecessary sensitive information;

• respect the privacy of other people whose information may appear in documents; and

• ensure they have the right to upload documents and photographs.

Homeowners should not use the Home Passport to store or distribute unlawful, abusive or inappropriate content.

A homeowner may choose to share relevant information from their Home Passport with a professional.

Homeowners should only share information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant service.

For example, a homeowner arranging boiler work may choose to share:

• boiler information;

• previous service history;

• relevant certificates;

• photographs; and

• warranty information.

They do not need to provide unrelated personal or financial documents.

Fixena’s permission system is intended to support this principle.

Homeowners must follow the Fixena Reviews & Ratings Policy.

Reviews should be:

• genuine;

• truthful;

• relevant;

• based on actual experience; and

• submitted in good faith.

Homeowners must not:

• create fake reviews;

• threaten professionals with negative reviews;

• demand money in exchange for changing a review;

• submit reviews for work they did not experience; or

• deliberately manipulate ratings.

A homeowner should not use a review as a means of obtaining an unrelated benefit from a professional.

Where a homeowner is unhappy with work, they should normally give the professional a reasonable opportunity to understand and address the issue.

Depending on the circumstances, this may involve:

• explaining the problem;

• providing photographs;

• referring to the agreed scope;

• discussing remedial work; or

• requesting clarification about an invoice.

This does not prevent a homeowner from seeking independent advice or exercising their legal rights.

Homeowners must use Fixena honestly.

They must not:

• create fake accounts;

• impersonate another user;

• manipulate professional rankings;

• deliberately submit misleading jobs;

• abuse the Match system;

• create duplicate job posts to manipulate responses;

• attempt to circumvent applicable Fixena fees;

• exploit technical vulnerabilities; or

• deliberately interfere with the operation of Fixena.

Homeowners must not deliberately use Fixena to identify or contact a professional for the purpose of avoiding a Match Fee that would otherwise be payable.

However, Fixena recognises that homeowners may have existing relationships with professionals.

If a homeowner already knows a professional independently of Fixena, the homeowner is not expected to pay a Match Fee simply because both later happen to use Fixena.

Similarly, Fixena does not intend to prevent genuine ongoing relationships between homeowners and professionals following a legitimate Fixena introduction.

The relevant anti-circumvention provisions in the Match Fee Policy and Terms apply.

Where a homeowner receives a professional’s contact information through Fixena, it must be used responsibly.

It should not be:

• sold;

• added to unrelated marketing lists;

• shared with unrelated third parties;

• used to harass the professional; or

• used for unrelated commercial purposes.

Homeowners should take appropriate care where professionals are attending a property containing children or vulnerable people.

Professionals should not be placed in situations where they are expected to provide childcare, personal care or unrelated services unless this is expressly appropriate and lawful.

Homeowners should also respect reasonable professional boundaries.

Homeowners should disclose the presence of animals where they could reasonably affect the professional’s ability to carry out work safely.

Pets should be secured where appropriate.

A professional should not be expected to work in circumstances where an animal presents an unreasonable safety risk.

Homeowners must not use Fixena to request work that is:

• unlawful;

• deliberately unsafe;

• intended to facilitate criminal activity;

• designed to circumvent legal requirements; or

• outside the lawful scope of the relevant professional.

Fixena may remove jobs that breach this requirement.

Homeowners must not use Fixena to:

• obtain services through deception;

• provide fraudulent payment information;

• impersonate another person;

• deliberately avoid paying for completed work;

• submit fraudulent documents;

• create fake identities; or

• otherwise defraud professionals or Fixena.

Suspected fraudulent activity may result in account restrictions or removal.

Homeowners should respect reasonable professional boundaries.

For example, homeowners should not:

• demand access to a professional’s personal life

• insist on inappropriate working hours without agreement;

• pressure professionals into unsafe practices;

• expect unrelated free work;

• make inappropriate personal comments; or

• behave in a manner that makes a professional reasonably feel unsafe.

Homeowners are encouraged to report genuine concerns about professionals through the appropriate Fixena reporting or complaints process.

Concerns may include:

• suspected fraudulent qualifications;

• unsafe behaviour;

• serious misconduct;

• inappropriate use of homeowner information;

• suspected insurance misrepresentation;

• harassment; or

• other serious breaches of Fixena standards.

Homeowners should provide accurate information when making a report.

Where appropriate, Fixena may investigate reports involving homeowners.

We may request:

• photographs;

• messages;

• invoices;

• job details;

• communications;

• other evidence.

We may restrict access to certain platform features while investigating serious issues.

Depending on the circumstances, Fixena may:

• issue a warning;

• remove content;

• restrict marketplace functionality;

• cancel or restrict Matches;

• suspend an account;

• remove an account; or

• take other appropriate action.

Serious conduct may result in immediate suspension.

Fixena provides the platform that allows homeowners and professionals to connect.

Unless a specific Fixena service says otherwise, Fixena does not:

• employ professionals;

• guarantee professional workmanship;

• guarantee prices;

• guarantee that a job will be completed;

• guarantee that a professional will be available; or

• automatically accept responsibility for disputes between users.

Homeowners should make their own decisions about whether to engage a professional.

Fixena may update the Homeowner Code of Conduct as the platform develops.

Updates may reflect:

• new marketplace features;

• new Home Passport functionality;

• changes to professional services;

• new safety requirements; or

• changes in applicable law.

Questions or concerns about the Homeowner Code of Conduct can be sent to:

Fixena Ltd Email: hello@fixena.co.uk