Legal
Terms of Service
Effective Date: November 15, 2026 | Last Updated: October 14, 2026
These terms set out what you can rely on: a price you approve, work that is documented, and a warranty that is honored. They also set out what is expected of you. They govern your use of the Platform and each Job you book, with the independent-provider relationship in Section 4, Job terms in Sections 6–14, limitation of liability in Section 25, and binding arbitration with a class-action waiver in Section 28.
The essentials
A price you approve
The price is shown before you pay. Nothing is added without your approval.
Independent professionals
Vetted, background-checked providers do the work. NorTech runs the platform.
Work that is backed
At least 30, 60 or 90 days on repairs and installs, set by your pro. 72 hours on exterior cleaning.
Clear exits
Your pro's cancellation policy is shown before you book, within limits NorTech publishes.
1. Agreement to These Terms
In short. Using NorTech means you accept these terms. Commercial facility clients are governed by their own services agreement.
These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and NorTech ("NorTech", the "Platform", "we", "us", or "our"). They govern your access to and use of the NorTech website, booking tools, client portal, and related services (collectively, the "Services"). By creating an account, booking a job, or otherwise using the Services, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree, do not use the Services. These Terms govern the residential Platform described here; a commercial customer using NorTech's separate facility-services line is instead governed by that line's own written services agreement, which controls over these Terms for that relationship.
2. Eligibility
In short. Adults only, with the authority to bind whoever the booking is for.
You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use the Services. If you use the Services on behalf of a household, business, or other entity, you represent that you are authorized to bind that party, and "you" refers to that party.
3. Definitions
"Client" means a person who books or receives Services. "Provider" means an independent service professional who performs home-service work booked through the Platform. "Booking" means a confirmed request for services. "Job" means the work performed under a Booking. "Workmanship Warranty" means the limited warranty described in Section 15 and on our Satisfaction Guarantee page.
"Content" means text, photos, reviews, ratings, and other materials submitted through the Services.
4. The NorTech Platform & Independent Providers
In short. NorTech is the platform: booking, payment and records. Each independent professional sets their own prices, performs the work and runs their own methods.
NorTech operates a technology platform that connects Clients with independent, vetted, background-checked home-service Providers, and handles booking, scheduling, payment, documentation, and the tools for warranty and damage claims between Client and Provider, while each Provider sets their own prices and their own warranty terms.
NorTech facilitates the relationship between Client and Provider; it does not itself perform the work. NorTech's platform handles both smaller jobs priced under $1,000, performed under the California handyman exemption, and larger or licensed jobs, which are bid on and priced by the licensed Provider and matched only to a Provider NorTech has independently verified holds a current, valid state contractor license (see Section 16).
Providers are independent contractors — they are not employees, partners, or agents of NorTech. Each Provider chooses which jobs to accept and may decline any job or work for others. NorTech does not control the manner or means by which a Provider performs work; Providers determine their own methods, tools, and sequence of work and are responsible for the work they perform.
Each Provider is responsible for holding any license, registration, or exemption required for the work they accept (see Section 16). When you book a Job through the Platform, these Terms — together with your Booking and any approved change orders — form the agreement governing that individual Job between you and the Provider you chose.
If you request one or more additional professionals for the same visit, each additional professional's work is booked, priced, and scoped as its own separate Job with its own separate Provider and agreement under Section 16 — it is never combined with any other Job at the same visit.
5. Accounts & Security
Some features require an account. You agree to provide accurate information, keep it current, and keep your credentials confidential. You are responsible for activity under your account. Notify us promptly of any unauthorized use. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or are used unlawfully.
6. Bookings, Estimates & Pricing
In short. The price is disclosed before you pay. A change after on-site assessment needs your approval before work continues.
Each Provider sets their own price for the work they offer. The price for your Job, and the Provider who set it, are shown before you authorize payment, and you choose the Provider.
Estimates generated online or by our assistant ("Nova") are good-faith approximations based on the information provided and may change after on-site assessment; any change is disclosed and requires your approval before work proceeds (see Section 8). A Booking is confirmed when you receive confirmation from the Platform. Scheduling windows are estimates and are not guaranteed.
Each Provider sets their own rate for the services they offer. The price shown for your Booking is the rate of the Provider you choose, and it is locked when you book. NorTech does not set, suggest or recommend prices, and does not choose a Provider for you.
NorTech collects payment through the Platform and retains a platform access fee from the Provider’s share of that price; that fee is separate from the booking fee in Section 7 and does not change what you pay.
7. Deposits, Payment & TaxesKey terms
In short. Under $1,000 there is no deposit: the full price is held on your card and charged when the job is done. At $1,000 and over, your pro may ask for a capped deposit, charged only when they accept; the rest is held.
For Jobs under $1,000, no deposit is taken: the full job price is authorized as a hold on your payment method at booking and charged when the Job is completed. If the booking is cancelled, the Cancellation Policy applies and the unused portion of the hold is released.
For Jobs of $1,000 or more, the Provider may ask for a deposit of up to 10% of the job price or $1,000, whichever is less (the limit California law sets), shown before you book; there is no deposit unless the Provider asks for one. A deposit is authorized at booking and charged only when the Provider accepts your request, and released if they do not.
The remainder is authorized as a hold and charged on completion. If a card hold lapses before completion, you authorize us to charge your saved payment method for the same amount when the Job is complete. Payments are processed by our third-party payment processor; NorTech does not store full card numbers.
You authorize us to charge your selected payment method for the held amount, any deposit on Jobs of $1,000 or more, approved change orders, and any applicable taxes, fees, or surcharges. NorTech's booking fee, shown before you pay and listed as its own line on your invoice, is added to the job price.
The booking fee also applies to each facility work order and maintenance-plan visit, and is shown separately from the pro's price on the facility invoice. It is included in the held amount, charged when the Job is completed, and released with the hold if the Booking is cancelled. It is not part of what the Provider is paid. NorTech rents no tools or equipment.
A Provider may list a charge for a specialty tool they bring, at their own price; it is charged only if you accept it before booking, and it is part of the Job price. Prices exclude taxes unless stated.
Dispute a charge for the work with the Provider first, through your client portal, before initiating a chargeback; NorTech handles questions about its own booking fee and duplicate charges directly.
8. Scope of Work & Change OrdersKey terms
In short. Nothing is added without your digital approval. A verbal yes binds no one.
A Job covers only the specific tasks described in your Booking and any approved change orders; anything not described in the Booking is outside the scope of the Job and is not authorized until approved. If a Job requires work beyond the original scope, a written change order describing the additional work and its price will be provided for your approval.
Work on the additional scope does not begin until you give digital approval (for example, by approving it in your client portal or by electronic signature); no verbal change order is binding.
If the cumulative scope of a Job, including every approved change order, grows to meet or exceed the $1,000 threshold described in Section 16, the additional scope is instead bid on and priced by a state-licensed Provider under Section 16.
9. Materials
Unless your Booking states otherwise, the Provider supplies the standard materials reasonably necessary for the Job, and their cost is included within the price. Special-order, premium, or Client-requested materials are sold by the Provider at the Provider's own prices on a materials bill that you approve before anything is charged; NorTech processes the payment.
Where NorTech is required by law to collect sales tax on those materials as a marketplace facilitator, the tax is added to the bill and shown before you approve. Materials supplied by the Client are used at the Client's risk and are not covered by the Workmanship Warranty. Title to materials installed passes to the Client on payment for the Job.
10. Cancellations, Rescheduling & RefundsKey terms
In short. Each pro sets their own cancellation policy within published limits, and you see it before you book. With less notice than it allows, a share of the job total applies.
Each Provider sets their own cancellation policy within limits published in the Cancellation Policy: a free-notice window of 12, 24, or 48 hours; a late-cancellation fee of up to 50% of the job total; and a fee for a no-show, lockout, or service refused after the Provider has traveled to the site of up to 50% of the job total (with a minimum of up to $75), never lower than the late-cancellation fee.
The Provider's policy is shown before you book and is saved with your Booking, so a later change by the Provider does not apply to it. If no Provider was chosen when you booked, the standard policy applies (24 hours; 30%; 50%, minimum $50), and no late-cancellation fee applies while no Provider has accepted the Job.
If the Provider you chose declines, does not answer in time, or cancels, you are told and may choose another Provider or cancel free; NorTech does not choose a Provider for you. If no Provider has accepted the Job by its scheduled time, the Booking is cancelled and everything you paid is refunded.
If the Provider has not arrived and started within 75 minutes of the scheduled time and has not cancelled, the Booking is cancelled, everything you paid is refunded, and you may book another Provider; the missed visit is shown on that Provider's public profile. Cancellations made with at least the policy's notice receive a full refund.
In each case the fee is taken from the amount held or paid and the rest of the hold is released, or refunded to your original payment method. You may stop a job that is underway at any time.
If a job is stopped 30 or more minutes after the provider starts, the full job price is due as the agreed price for ending a job already underway, in place of completing it (a stop within the first 30 minutes is treated as a no-show).
A bid you accept, or a booking for work that needs a licensed contractor, can be cancelled free of charge within three business days of accepting it, as long as work has not begun. You may reschedule free with at least the policy's notice (up to three times); a reschedule with less notice makes the late-cancellation share of the job total non-refundable instead of charging a separate fee.
NorTech may cancel or reschedule a Booking due to unsafe conditions, weather, Provider unavailability, or suspected fraud, with a full refund of amounts paid for the cancelled Job. These fees are a reasonable, agreed estimate of the loss a late cancellation or no-show causes the Provider (reserved time, travel and turned-away work), a loss that is impracticable to measure exactly.
A fee that is kept is shared between the Provider and NorTech the same way the job price would have been. See the Cancellation Policy for full details.
11. Client Responsibilities & Site Access
In short. Give safe access, accurate information and a clear work area.
You agree to: provide safe, lawful access to the work area at the scheduled time; provide accurate information about the Job and the property; disclose known hazards (e.g., asbestos, lead paint, mold, pests, electrical, plumbing, or structural issues); secure pets and children away from the work area; remove or secure valuables and fragile items near the work area; obtain any landlord, HOA, or owner authorization required; and obtain permits where required unless separately contracted.
If access is denied, delayed, or unsafe, the Provider may decline to begin or may pause the Job, and is not responsible for delays caused by lack of access. Delays, damage, or extra work caused by undisclosed conditions, inaccurate information, or denied access may affect pricing, scheduling, or the warranty.
12. Permits
Where the work you book requires a permit, obtaining that permit is the property owner's responsibility unless your Booking expressly states otherwise.
Work that requires a permit generally requires a licensed contractor; NorTech offers such work through the Platform by inviting bids and matching it to a Provider NorTech has independently verified holds a current, valid state contractor license (see Section 16). The Provider is not responsible for performing or inspecting permitted work outside the scope of the Job.
13. Safety & Work Conditions
The Provider may pause or decline work if conditions at the property are unsafe, unsanitary, or present a risk to people or property, including the presence of suspected hazardous or regulated materials such as asbestos, lead paint, or mold. The Provider is not required to perform work that cannot be done safely or lawfully. You agree to maintain a reasonably safe environment for the Job.
NorTech does not itself test for or remove regulated materials. Where testing or remediation is offered through the Platform, it is arranged only as a custom estimate with a specialist who holds the certifications the work requires; otherwise it must be handled by a qualified, appropriately licensed specialist you arrange.
14. Pre-Existing & Hidden Conditions
In short. Hidden conditions are the property’s risk, not the provider’s. If one appears, work pauses until you approve the next step.
Neither NorTech nor the Provider is responsible for pre-existing conditions, or for hidden, latent, or concealed conditions that were not disclosed and could not reasonably have been discovered before the Job — including hidden water damage, mold, asbestos, lead paint, knob-and-tube or other concealed wiring, concealed structural defects, and pest infestation.
If such a condition is encountered, the Provider may pause the Job, and any additional or remediation work — if possible within scope — requires a change order under Section 8. To the extent permitted by law, the risk of undisclosed or concealed conditions is allocated to the Client. These risks are described in further detail in our separate Waiver & Assumption of Risk.
15. Workmanship WarrantyKey terms
In short. Each pro sets their own warranty, never shorter than 30, 60 or 90 days for repairs or 72 hours for exterior cleaning. The pro who did the work answers your claim; you accept or decline. NorTech provides the tools and never decides a claim.
Completed repair and installation Jobs are backed by a limited workmanship warranty that the Provider sets for each service and that is never shorter than the minimum published on the Satisfaction Guarantee page (30, 60, or 90 days by service type). The Provider's own terms for the service are shown on their menu before you book and on your warranty card after the Job.
Exterior cleaning and maintenance services (such as window cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing and lawn care) are instead backed by a 72-hour satisfaction guarantee on the terms published there. Interior cleaning services carry no warranty or guarantee window; the Provider completes them with a walkthrough with you at the end of the Job.
This warranty is provided by the Provider who performed the Job — NorTech does not itself warrant or guarantee the work; it provides the claim tools. The warranty covers defects in workmanship only.
If covered work is not right within the warranty window, the Provider makes it right at no additional charge by re-performing or correcting the work or, if you accept it, by a refund the Provider offers. You file the claim through the Platform; the Provider answers within 72 hours with a return visit, a refund offer, or a reason for declining; and you accept or decline.
NorTech does not decide claims. It keeps the record, photos, and messages, and carries out a refund you accept. If the Provider does not answer in time, you may book another Provider and keep the record. The warranty does not cover misuse, modification, accidents, normal wear and tear, pre-existing conditions, materials supplied by the Client, or work declined at the final walkthrough.
To the extent permitted by law, this warranty is the exclusive remedy for workmanship issues and is in lieu of all other warranties.
16. Licensing, the Handyman Exemption & Licensed-Contractor Jobs
In short. Under $1,000 with no permit: independent professionals under California’s handyman exemption. Anything larger, or that requires a license, goes only to a verified licensed contractor.
NorTech is a technology platform connecting Clients with independent service Providers. Smaller Jobs — under $1,000 total (labor and materials), with no building permit required — are performed under the California handyman exemption (B&P Code §7048, as amended by AB 2622 effective Jan 1, 2025), and NorTech applies that threshold to every Booking.
Larger Jobs, and any work that legally requires a license regardless of price (including permit, structural, electrical-panel, gas-line, and main-line plumbing work), are bid on, with each licensed Provider setting their own price, and matched only to a Provider NorTech has independently verified holds a current, valid state contractor license in the relevant classification — this work is matched directly through the Platform, not referred to an outside contractor.
Each independent Provider remains responsible for operating within the handyman exemption or holding any license required for the work they accept. Providers who work under the exemption are not licensed contractors, and the Platform says so plainly. See our License Disclosure for details.
This Section applies to a Job booked through the residential Platform described in these Terms; it does not apply to a separate commercial facility-services agreement (see Section 1), which is governed by its own contract and pricing.
17. Photos & Documentation
Before-and-after photos are taken on every Job for quality assurance, warranty, and dispute resolution, and are stored in your portal. With your consent given at booking, de-identified photos may be used in marketing. See our Privacy Policy for details.
18. Reviews & User Content
You may submit reviews, ratings, photos, and other Content. You are responsible for your Content and represent that you have the rights to submit it and that it is accurate and lawful. You grant NorTech a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to use, host, reproduce, and display your Content in connection with the Services and NorTech's marketing.
We may moderate, decline, or remove Content but are not obligated to monitor it.
19. Acceptable Use
You agree not to: use the Services unlawfully or for non-permitted work; harass, threaten, or discriminate against any person; misrepresent your identity or a Job; attempt to circumvent the Platform's pricing, payment, or licensing safeguards; interfere with or attempt to breach the security of the Services; scrape, reverse-engineer, or copy the Platform; or post false, infringing, or harmful Content.
20. Intellectual Property
The Platform, including its software, design, text, graphics, and the NorTech name and logo, is owned by NorTech or its licensors and protected by law. We grant you a limited, revocable, non-transferable license to use the Services for their intended purpose. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
21. Background Checks & Vetting
Independent Providers are background-checked and identity-verified before performing work. Vetting reduces but does not eliminate risk, and NorTech does not guarantee the future conduct of any person. Where consumer reports are used, they are handled in accordance with applicable law, including the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) where it applies.
22. Promotions, Referrals & Pro Rewards
Independent professionals may offer their own discounts and reward points (for example, a first-job discount, a discount for adding a second professional to the same visit, or points back on completed jobs that you can spend on a later job with the same professional).
A professional sets, funds and may change their own discounts and rewards, and reward points can be used only with the professional who gave them. From time to time NorTech may also offer referral credit for bringing a new customer or professional to the Platform.
These are subject to additional posted terms, may be modified or withdrawn, have no cash value unless required by law, and may not be combined unless stated. Rewards obtained through fraud or abuse may be revoked.
23. Third-Party Services
The Services rely on third-party providers for payments, messaging, email, hosting and storage. Your use of those features may be subject to their terms, and NorTech is not responsible for third-party services. Links to third-party sites are provided for convenience and are not endorsements.
24. DisclaimersKey terms
In short. Outside the express warranty, the services are provided as is, to the extent the law allows.
Except for the express Workmanship Warranty in Section 15, the Services and the Platform are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.
25. Limitation of LiabilityKey terms
In short. NorTech’s liability for a job is capped at what you paid for it, except where the law does not allow a cap.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, NorTech and its owners, officers, and affiliates, and the Provider, will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or relating to the Services or a Job.
NorTech's total aggregate liability for any claim relating to a Job is limited to the amount you paid for that Job. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law, including liability for gross negligence or willful misconduct.
26. IndemnificationKey terms
In short. You answer for claims that come from your breach, your content, false information, or conditions you did not disclose.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless NorTech and its owners, officers, and affiliates, and the Provider, from claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your breach of these Terms, your Content, your inaccurate information, your violation of law or the rights of others, or conditions at your property that you failed to disclose.
NorTech and the Provider will be responsible to you to the extent required by applicable law for their gross negligence or willful misconduct.
27. Insurance
Each Provider must carry their own general liability insurance with a minimum of $1,000,000 per occurrence; NorTech does not insure the work. Your Provider’s Certificate of Insurance is sent to you automatically before your Job starts (about four hours before the scheduled time), and you can request it sooner through your client portal.
A Provider’s insurance is subject to that policy’s own terms, conditions, and exclusions. The insurance requirement is summarized on the License Disclosure page.
28. Dispute Resolution & Binding ArbitrationKey terms
In short. Disputes go to individual arbitration in Santa Clara County after a 30-day attempt to resolve them. No class actions. Small-claims court stays open. You may opt out within 30 days of accepting these terms by emailing legal@nortech.site.
Please read this section carefully. It affects how disputes are resolved. First, try to resolve the issue informally: take a problem with the work to the Provider through the claim process in Section 29, then contact us.
If it is not resolved within 30 days, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Services, or a Job will be resolved by binding arbitration administered by JAMS under its consumer arbitration rules and minimum standards, rather than in court, except that either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court.
The arbitration will be held in the county where you live, or by video or telephone if you prefer. Arbitration is on an individual basis: you and NorTech waive any right to a jury trial and to bring or join a class, collective, or representative action.
Public injunctive relief. Nothing in this Section waives your right to seek public injunctive relief in court. If a claim for public injunctive relief is brought, it will proceed in court and any other claims will be stayed until it is resolved. If the waiver of class, collective, or representative actions is found unenforceable as to a claim, that claim will be decided in court, not in arbitration.
You may opt out of arbitration by emailing legal@nortech.site within 30 days of first accepting these Terms; opting out does not affect the other provisions. Allocation of arbitration fees is governed by the JAMS consumer rules, and you are never required to pay more than the filing fee those rules set.
29. Billing Disputes, Warranty-First Resolution & ChargebacksKey terms
In short. Take a problem with the work or its charge to your pro first: they answer within 72 hours and you decide. NorTech handles its own booking fee and duplicate charges. Your right to dispute a charge with your bank is untouched.
Completed Jobs are backed by the warranty or guarantee that applies to the service (Section 15): if covered work is not right within the stated window, the Provider makes it right at no additional charge through the warranty-claim process. If you are unhappy with a Job or a charge for the work, raise it with the Provider first through your client portal.
The Provider answers within 72 hours with a return visit, a refund offer, or a reason; you decide whether to accept, NorTech keeps the record, and NorTech carries out any refund you accept. If the Provider does not answer in time, you may book another Provider. Questions about NorTech's own booking fee or a duplicate charge go to NorTech directly, through your client portal or legal@nortech.site.
Nothing in these Terms limits your right to dispute a charge with your bank or card issuer, including under federal billing-error rules. If you do file a dispute, you authorize NorTech to share with the card network and your card issuer the Booking record, before-and-after photos, completion confirmation, your communications, and these Terms as evidence that the Services were authorized and performed.
Nothing in this Section limits or waives any right you may have that cannot be waived under applicable law.
30. Governing Law & Venue
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to Section 28, the exclusive venue for any permitted court action is Santa Clara County, California.
31. Electronic Communications & E-SIGN Consent
NorTech — 2570 N First St, San Jose, CA 95131 · legal@nortech.site
32. Force Majeure
NorTech is not liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, fire, severe weather, power or network outages, labor disputes, supply-chain failures, government action, or public-health emergencies.
33. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be posted here with an updated effective date and, where appropriate, notified to you. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, stop using the Services.
34. Termination
You may stop using the Services at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access for violation of these Terms, suspected fraud or unlawful use, or to protect the Services or other users. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including payment obligations, warranty, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution) will survive.
35. General
These Terms, together with your Booking, any approved change orders, the Privacy Policy, the Satisfaction Guarantee, the Cancellation Policy, the Waiver & Assumption of Risk, and any posted program terms, are the entire agreement between you and NorTech regarding the Services and any Job. If any provision is unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. There are no third-party beneficiaries except that the Provider is an intended beneficiary of the provisions that protect the Provider.
Notices to you may be sent to the contact information on your account; notices to us go to legal@nortech.site.
36. Recurring Plans
In short. Recurring plans renew on the cadence you choose until you pause or cancel in your portal.
Some independent professionals run a service as a recurring plan (for example, weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly visits). A recurring plan is your standing request to the same Provider at the cadence you choose; it is not a subscription and nothing is billed for the plan itself.
A few days before each visit, NorTech sends that visit to the Provider as a Booking request at the Provider's price on that day, which may differ from an earlier visit, and places the same card hold on your saved payment method that any Booking takes. The Provider accepts or declines each request.
If they decline or do not answer, you choose another Provider for that visit or cancel it free, and the hold is released. Each visit is charged like any Booking, only after the Provider accepts and when the job is done. We notify you each time a visit is sent.
You may pause or cancel a recurring plan at any time from your client portal; it takes effect immediately and no further visits are requested. An individual visit under a recurring plan is a Booking like any other and is separately subject to Sections 6–15 (including the same cancellation, rescheduling, and no-show terms); cancelling or rescheduling one visit does not by itself cancel the plan.
Nothing in this Section limits Section 10's cancellation terms for a one-time Booking.
37. Contact
NorTech — 2570 N First St, San Jose, CA 95131 · legal@nortech.site