Provider Terms of Service

Effective: On publication, when this version is published before 1 December 2026 and before the first business or household that is not eznest's own test account opens an account on eznest. When it is published after either of those has happened, it takes effect thirty (30) days after eznest notifies it to Providers by email and in-Platform notification, under §24.1. Until 1 December 2026, or until the first business or household that is not eznest's own test account opens an account on eznest, whichever comes first, eznest publishes changes to these Terms with effect on publication; from then on, the notice rule in §24.1 applies.

What changed in 2.8. Version 2.7 said in §4.4 that the Platform "does not check whether a Client is a Quebec resident." That stopped being true when eznest began refusing Quebec addresses. Version 2.8 says what the Platform does: it refuses a Quebec address at household sign-up, when a home is created, in a business's service areas and when the business is activated, when a listing is claimed, on a work request, on a booking and in Garage coverage, and it treats an address as Quebec's when its province is Quebec or its postal code begins with G, H or J. It also says that the check reads only the province and postal code it is given, and that it is not a finding that any person is or is not a Quebec resident. The Provider's agreement in §4.4, and the statement that eznest asks the Provider for no attestation, are unchanged.

This version replaces a statement the Platform no longer backed with a description of what it does, and adds no obligation on a Provider, so it is a non-material correction under §24.3. It takes effect when this version is posted, and eznest sends no notice of it under §24.1. The Effective line above, which governs the changes made in version 2.3, is unchanged. Nothing else in these Terms changes.

What changed in 2.7. Version 2.6 said nothing about a review of a Provider's business by a person at eznest before the business takes new work in a trade. Version 2.7 adds §4.5, which says which trades eznest reviews by hand, that a business gets no new work through the Platform in such a trade until eznest approves its review, what that does and does not stop, what the review looks at, and how the Provider learns the outcome. It limits what a Provider can do on the Platform from the day it starts, so it is a material change under §24.1. It adds no fee and no new obligation on a Provider. The review is built and switched off for every Provider, and §4.5(a) says it is switched on only on a day eznest names in a notice by email and in-Platform notification given at least thirty (30) days before that day. That notice is the §24.1 notice for this version, so §4.5 has effect only from a date that is at least thirty days after it, whichever way the Effective line above applies to a version published today. The acceptance version of these Terms is unchanged. Nothing else in these Terms changes. Section by section against 2.6:

• §4.5. New: eznest's review of some trades by hand, in seven paragraphs (a) to (g).
• §4.1 and §7.3. Each adds one sentence that points to §4.5. Neither adds a rule of its own.

What changed in 2.6. Version 2.5 said nothing about a connection between the Platform and a Provider's QuickBooks Online company. Version 2.6 adds §5.3, which says what the connection is, who may make it, what eznest sends Intuit when the Provider's business starts a sync (the Client household's name and, for each charged milestone, an invoice carrying the Project's request text, the milestone's title, the amount before tax, the charge date and an eznest reference number, and no Client street address, email address or phone number), what Intuit sends back, and how the Provider disconnects and what that does and does not remove. It gives a Provider something it could not do before and describes a new party that will receive Client personal information on the Provider's instruction, so it is a material change under §24.1. It adds no fee and no new obligation: the Provider's duties under §14.2 for Client personal information it holds are the ones already there. The QuickBooks connection is switched off for every Provider, and §5.3(a) says it is switched on only on a day eznest names in a notice by email and in-Platform notification given at least thirty (30) days before that day. That notice is the §24.1 notice for this version, so §5.3 has effect only from a date that is at least thirty days after it, whichever way the Effective line above applies to a version published today. The acceptance version of these Terms is unchanged. Nothing else in these Terms changes. Section by section against 2.5:

• §5.3. New: the QuickBooks Online connection, in six paragraphs (a) to (f).

What changed in 2.5. Version 2.4 set out eznest's two fees, the 10% Marketplace Service Fee and the 0.5% Payment Facilitation Fee, and said in §9.11 only that applicable GST/HST on an eznest fee would be shown separately. Version 2.5 says that both fees are plus applicable GST/HST, and how eznest charges it on a Payment Through eznest: at the rate for the province of the Provider's business, taken with the fees as part of the application fee, returned in proportion on a refund, and stated on a fee receipt that names eznest's GST/HST registration number. It changes what a Provider pays, so it is a material change under §24.1. It takes effect as the Effective line above states. Section by section against 2.4:

• The opening paragraph, §1 and §9.1. The Marketplace Service Fee and the Payment Facilitation Fee are each stated as plus applicable GST/HST.
• §9.2(a) and §9.3. Each fee is plus applicable GST/HST under §9.11.
• §9.7. The examples show the GST/HST on eznest's fees for a Provider in Ontario.
• §9.8(a) and (e). A refund returns the GST/HST on eznest's fees in the same proportion as the fees.
• §9.9(c) and (h). The application fee is the fees plus the GST/HST on them, and the record of each charge keeps that tax.
• §9.11. Rewritten: how eznest charges GST/HST on its fees on a Payment Through eznest, the fee receipt for each charge, and what happens where the Provider's recorded province has no rate on the Platform.
• §9.12(f). The application fee on a Seasonal Plan charge also carries the GST/HST on eznest's fees.

What changed in 2.4. Version 2.3 said in §4.4 that the Provider agrees to attest non-Quebec status during onboarding. No onboarding on the eznest website, the iPhone app or the Android app asks a Provider for that attestation, and eznest records none. §4.4 now says what eznest relies on instead: the Provider's agreement in that section, which the Provider gives by accepting these Terms under §2. It also says that the Platform does not ask for a separate attestation and does not check whether a Client is a Quebec resident. The Provider's agreement not to knowingly contract with Quebec consumers through the Platform, and to cease engagement if it becomes apparent that a Client is a Quebec resident, is unchanged.

This version removes a statement the Platform did not back and adds no obligation on a Provider, so it is a non-material correction under §24.3. The correction to §4.4 takes effect when this version is posted, and eznest sends no notice of it under §24.1. The Effective line above, which governs the changes made in version 2.3, is unchanged. Nothing else in these Terms changes.

What changed in 2.3. Version 2.2 listed in §3.2 two onboarding steps that eznest's onboarding does not have, configuring a Workflow template and completing platform training, and it described the §3.1 eligibility statements as conditions of registering, although onboarding asks for none of them. Version 2.3 lists only what onboarding has, and says that the §3.1 statements are warranties the Provider gives by accepting these Terms. It changes what a Provider is told and what a Provider agrees to, since the Provider now warrants those statements, so it is a material change under §24.1. It takes effect as the Effective line above states. Section by section against 2.2:

• §3.1. The lead-in no longer says a Provider "must" meet the statements to register. The Provider represents and warrants, by creating an Account and accepting these Terms, that each of (a) to (f) is true, and will tell eznest promptly if one stops being true. Onboarding does not ask for these confirmations separately; the warranty is given by acceptance under §2. The statements themselves are unchanged.
• §3.2(c). Removed. Onboarding has no Workflow template step, and eznest has no template for a Provider to configure.
• §3.2(e). Removed. Onboarding has no training module and no separate acknowledgement of the rules. A Provider's agreement to these Terms is given under §2.
• §3.2(d). Is now (c). Its words are unchanged, and the reference to it in the "Connected Account" definition is updated.

A Provider who does not accept this version may terminate the Account at any time under §21.1; §24.2 sets out the Provider's options. Nothing else in these Terms changes.

What changed in 2.2. Version 2.1 described a Payment Through eznest only as a Client's approval of a milestone or a payer's payment of an invoice, and defined the Marketplace Service Fee on Client-approved milestone value alone, with none charged on an unapproved milestone. It did not describe a Seasonal Plan, whose stages eznest charges on their dates under billing terms the Client's household accepted, or a plan's overage visits, which the household approves one by one. Version 2.2 describes both as the Platform charges them, and the fees eznest receives on them. It changes what a Provider is told and what a Provider agrees to, so it is a material change under §24.1. It takes effect as the Effective line above states. Section by section against 2.1:

• Opening paragraph. A Payment Through eznest now includes a Seasonal Plan charge, and §9.12 is named.
• §1. "Payment Through eznest" adds a Seasonal Plan stage invoice charged on its date and an overage invoice charged on the household's approval. "Marketplace Service Fee" adds the Seasonal Plan payments it is charged on. A definition of "Seasonal Plan" is added.
• §5.1(i) and §5.2(a). Payment collection and the statement that eznest holds no Client funds now cover a Seasonal Plan stage charged on its date and an overage visit charged on approval.
• §9.1. The Marketplace rail's fee basis and transaction state, and the Direct Client rail's transaction state, include Seasonal Plan invoices.
• §9.2(a) to (c). The Marketplace Service Fee is also ten percent of each Seasonal Plan stage, and each approved overage visit, that eznest charges on the Marketplace rail. Paragraph (b) no longer reads as though a fee arises only on an approved milestone: it lists what carries no fee. Paragraph (c) points to §9.12(c) for when a plan's rail and rate are fixed.
• §9.3. Says that the 0.5% Payment Facilitation Fee, like the Marketplace Service Fee in §9.2(a), is calculated on the principal exclusive of the Provider's taxes, which is how eznest calculates it on every rail. Version 2.1 said "of the payment principal" without that.
• §9.6(e). New. When a Seasonal Plan's rail, rate and policy version are fixed, and what the Provider is shown.
• §9.9(a), (e) and (f). Add the Seasonal Plan charge, the conditions it needs, and who is charged.
• §9.10. A Seasonal Plan payment is never on a monthly statement.
• §9.12. New. How a Seasonal Plan is charged: its rail, the billing terms the household accepts, the charge on each stage's date, overage visits, the fees eznest receives, and what ending the plan stops.

A Provider who does not accept this version may terminate the Account at any time under §21.1; §24.2 sets out the Provider's options. Nothing else in these Terms changes.

What changed in 2.1. Version 2.0 said that eznest operates no performance measure, and that the Work Record it had published in advance is not in operation until these Terms are amended and the change notified under §12.4(e). Version 2.1 is that amendment. It describes the Work Record as eznest calculates and shows it, and it says when the Work Record begins. It changes what a Provider is told and what a Provider agrees to, so eznest treats it as a material change under §24.1 and notifies it to every Provider by email and in-Platform notification. It takes effect as the Effective line above states. Section by section against 2.0:

• §12.3, last paragraph. The words "which is not in operation" are replaced by a pointer to §12.4, which says when the Work Record operates. A dispute or complaint still never changes a Trust Level.
• §12.4, heading and second paragraph. The heading names the Work Record. The statement that eznest does not currently operate any performance certification, rating tier or performance score is replaced by the statement that the Work Record is the only performance measure eznest operates. The Bronze, Silver and Gold paragraph is unchanged.
• §12.4(a) to (e). Version 2.0 listed five commitments eznest would meet before any performance measure operated, and then described the Work Record in one paragraph that pointed to an internal design document. Version 2.1 keeps the same letters and says how the Work Record meets each one: (a) it is separate from Trust Level and separately named; (b) its criteria are published at eznest.ca/work-record, summarised here, including that a completed engagement counts whenever it was completed, including before the Work Record began; (c) a Provider sees their own Work Record in the Trust Center; (d) the owner or an administrator appeals an event from the Trust Center, and a person at eznest reviews it; (e) this version is the amendment, the Work Record operates from the date eznest first shows it and no earlier than the date this version takes effect, no Work Record is shown to anyone before then, and a later change to the criteria is notified before it operates.
• §12.4(f). New. The Work Record is not an input to matching or ranking, does not change a Trust Level, its label or the work a Provider may take, and cannot be bought. Version 2.0 said the same in its closing paragraph.
• §12.4(g). Version 2.0's five conditions for a future performance measure are kept, unchanged, for any measure other than the Work Record.

A Provider who does not accept this version may terminate the Account at any time under §21.1; §24.2 sets out the Provider's options. Nothing else in these Terms changes.

What changed in 2.0. Version 1.5 described a beta in which project payments stay outside eznest. Version 2.0 describes how payments work once they run through eznest. It changes what a Provider is told and what a Provider agrees to, so it is a material change under §24.1. It took effect on publication, on 2026-10-12: until 1 December 2026, or until the first business or household that is not eznest's own test account opens an account on eznest, whichever comes first, eznest publishes changes to these Terms with effect on publication, and from then on the notice rule in §24.1 applies. Section by section against 1.5:

• Opening paragraph. The beta sentence is replaced by a statement of the two ways a payment can be made: through eznest, or outside it.
• §1. Two definitions are added: "Connected Account" and "Payment Through eznest."
• §3.2(d). (Numbered (c) from version 2.3.) Names what a Provider must complete before eznest charges a Client for the Provider, and says Stripe's terms with the Provider are separate from these Terms.
• §5.1(f) and new §5.1(i). Dispute support can now end in a refund of a payment eznest processed (§17.5), and payment collection is listed as a Platform service.
• §5.2(a). The statement that Clients pay outside eznest is replaced by the charge-on-approval structure: a charge on the Provider's own Connected Account, eznest receiving only its fees, and no custody, trust account, pooled account or Provider balance at eznest.
• §9.1 and §9.6(b). The "pending" and "will be" wording is replaced by when each rail is charged and snapshotted.
• §9.4. The activation conditions for the Direct Client and Pro-to-Pro rails are stated as conditions eznest applies before it enables those rails for an invoice.
• §9.8(e) to (i). A refund of principal is paid from the Provider's Connected Account; eznest then returns both fee components to that account in proportion; a refund is complete only when both have been confirmed; a statutory cooling-off refund is made without the Provider's approval; and eznest does not reverse its fees on a payment that a card-network dispute reverses.
• §9.9 and §9.10. Version 1.5's §9.9 ("Current beta operation") is split. The new §9.9 sets out how a Payment Through eznest works: who is charged, when, what eznest receives and what the Provider receives. The new §9.10 keeps the monthly Marketplace Service Fee statement for work that is paid outside eznest. Taxes on eznest fees move from §9.10 to §9.11.
• §17.2. Version 1.5 said a Client's silence beyond a three-business-day sign-off period results in auto-approval of a milestone. eznest does not approve a milestone for a Client, so the section now says that approval is the Client's alone. This corrects a statement the Platform did not back; it also matters here, because with payments on an approval is a charge.
• §17.1, §17.3 and new §17.5. The statements that dispute support "moves no money while payments are disabled" and that an eznest outcome does not "move money" are replaced. A marketplace administrator's decision in the Client's favour or a split decision can refund a payment eznest processed, from the Provider's Connected Account. §17.5 sets out exactly when, how much, and the Provider's agreement to it. A decision in the Provider's favour or still under review moves no money, and nothing paid outside eznest is ever refunded through eznest.

A Provider who does not accept this version may terminate the Account at any time under §21.1.

This version applies to Projects awarded before it took effect. From the effective date, a Client's approval of a milestone on a Project awarded earlier is a Payment Through eznest when §9.9(e) holds.

What changed in 1.5. The definition of "Bronze Certification" / "Silver Certification" / "Gold Certification" in §1 still described them as "performance-tier badges eznest awards based on a Provider's track record" — the wording 1.2 removed from §12 and that §12.4 contradicts. The definition now says what §12.4 says: they are display labels for the credential Trust Levels (L1 Bronze, L2 Silver, L3 or above Gold), earned solely by reviewed credentials, never by performance. No representation has grown; a definition that contradicted its own operative clause has been made to agree with it, and the effective date is unchanged for the reason given for 1.2.

What changed in 1.4. §12.1 said every piece of Trust Level evidence other than email was a document the Provider uploads and an administrator looks at. Since 2026-09-11 the platform also accepts Stripe's outcome on a connected account — enabled for charges, nothing outstanding — as the L1 business-registration evidence, without an upload or an administrator; §12.1 now says so, says it reaches L1 only, and says it is Stripe's determination on records eznest cannot see. Nothing eznest claims to verify itself has grown, no obligation on a Provider changed, and the effective date is unchanged for the reason given for 1.2.

What changed in 1.3. §12 and the Trust Level definition said Trust Levels rest on "verified credentials". They rest on credentials a Provider uploads and an eznest administrator reviews by eye; eznest does not confirm any document with its issuer, regulator or insurer, and the Homeowner Marketplace Agreement has told clients exactly that since 2026-09-01. The word "verified" is gone wherever it implied more; §12.1 now says what a review is and is not; §10.2(d) says what an expiry does — the level is recomputed and a Project that needs the higher level refuses the bid; and two cross-references that pointed at §13 (intellectual property) now point at §12. This version again claims less than the one before it — it removes a representation eznest could not back and adds no obligation on a Provider — so the effective date is unchanged for the reason given for 1.2.

What changed in 1.2. §12 previously said Trust Level was based partly on "performance metrics" and that eznest "may award performance certifications … based on completed Project count, average client rating, dispute rate." Neither was true: eznest operates no performance measure of any kind. §12 now states the credential criteria in full, states plainly that no performance measure exists, and corrects Bronze/Silver/Gold: they are the display labels for the credential Trust Levels, not separate performance certifications. This version claims less than 1.1 did, not more — it removes statements eznest could not back and adds no obligation on a Provider, so the terms of the bargain accepted on 2026-09-01 are unchanged and the effective date is unchanged with them.

These Terms apply to every service provider account. A Client's payment for a Provider's work is made in one of two ways: through eznest, as a Payment Through eznest, or directly to the Provider outside eznest. A Payment Through eznest is a charge on the Provider's own Connected Account that eznest makes when the Client approves a milestone or the payer pays an invoice, or, for a Seasonal Plan, when a stage falls due or the Client's household approves an overage visit under the plan's accepted billing terms; eznest never holds the money. Section 9.9 sets out how it works, §9.10 sets out how work paid outside eznest is billed, and §9.12 sets out how a Seasonal Plan is charged. The commercial policy uses three server-assigned rails. Eznest-originated marketplace work carries a 10% Marketplace Service Fee. Every payment processed by eznest carries a separate 0.5% Payment Facilitation Fee plus actual payment-processing fees. Both eznest fees are plus applicable GST/HST (§9.11). A rail is enabled for a payment only when the Platform can prove eligibility, disclose every fee, settle funds, and reconcile refunds and ledger entries.

1. Definitions

In these Terms, the following capitalized words have the following meanings:

"Account" means the registered account a Provider creates and maintains on the Platform.

"Bronze Certification" / "Silver Certification" / "Gold Certification" means the display labels for the credential Trust Levels in §12.1 — Bronze for L1, Silver for L2, Gold for L3 or above — as §12.4 sets out. They are not performance tiers and are not awarded on a Provider's track record.

"Client" means a Person who uses the Platform to engage a Provider for services, including homeowners, renters, and businesses.

"Connected Account" means the Provider's own Stripe account that the Provider connects to the Platform in the Stripe Connect onboarding described in §3.2(c). The Provider, not eznest, holds that account and is the merchant for every charge made on it.

"Payment Through eznest" means a payment that eznest charges on a Provider's Connected Account under §9.9: a Client's approval of a milestone on the Marketplace rail; a payer's payment of an invoice on the Direct Client or Pro-to-Pro rail; or, under §9.12, a Seasonal Plan stage invoice charged on its date, or a Seasonal Plan overage invoice charged on the Client household's approval, on whichever rail the plan carries.

"Marketplace Service Fee" means the fee charged to the Provider, for a relationship or Project originated through eznest matching, on client-approved milestone value and on the Seasonal Plan stages and approved overage visits that eznest charges on the Marketplace rail under §9.12, as described in Section 9. The rate is ten percent (10%) for every new obligation governed by this version of these Terms, plus applicable GST/HST (§9.11).

"Seasonal Plan" means a plan a Provider publishes on the Platform under which the Provider attends a Client's property during a season whenever the conditions the plan states are met, such as a snowfall, rather than on a visit the Client books, together with the plan's dated payment stages and any season snowfall cap and overage visit price.

"Payment Facilitation Fee" means the eznest fee of one-half of one percent (0.5%) on every payment processed by eznest, regardless of commercial rail, plus applicable GST/HST (§9.11), as described in Section 9.

"Direct Client" means an eligible Provider-owned or imported Client relationship that did not originate through eznest.

"Pro-to-Pro" means an eligible commercial relationship in which one validated eznest business invoices another validated eznest business.

"Payment Processing Fee" means the actual fee charged for processing a payment through Stripe or another disclosed processor. It is separate from both the Marketplace Service Fee and Payment Facilitation Fee and is shown before a payment obligation is accepted.

"Construction Act" means the Construction Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.30, as amended.

"Contract" means the agreement between a Client and a Provider for the performance of Services, entered into through the Platform.

"Platform" means the eznest marketplace, website (eznest.ca), mobile applications, and related services operated by eznest.

"Project" means a specific service engagement between a Client and a Provider that is initiated through the Platform.

"Provider" means a Person, sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation that provides Services through the Platform, including the entity executing these Terms.

"Services" means the labour, materials, and deliverables a Provider supplies to a Client under a Contract.

"Trust Level" means the credential status (L0 through L3) eznest assigns to a Provider based on reviewed credentials only, as set out in §12.1. A review is an eznest administrator looking at the document the Provider uploaded; it is not confirmation with the issuer. Trust Level does not measure performance, workmanship, client satisfaction or dispute history.

"Workflow" means the structured set of milestones, sign-offs, and deliverables that a Project follows on the Platform.

2. Acceptance of these Terms

By creating an Account, completing onboarding, or accessing the Platform, the Provider agrees to be bound by these Terms, the Privacy Policy (incorporated by reference), and any additional terms applicable to specific Platform features.

These Terms constitute a binding agreement between eznest and the Provider. If the Provider is entering these Terms on behalf of a corporation, partnership, or other legal entity, the individual accepting represents that they have full authority to bind that entity.

The Provider may not access or use the Platform if they do not agree to these Terms.

3. Account registration

3.1 Eligibility

By creating an Account and accepting these Terms, the Provider represents and warrants that each of the following is true, and will tell eznest promptly if any of them stops being true:

(a) The Provider is at least eighteen (18) years of age; (b) The Provider is capable of entering into legally binding contracts in Canada; (c) The Provider is not barred from operating a business in Ontario or any other province where the Provider intends to operate; (d) The Provider is not on any sanctions list maintained by the Government of Canada, the United States, or any applicable jurisdiction; (e) If a corporation, the Provider is a corporation in good standing in its jurisdiction of incorporation; (f) The Provider operates a business that is legal in the jurisdiction(s) the Provider serves.

eznest's onboarding does not ask for these confirmations as separate steps. They are given by accepting these Terms.

3.2 Application and onboarding

The Provider agrees to complete the onboarding process described in eznest's published onboarding flow, including:

(a) Providing accurate business identification information; (b) Submitting compliance documentation including but not limited to insurance certificates, applicable trade licenses, and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) clearance certificates; (c) Before eznest charges a Client for the Provider, completing the disclosed Stripe Connect onboarding and payout-readiness steps, so that the Provider's Connected Account is enabled to receive charges and payouts with nothing outstanding on Stripe's requirements. The Connected Account is governed by the Provider's agreement with Stripe, which is separate from these Terms; eznest is not a party to it and does not hold the banking or identity documents the Provider gives Stripe for that account. If the Provider's Connected Account is not ready, eznest does not charge for the Provider, and §9.10 applies to that work.

3.3 Truth and accuracy

The Provider represents and warrants that all information submitted during onboarding and during the use of the Account is true, accurate, complete, and not misleading. The Provider agrees to update Account information promptly upon any material change.

3.4 Account security

The Provider is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of Account credentials and for all activity that occurs under the Account. The Provider agrees to notify eznest promptly of any unauthorized access or suspected security incident.

4. Provider eligibility — categories and geographic scope

4.1 Service category eligibility

The Provider may only use the Platform to offer Services within the categories for which eznest has activated their Account. Some categories require additional credentials (e.g., trade licenses) before a Provider may operate within them; these are gated by the Trust Level system described in Section 12. In the trades listed in §4.5, eznest also reviews the Provider's business by hand before the business takes new work in the trade.

4.2 Geographic eligibility

The Provider may only offer Services to Clients located in the geographic regions for which the Provider has been activated. Eznest may activate, deactivate, or restrict geographic regions at its discretion.

4.3 Regulated categories

During Phases P0–P2 of the Platform's launch (as defined in eznest's published roadmap), the Platform does not support regulated categories including but not limited to: real estate brokerage, legal services, mortgage brokerage, insurance brokerage, and investment advice. The Provider may not offer these services through the Platform until eznest activates them with appropriate licensed-partner intermediation structures.

4.4 Quebec consumers

Until eznest activates Quebec operations (anticipated Phase P3), the Provider may not knowingly contract with Quebec consumers through the Platform. The Provider agrees to cease engagement if it becomes apparent that a Client is a Quebec resident, pending eznest's Quebec compliance launch.

eznest relies on the Provider's agreement in this section, which the Provider gives by accepting these Terms under §2. The Platform does not ask the Provider for a separate attestation during onboarding.

The Platform also refuses a Quebec address itself. It does so at household sign-up, when a home is created, in a business's service areas and when the business is activated, when a listing is claimed, on a work request, on a booking, and in Garage coverage. It treats an address as a Quebec address when its province is Quebec (QC) or its postal code begins with G, H or J. The check reads only the province and postal code it is given. It does not establish where a person lives, and it is not a finding that any person is or is not a Quebec resident, so the Provider's agreement in this section stays in force whatever the Platform has or has not refused.

4.5 Trades eznest reviews by hand

(a) The trades, and the day the review starts. eznest reviews a Provider's business by hand, through a person at eznest, before the business takes new work through the Platform in any of these trades: electrical work; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) work, including HVAC maintenance and work on gas appliances; appliance repair; house cleaning; and handyman work. A trade here is a service category on the Provider's Account (§4.1). Snow removal and other outdoor work are not on the list. eznest adds a trade to the list only by amending this section under §24. It may stop reviewing a trade at any time, and the hold in §4.5(c) then ends for that trade. The review operates only from a day eznest names in a notice to Providers by email and in-Platform notification, given at least thirty (30) days before that day. Until that day eznest holds no Provider in any trade, and §4.5(c) has no effect. (b) What the review looks at. For each of its reviewed trades, eznest asks the person reviewing the Provider's business to do the following: a call with the owner; a check that the Provider's government-issued ID matches the business's registration; a look at the Provider's proof of liability insurance; for electrical work, a lookup of the Provider's licence number on the public register of the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA); for HVAC work and appliance repair, a lookup of the licence number on the public register of the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA); and, for house cleaning, handyman work and appliance repair, which happen inside the home, two references eznest can call. While a review has not been approved, the Provider's Trust Center lists the items eznest needs from the Provider for that trade. An approval records eznest's decision. It does not prove that every call, lookup, document review or reference check took place, and eznest does not call the review a verification. (c) What is held. From the day the review starts, until eznest has approved the Provider's latest review for a trade, the Provider's business gets no new work in that trade through the Platform. In that trade, the business is left out of the matching of new requests and of a Client's shortlist, out of registered-provider search for the trade, Smart Match and the assistant's suggestions, and its service in the trade is not offered on its eznest booking page, its booking link or the booking-times embed on its own website. It cannot take a new booking request, instant booking or waitlist place, submit or be awarded a bid, send a quote or have one accepted, invite a Client onto a Seasonal Plan or enrol a property on one, or accept or be awarded an on-demand job. A quote, bid or invitation already open in the trade cannot be accepted or awarded until the review is approved. A business that adds one of these trades after the review starts is held in that trade in the same way until its review is approved. (d) What stays open. The hold is for one trade at a time: the Provider's other trades carry on as before. The hold does not cancel or change work the Provider already has, including a booking, Project, job, visit, invoice or payment that exists, and the Provider's obligations on that work continue. The Provider's public profile still opens. Public-listing Browse and unfiltered registered-provider search keep their usual rules. A request that a person sends the Provider directly from the request form on the Provider's own website still reaches the Provider. The Provider keeps its Account, its Trust Center and the ability to add the credentials the Trust Center asks for. (e) How the Provider learns the outcome. On the website, the Trust Center's Trade reviews section shows, for each reviewed trade, one of: Waiting for review; Approved, with the date of approval; or Declined, with the reason eznest recorded for the Provider. When a person at eznest approves or declines a review, eznest also sends a notification to the owners and administrators of the Provider's business, naming the trade and, on a decline, the reason, subject to each person's notification settings. eznest's own notes about a review are not shown to the Provider or to a Client. A notification that cannot be delivered does not undo the decision. (f) After a decision. A review that eznest declines is recorded with its reason, and the trade stays held. eznest promises no date for a review and no length of time for it. A person at eznest may record a new review of the same business and trade at any time, and the latest review decides. To ask about a decision, the Provider writes to support@eznest.ca. (g) What an approval is not. An approval is eznest's decision that the business may take new work in that trade through the Platform. It is not a licence, a certification, insurance or a guarantee of the Provider's work, and it is not a representation to any Client that eznest has confirmed any item with a regulator, an insurer or a reference. §12.1 says what a review is and is not, and it applies here. An approval is separate from the Provider's Trust Level and does not change it, and it promises no work (§7.3).

5. Description of Platform services

5.1 What the Platform does

The Platform provides:

(a) Discovery and matching — connecting Providers with Clients seeking their Services; (b) Workflow tools — structured Project management with milestones, sign-offs, photos, checklists, and document storage; (c) Communication — in-Platform messaging between Provider and Client per Project; (d) Reputation system — collection and display of Client reviews and Provider ratings; (e) Trust system — review of the credentials a Provider submits, and Trust Level assignment; (f) Dispute support — an internal record and review process that pauses affected approvals; it is not arbitration and does not bind the parties. It moves money only in the one way §17.5 describes: a refund of a Payment Through eznest; (g) Compliance reminders — tracking of credential expiry, applicable regulatory requirements, and contract obligations; (h) Reporting — financial summaries and operational analytics; (i) Payment collection — where eznest has enabled it for the Provider and the work, charging the Client's saved payment method on the Provider's Connected Account on the Client's approval or, for a Seasonal Plan, on each stage's date under the billing terms the Client's household accepted, recording the charge, and returning eznest's fees on a refund, as §9.9, §9.12 and §9.8 describe.

5.2 What the Platform does NOT do

The Platform expressly does not:

(a) Hold Client funds. A Payment Through eznest is a direct charge made on the Provider's Connected Account when the Client approves, or, for a Seasonal Plan, when a stage falls due or the Client's household approves an overage visit under the plan's accepted billing terms (§9.12). The money is paid to the Provider's Connected Account by Stripe, and eznest receives only its own fees as an application fee on that charge. eznest has no trust account, pooled account, custodial hold or internal balance for a Provider, and it takes no money from a Client before the Client approves the milestone or pays the invoice, or, for a Seasonal Plan, before a stage's date or before the household approves the overage visit. Work that is paid outside eznest is paid directly between the Client and the Provider and eznest does not touch it. (b) Perform the Services itself. Eznest is a marketplace facilitator; the Provider performs the Services under a Contract directly with the Client. (c) Guarantee any specific quantity or value of Projects to the Provider. (d) Provide insurance, indemnify the Provider against project-specific risks, or substitute for the Provider's own insurance. (e) Provide legal, tax, accounting, insurance, securities, mortgage, construction-law, privacy, or payments advice. The Provider should consult qualified professionals for any advice in those areas.

5.3 The QuickBooks Online connection

(a) It is optional, and it starts only on a day eznest names. The Platform offers a connection to the Provider's own QuickBooks Online company, which Intuit Inc. provides. eznest switches it on only on a day it names in a notice to Providers by email and in-Platform notification, given at least thirty (30) days before that day. Until that day the connection does not operate, and eznest sends Intuit nothing about any Provider or Client. Nothing in these Terms requires a Provider to connect. (b) The Provider connects it, and only an owner or admin can. An owner or admin of the Provider's business connects its QuickBooks Online company by signing in on Intuit's own page and granting eznest access to its accounting data. eznest never sees the Provider's Intuit password. The QuickBooks company, and the Provider's agreement with Intuit, are the Provider's own. eznest is not a party to that agreement, and it does not provide Intuit's service. (c) What eznest sends. Only when the Provider's business starts a sync, eznest's server sends Intuit, for each milestone of the Provider's Projects whose card charge succeeded in the year chosen: the Client household's name, as a customer in the Provider's QuickBooks company; and an invoice for that customer carrying the Project's request text and the milestone's title, the amount before tax, the charge date and an eznest reference number. It sends no street address, email address or phone number for a Client, and nothing for a milestone that was not charged. The request text is what the Client wrote, so it holds whatever the Client chose to write. To save the invoice, eznest also reads the company's tax codes and income accounts, and creates an item named "Eznest Services" if the company has none. Intuit sends back sign-in tokens, the company's identifier and the identifiers of the records it holds. The Privacy Policy (§5.2) describes the same flow and where Intuit processes it. (d) Reading back. If eznest separately switches it on, a sync also reads back each invoice eznest sent (its total, its tax and its unpaid balance) and lists any difference from eznest's records. It never changes an eznest money record. (e) Disconnecting. The Provider's owner or admin can disconnect at any time on the Accounting page (Financials, then Accounting, on the website). eznest then asks Intuit to cancel its access, deletes its saved sign-in and its record of what it sent, and keeps its invoices, payments and tax records and the note that the Provider disconnected. What Intuit already holds stays in the Provider's QuickBooks company, and eznest cannot remove it. The Provider may also end the connection from inside QuickBooks, under Intuit's terms. If the Provider connects again, eznest sends its invoices again. (f) The Provider's duties are unchanged. The Client names and invoice text in the Provider's own QuickBooks company are Client personal information in the Provider's hands, and §14.2 applies to them.

6. Provider obligations

6.1 General obligations

The Provider agrees to:

(a) Operate professionally, ethically, and in good faith; (b) Honour Contracts entered with Clients through the Platform; (c) Perform Services to a reasonable professional standard for the relevant trade or category; (d) Comply with all applicable laws including but not limited to Consumer Protection Act, 2002 (Ontario), Construction Act (Ontario), Occupational Health and Safety Act (Ontario), and applicable federal and provincial tax laws; (e) Maintain valid insurance and credentials at the levels required by the Trust Level system (Section 12); (f) Respond to Client communications through the Platform within a reasonable time, generally not exceeding forty-eight (48) hours during normal business operations; (g) Use the Workflow as designed: marking milestones complete only when actually complete, uploading required photos and checklists, and not pressuring Clients to sign off prematurely; (h) Treat Clients with respect; not engage in discrimination based on race, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, family status, or any other prohibited ground under applicable human rights legislation.

6.2 Reporting obligations

The Provider agrees to:

(a) Report all Projects initiated through the Platform, including the full contract value, through the Platform's workflow tools; (b) Not divert Clients introduced through the Platform to off-Platform engagements for the purpose of avoiding the Marketplace Service Fee, except as expressly permitted in Section 15; (c) Promptly report any material adverse events including insurance lapses, license revocations, criminal charges related to the business, or Client safety incidents; (d) Cooperate with eznest's internal dispute-record and review process.

6.3 Construction Act and regulated trade obligations

For Projects that fall within the scope of the Construction Act (Ontario) or analogous construction legislation in other provinces:

(a) The Provider acknowledges the Construction Act 10% holdback obligation and represents that the Provider's contract with the Client provides for proper holdback retention by the Client for the statutory 60-day lien period; (b) The Provider, not eznest, is the party obligated to comply with the Construction Act, including but not limited to: serving statutory notices, complying with prompt-payment timelines, and managing lien rights; (c) The Provider acknowledges that eznest's Workflow tools include reminders and tracking but that ultimate compliance responsibility rests with the Provider; (d) The Provider warrants that all trade work performed under the Platform's auspices is performed by individuals holding the licences and certifications required by the regulator with jurisdiction (e.g., Skilled Trades Ontario, Electrical Safety Authority).

6.4 Tax obligations

(a) The Provider is solely responsible for collecting, reporting, and remitting all applicable taxes, including HST/GST and any provincial sales taxes, on Services provided to Clients. (b) The Provider acknowledges that eznest may issue T4A Box 048 slips, T5018 Statements of Contract Payments, or analogous documents reflecting payments related to Platform activity, where required by law. (c) The Provider warrants that it holds a valid Business Number with the Canada Revenue Agency.

7. The relationship between eznest and the Provider

7.1 Independent contractor

The Provider is an independent business operating its own enterprise. Nothing in these Terms creates an employment, agency, partnership, joint-venture, or franchise relationship between eznest and the Provider.

7.2 No exclusivity

The Provider is free to operate on competing platforms, accept Clients independently of the Platform, and conduct any other business. Eznest does not require exclusivity.

7.3 No guaranteed work

Eznest does not guarantee that any specific number, type, or value of Projects will be offered to the Provider. Provider's matching opportunities depend on Client demand, Provider's Trust Level, and whether the Provider serves the Client's area. Performance, ratings and spend are not inputs to matching, and no Provider can pay for a better position. In a trade listed in §4.5, a Provider also receives no new work in that trade until eznest has approved its review, and an approval promises no work.

7.4 No employer relationship

The Provider is responsible for:

(a) Its own taxes, including income tax and HST/GST; (b) Workers' compensation coverage for itself (where applicable) and its employees; (c) Employment standards compliance for any individuals it employs; (d) Insurance for its business and operations; (e) Tools, equipment, and overhead; (f) All operating costs.

Eznest is not responsible for any of the foregoing.

8. Provider Portal access and separately priced products

8.1 No access, lead, bid, listing, seat, or placement fee at launch

eznest does not charge a Provider merely to create an Account, invite team members, receive or review a lead, submit or decline a bid, maintain a listing, or obtain a better ranking or placement. The Platform does not offer paid placement.

8.2 Optional future products

eznest may later offer optional software, automation, AI, payment, or digital-credit products. No such product is payable unless its price, tax, renewal terms, refund terms, and effect on the Provider are disclosed separately before the Provider orders it. A future optional product does not change the fee rail or rate already snapshotted on committed work.

9. Commercial fee rails

9.1 The three rails

The commercial relationship—not a Provider-selected dropdown—determines which rail applies:

Each eznest fee in this table is plus applicable GST/HST (§9.11). The Provider/payee bears the applicable eznest fees, the GST/HST on them, and actual Payment Processing Fee unless a checkout disclosure accepted by all affected parties and permitted by law expressly says otherwise. Eznest does not describe “0.5%” as the total transaction cost.

9.2 Marketplace Service Fee

(a) The standard Marketplace Service Fee is ten percent (10%) of each milestone amount the Client approves and, on a Seasonal Plan that carries the Marketplace rail, of each stage and each approved overage visit that eznest charges under §9.12, in each case exclusive of taxes charged by the Provider on its Services, plus applicable GST/HST on the fee (§9.11). (b) No Marketplace Service Fee is charged merely for a lead, bid, listing, seat, or placement. None is charged on a milestone the Client has not approved, on a Seasonal Plan stage or overage visit that eznest has not charged, or on an overage visit the Client's household declined. (c) The 10% rate is fixed for every new obligation governed by this version of these Terms. A private or provider-specific rate cannot replace it. The rate and policy version are snapshotted on the Project when the Client awards it, so a later published policy cannot reprice accepted work. For a Seasonal Plan, §9.12(c) says when the rail, rate and policy version are fixed. (d) The Marketplace Service Fee pays for marketplace origination and marketplace services. It is separate from the Payment Facilitation Fee and actual Payment Processing Fee.

9.3 Payment Facilitation Fee

Every payment processed by eznest carries a Payment Facilitation Fee of one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the payment principal, exclusive of taxes charged by the Provider on its Services, plus applicable GST/HST on the fee (§9.11). This applies to Marketplace, Direct Client, and Pro-to-Pro payments. It does not apply when the Client pays the Provider entirely outside eznest and eznest does not facilitate the payment.

9.4 Direct Client and Pro-to-Pro eligibility

A Direct Client payment does not carry the Marketplace Service Fee when the relationship was owned or imported by the Provider and did not originate through eznest matching. A Pro-to-Pro payment does not carry the Marketplace Service Fee when both payer and payee are validated eznest businesses and the underlying relationship did not originate through eznest matching. Both rails carry the 0.5% Payment Facilitation Fee whenever eznest processes the payment. eznest enables a Direct Client or Pro-to-Pro payment through eznest for an invoice only when the Platform has derived eligibility on the server, retained it immutably, disclosed all fee components, and can settle the payment to the Provider's Connected Account and reconcile refunds and ledger entries. Where it has not enabled the rail for an invoice, the payer pays the Provider outside eznest and no eznest fee applies to that payment.

9.5 Server-derived rail and anti-relabeling rule

(a) The Provider cannot choose a cheaper rail in an invoice composer or payment form. (b) The Platform assigns the rail from relationship origination and validated counterparty records. (c) A relationship or Project originated through eznest remains on the Marketplace rail for that obligation. Creating another invoice, importing the same Client, changing a label, or moving the conversation outside the Platform does not convert it to Direct Client. (d) Any operator correction must be reasoned and audited. It creates a replacement relationship for future obligations only and must be completed before the next Project award, agreement acceptance, invoice acceptance, or payment commitment that relies on it. It does not retroactively change or re-price an existing Project, agreement, invoice, payment, refund, dispute, receipt, statement, or ledger record. An error in an existing obligation is remedied through the applicable correction, credit, refund, dispute, or reversal process rather than by rewriting its relationship origin.

9.6 Snapshot and disclosure

(a) Marketplace rail and rate are snapshotted at Project award. (b) Direct Client and Pro-to-Pro rail and rate are snapshotted when the invoice is accepted. (c) A later pricing change does not retroactively re-price accepted work. (d) Before acceptance, the Platform must show the rail, invoice or milestone principal, each applicable eznest percentage and amount, actual or determinable processing amount, applicable tax, and total transaction cost. The label “0.5% eznest payment-facilitation fee, plus payment-processing fees” must be used; “0.5% total” must not be used. (e) A Seasonal Plan's rail is fixed when the Client's household billing owner accepts the plan's billing terms, and each stage or overage invoice records the rail, each eznest rate and fee amount, and the policy version when eznest issues it (§9.12(c)). The Platform does not show eznest's fees on the plan before the household accepts; the rates are the ones these Terms fix in §9.2 and §9.3, and the Provider sees each fee amount on the invoice once it is issued (§9.12(c)).

9.7 Illustrative card examples

Using Stripe Canada's published domestic online-card rate of 2.9% plus CA$0.30 as of 30 August 2026, a CA$1,000.00 eligible Direct Client or Pro-to-Pro invoice would illustrate as follows:

• eznest fee at 0.5%: CA$5.00;
• GST/HST on that fee, for a Provider whose business is in Ontario (13% HST): CA$0.65;
• illustrative Stripe processing: CA$29.30;
• illustrative combined transaction cost, before the GST/HST on eznest's fee: CA$34.30 (3.43%).

For a CA$1,000.00 marketplace-originated payment processed by eznest:

• Marketplace Service Fee at 10%: CA$100.00;
• Payment Facilitation Fee at 0.5%: CA$5.00;
• GST/HST on those two fees, for a Provider whose business is in Ontario (13% HST): CA$13.65;
• illustrative Stripe processing: CA$29.30;
• illustrative combined transaction cost, before the GST/HST on eznest's fees: CA$134.30 (13.43%).

This is an example, not a fixed processing quote. The actual processing amount depends on payment method, card origin, currency conversion, Stripe pricing, and other disclosed factors at the time of acceptance. Current Stripe pricing is published at <https://stripe.com/en-ca/pricing>.

9.8 Refunds, failed payments, and processor fees

(a) When principal is refunded, eznest refunds both corresponding eznest fee components proportionally, and the GST/HST it charged on them in the same proportion. A full refund of principal reverses the full applicable Marketplace Service Fee and Payment Facilitation Fee and all the GST/HST on them; a partial refund reverses the same proportion of each. (b) Original payment-processing, Connect, currency-conversion, dispute, or other processor fees may not be returned by Stripe. Any amount that is not recoverable is disclosed and remains allocated to the party identified before acceptance. (c) A failed or uncaptured payment earns no eznest platform fee. (d) Refunds and chargebacks are not complete in the Platform merely because an operator selects an outcome; the processor event and ledger must reconcile first. (e) Whose money a refund returns. A refund of principal is made on the Provider's Connected Account and is paid from that account's balance, because the Provider is the merchant on the charge. eznest refunds no principal from funds of its own, because it holds none. eznest then separately returns both of its fee components, and the GST/HST on them, to the Provider's Connected Account in the proportion §9.8(a) describes, by refunding the application fee on the charge. The amount of fee recorded as returned is the amount the processor reports as returned. (f) When a refund is complete. A refund is shown as pending until the processor has confirmed both the refund of principal and the return of eznest's fees. If the return of eznest's fees has not been confirmed, the refund stays pending, and a retry uses the same processor keys, so it cannot produce a second refund. (g) One refund at a time. Only one refund command may be open on a milestone or invoice at a time, and the principal refunded across all commands on it may not exceed the principal charged. (h) Statutory cooling-off refunds. If a Client cancels within a cooling-off period the law gives them, and a milestone or invoice for that work was charged through eznest, eznest refunds the principal still owed under the Client's cancellation notice, without the Provider's approval, and the Provider may not refuse it. §9.8(a) to (f) apply to that refund. (i) Card-network disputes. If a cardholder's bank disputes a Payment Through eznest, Stripe's terms and the card network's rules decide whether and how the amount is withdrawn from the Provider's Connected Account, and the Provider answers the dispute as the merchant. eznest records the dispute and its evidence deadline, and it monitors card-network dispute rates and may review a Provider's account on that basis. eznest does not reverse its fee components on a payment that a card-network dispute reverses; its refund of fees is available only together with a refund of principal under this Section.

9.9 How a Payment Through eznest works

(a) Charge on approval. On the Marketplace rail, the Client's approval of a submitted milestone is the moment the Client is charged. Approval records the Client's acceptance of that portion of the work and, where eznest takes the payment for the Provider, charges the Client's saved payment method in the same step. A milestone that was approved before it could be charged through eznest, including one approved while payments through eznest were not yet enabled for the Provider, is not charged later. On the Direct Client and Pro-to-Pro rails the payer's payment of an invoice is the charge, and a public invoice link alone can never charge a card. A Seasonal Plan is charged as §9.12 describes: each stage on its date under the billing terms the Client's household accepted, and each overage visit on the household's approval of that visit.

(b) Whose account is charged to. eznest makes the charge on the Provider's Connected Account as a direct charge. The Provider is the merchant on it. The charge increases the Connected Account's balance, and Stripe pays the Provider out under the Provider's agreement with Stripe. eznest does not collect the Provider's principal into any account of its own, and there is no eznest balance that holds a Provider's money.

(c) What eznest receives. eznest receives only an application fee on the charge, made up of the two fee components that the rail and the snapshotted policy fix before the charge (§9.2, §9.3 and §9.6), the Marketplace Service Fee, where it applies, and the 0.5% Payment Facilitation Fee, plus the GST/HST on them under §9.11. The Provider cannot change any of them at the point of payment.

(d) What the Provider receives. The Provider's Connected Account receives the principal charged, less the application fee and less Stripe's actual processing cost, which Stripe takes from that account and which is separately disclosed under §9.1 and §9.7. The amount charged to the Client is the milestone or invoice principal; eznest adds no fee of its own to the Client's side of it.

(e) What has to be true before eznest charges. eznest takes a Payment Through eznest for a Provider only when all of these hold at the time of the charge: eznest has enabled payments through eznest for the Provider, and the Provider's account is activated for payment; the Provider's Trust Level permits it to receive payment; the Provider's Connected Account is enabled to receive charges and payouts with nothing outstanding on Stripe's requirements; the Client's household has a payer and a saved payment method that the payer authorised for this Provider and this milestone or invoice, or, for a Seasonal Plan, for this Provider and this plan under its accepted billing terms; any required agreement has been signed; and no cooling-off period or open dispute stops the approval. If any of these does not hold, eznest does not charge. Where the Provider's side does not hold, the approval is recorded as the Client's acceptance and the Client pays the Provider directly outside eznest, and §9.10 applies to that work. Where the Client's side does not hold, the approval is refused with the reason, so the Client can correct it. For a Seasonal Plan, §9.12(d) says what happens instead when a condition does not hold.

(f) Who is charged. The charge goes to the payer on the Client's household record, who is the household's billing owner, and not necessarily the person who approved the milestone. For a Seasonal Plan, it goes to the billing owner whose acceptance of the plan's billing terms was in force when eznest issued the invoice (§9.12(b)).

(g) Unknown outcomes. If eznest does not learn whether a charge succeeded, it retries with the same processor keys and does not charge twice. A milestone is shown as charged only after the processor reports success, and a charge the processor definitively refuses leaves the milestone unpaid, and a further attempt needs a new authorisation from the payer.

(h) Records. For every Payment Through eznest, eznest keeps the rail, the policy version, the fee components, the GST/HST on them with its rate and province, and the processor's actual cost once it has been reconciled.

9.10 Work paid outside eznest

Where a Client pays the Provider directly outside eznest, because the work is not charged through eznest under §9.9(e), eznest does not process, hold, transmit or refund that payment. For Eznest-originated work paid this way, eznest issues the Provider a monthly Marketplace Service Fee statement based only on Client-approved milestones and the rate snapshotted on the Project at award. Each statement preserves the included work, eznest's issuer and tax identity, the applicable fee policy, amounts due, and recorded collections. A milestone that was charged through eznest is never on a statement, and neither is a Seasonal Plan stage or overage visit, whether or not eznest charged it (§9.12(f)). Because eznest does not facilitate the Client's payment, the 0.5% Payment Facilitation Fee does not apply to it. There is no Stripe Billing subscription or automatic debit promise: the Provider pays a statement to eznest by the means the statement states.

9.11 Taxes on eznest fees

(a) eznest's fees are plus applicable GST/HST. On a Payment Through eznest, eznest charges GST/HST on the Marketplace Service Fee and the Payment Facilitation Fee together, at the rate for the province of the Provider's business as the Provider recorded it on its business details in activation, rounded to the nearest cent, and takes it with the fees as part of the application fee (§9.9(c)). For a Provider whose business is in Ontario, that is 13% HST: on a CA$100.00 marketplace payment, CA$10.00 and CA$0.50 of fees and CA$1.37 of HST, CA$11.87 in all. The rate is the one the Platform holds for that province when the charge is prepared, and it is recorded with the charge, so a later change of rate does not change a charge already made. (b) Where there is no rate. Where the Provider's recorded province is not a Canadian province or territory, or the Platform holds no GST/HST rate for it, eznest does not take a Payment Through eznest for the Provider: the approval or payment that would have charged is refused and nothing is charged. (c) Fee receipt. For every Payment Through eznest, eznest issues the Provider a fee receipt that names Eznest Technologies Inc. as the supplier with its GST/HST registration number, and states each eznest fee, the GST/HST on them, the total and any part of them refunded. The Provider can read each receipt on the Platform and download it in English or French. (d) Statements. On a monthly Marketplace Service Fee statement (§9.10), applicable GST/HST on the fee is shown separately on the statement. (e) The Provider is responsible for obtaining its own advice about input tax credits and its tax treatment.

9.12 Seasonal Plans

(a) Which rail a plan carries. The Platform derives a Seasonal Plan's rail when the Client's household billing owner accepts the plan's billing terms, and the Provider cannot choose it (§9.5). Where the Provider and the household already have a commercial relationship on the Platform, the plan carries that relationship's rail. Otherwise, where the household joined the plan from eznest's list of plans that cover its home, the relationship is originated through eznest and the plan carries the Marketplace rail. Otherwise, where the household joined by accepting the Provider's own invitation onto the plan, the relationship is the Provider's and the plan carries the Direct Client rail. A plan whose origin eznest cannot prove in one of these ways cannot have its billing terms accepted, and nothing for it is charged through eznest.

(b) The billing terms. eznest charges for a Seasonal Plan only after the Client's household billing owner has accepted the plan's billing terms on the Platform, and eznest offers those terms only once it has switched plan billing on and the plan's payment stages and tax are complete. The terms list each stage with its date, its amount, the tax the Provider stated and its total; give the price and tax of each overage visit where the plan has a season snowfall cap; and say that each stage is charged automatically on its date and that an overage visit is charged only if the household approves that visit. Accepting them authorises eznest to charge each stage on its date on the Provider's Connected Account, and the billing owner then saves a payment method authorised for the Provider and that plan. eznest freezes the stages, dates, amounts, tax and overage price as accepted, and a later edit to the plan does not change them. If the household's billing owner changes, future stages for which no invoice has been issued wait for the new billing owner's fresh acceptance; charging them also requires that person's own payment authorisation. An invoice already issued keeps its recorded payer and the plan consent under which it was issued, including through subsequent handovers or a return to an earlier payer. It can still be charged under that consent using the recorded payer's valid, unrevoked card authorisation, while the plan and payer account remain active and the other payment conditions hold. It is not transferred to the new billing owner. Missing or revoked authorisation leaves it unpaid; another person's card, or a card authorised under a different takeover, cannot replace the authorisation required for that bill. Overage approval and retries have the additional limits in §9.12(e).

(c) When the rail and rate are fixed, and what the Provider sees. The rail is fixed when the billing terms are accepted. eznest issues an invoice for each stage when it falls due, and for each overage visit when the visit qualifies under §9.12(e), and records on it the rail, the fee basis, each eznest rate and fee amount, and the policy version in force when the invoice is issued. An issued invoice is never repriced. The Provider sees the rail, each fee amount and the net it can expect on the invoice's page on the Platform.

(d) Charging a stage on its date. On a stage's date, from 9 a.m. in the Provider's business time zone, eznest issues the stage's invoice to the household, sends it, and charges the stage's total to the payment method authorised for the plan, as a direct charge on the Provider's Connected Account under §9.9(b) to (d) and (g). The Provider's business time zone is the one its published working hours use, or Eastern Time where none is published. A stage whose date had passed when the billing terms were accepted is charged shortly after acceptance. Where a condition on the Client's side in §9.9(e) does not hold, nothing is charged, eznest tells the stage's recorded payer if that person is still the household's billing owner, and the stage is charged once a valid payment authorisation for its recorded payer and consent is available while the plan is active; after a refusal, that must be a newer authorisation. An issued invoice retains its payer and consent as §9.12(b) describes. Where a condition on the Provider's side in §9.9(e) does not hold, nothing is charged; the stage stays unpaid, is not treated as paid outside eznest, and is charged only once every condition holds while the plan is active. Where the relationship the plan was accepted under has been replaced (§9.5(d)), eznest holds the plan's stages and tells the Provider.

(e) Overage visits. Where a plan carries a season snowfall cap, a visit is an overage visit when it is marked done, is linked to its storm, was completed after the billing terms were accepted, and the snowfall the Provider recorded for the storms it declared in the plan's area, from the first day of the season up to the day before that storm, had already reached the cap. A replacement visit for a rescheduled storm visit, and a visit with no record of being marked done, never count. For each overage visit eznest issues an invoice at the overage price as accepted, with no due date, for separate approval. Only its recorded payer who originally accepted the plan's billing terms may approve or decline it, while still an active household member and while the plan is active. A later billing handover does not by itself remove that person's ability to answer an already-issued invoice. A different payer cannot answer for them; an invoice issued to a new payer who is not the original accepter cannot be approved by anyone, and eznest never charges it. eznest charges an overage invoice only on that approval, attempting the charge immediately on the Provider's Connected Account using a valid card authorisation under the invoice's recorded plan consent. The same payer may retry an approved visit if no charge has been attempted or the last attempt was definitively refused, subject to the same membership and plan conditions. After a refusal, a newer card authorisation under that recorded consent is required; a card saved under a later takeover cannot pay the earlier bill, even if the payer is the same person. Without the required authorisation the bill stays unpaid. Overage approval is never retried automatically, an unresolved charge outcome blocks another attempt, and a successful charge is not repeated. An approval or decline is recorded once and cannot be changed to the other answer. A declined visit is never charged through eznest, is not reminded and is not voided automatically; the Provider's finance members are told once and may void it. Whether the household owes the Provider for a declined visit in any other way is between them, and eznest does not decide it.

(f) What eznest receives. On each stage or overage visit charged through eznest, eznest receives only an application fee on the charge, made up of the fee components the plan's rail and the invoice's record fix (§9.12(c)): on the Marketplace rail, the Marketplace Service Fee of ten percent (10%) and the Payment Facilitation Fee of one-half of one percent (0.5%); on the Direct Client rail, the 0.5% Payment Facilitation Fee alone; in each case plus the GST/HST on those fees under §9.11. Each is calculated on the stage or overage amount net of the tax the Provider stated, and rounded to the nearest cent. The household is charged the stage or overage total as accepted, and eznest adds no fee of its own to it. Stripe's actual processing cost is taken from the Connected Account as §9.9(d) describes, and refunds follow §9.8. A Seasonal Plan stage or overage visit is never placed on a monthly statement (§9.10), so eznest's fees on a Seasonal Plan arise only on a Payment Through eznest.

(g) When the plan ends. When the household leaves the plan, or the Provider ends the household's enrolment, eznest revokes the plan's payment authorisation and makes no further charge for the plan: no stage and no overage visit is charged after that. Ending a plan does not by itself refund a payment already charged; a refund the Provider makes follows §9.8.

10. Insurance requirements

10.1 Minimum insurance by Trust Level

The Provider agrees to maintain insurance coverage as required by the Provider's Trust Level (Section 12), at minimum:

(a) Trust Level L0–L1: No specific insurance required, but Provider may not perform Services where insurance is required by law or by the Service category; (b) Trust Level L2 (Insured): Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance with minimum limits of two million dollars (CA$2,000,000) per occurrence and five million dollars (CA$5,000,000) aggregate, naming eznest as a Certificate Holder where commercially reasonable; (c) Trust Level L3 (Licensed + Insured): Above plus all trade-specific licences and certifications required by the regulator with jurisdiction; (d) Trust Level L4: Reserved. No tier above L3 is currently offered, no Provider is assigned L4, and no capability depends on it. eznest runs no background check of any kind, at any tier — this matches what the Homeowner Marketplace Agreement tells clients, and any future tier would require these Terms to be amended first.

10.2 Insurance maintenance

The Provider agrees to:

(a) Maintain all required insurance continuously while operating on the Platform; (b) Notify eznest within five (5) business days of any lapse, cancellation, or material change to required insurance; (c) Provide updated certificates of insurance upon renewal; (d) Acknowledge that when an insurance certificate on file reaches its expiry date, eznest recomputes the Provider's Trust Level without the expired evidence, the lower level stands until current evidence is reviewed, and a Project that requires the higher Trust Level refuses the Provider's bid in the meantime (Section 12.2).

10.3 No coverage by eznest

The Provider acknowledges that eznest does not provide insurance coverage for the Provider's operations, employees, or Services. Any liability arising from the Provider's performance of Services is the Provider's responsibility, subject to indemnification under Section 22.

11. Licensing and regulatory compliance

The Provider warrants that:

(a) All Services performed under these Terms are performed in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including municipal by-laws, provincial regulations, and federal legislation; (b) All individuals performing Services on the Provider's behalf hold the licences, certifications, and registrations required to perform such work in the relevant jurisdiction; (c) The Provider is not subject to any regulatory order, suspension, or revocation that would impair its ability to provide Services on the Platform; (d) The Provider will provide eznest with copies of relevant credentials upon request and will promptly notify eznest of any regulatory action against the Provider.

12. Trust Level and certification

12.1 Trust Level assignment

eznest assigns each Provider a Trust Level based on reviewed credentials only. Trust Level does not measure performance, workmanship, client satisfaction, or dispute history.

The criteria are these, and they are the whole of them:

Evidence that contributes: email confirmation, phone confirmation, business registration, general liability insurance, government-issued ID, and contractor, trade or professional licences. Each piece of evidence carries an expiry; evidence that has expired, been revoked or been suspended contributes nothing.

What a review is, and is not. eznest confirms one thing itself: that the Provider controls the email address on the Account. Every other piece of evidence is a document the Provider uploads and an eznest administrator looks at, with one exception: where the Provider has completed the Stripe Connect onboarding in §3.2(c), eznest treats Stripe's outcome — the connected account enabled for charges with nothing outstanding on Stripe's requirements — as the Provider's business-registration evidence for L1, and only L1. That is Stripe's determination under Stripe's own verification, made on records eznest cannot see; eznest reads the outcome and records it, and the evidence lapses if Stripe disables the account. eznest does not confirm a registration with the registry, an insurance certificate with the insurer, or a licence with the regulator, and a Trust Level is not a representation to the Provider or to any client that it has. A reviewed document may be expired, altered or belong to someone else without eznest knowing. The Homeowner Marketplace Agreement tells clients the same thing, in the same terms.

A Provider may view every point applied to their own profile, the reason for it, and what to do next.

12.2 Effect of Trust Level

The Provider's Trust Level affects:

(a) The categories and value bands of Projects the Provider may participate in; (b) The Provider's visibility in matching results; (c) Which Projects the Provider is eligible to receive and which trust badges appear on the Provider's profile. Trust Level does not create paid placement or allow a Provider to purchase a better rank.

12.3 Trust Level downgrades

eznest may downgrade a Provider's Trust Level if:

(a) Required documentation expires or is revoked; (b) The Provider fails to maintain insurance or licensing requirements; (c) eznest determines, in good faith, that the Provider no longer meets the credential criteria for the assigned Trust Level.

A dispute or complaint, whatever its outcome, does not change a Trust Level. Trust Level measures credentials only (§12.1); the outcome of a dispute can count only in the separately named Work Record described in §12.4, under its published criteria and from the date §12.4(e) sets out.

12.4 Bronze / Silver / Gold, the Work Record, and performance measures

Bronze, Silver and Gold are display labels for the credential Trust Levels in §12.1 — L1 is shown as Bronze, L2 as Silver, and L3 or above as Gold. They are earned solely by reviewed credentials. They are not performance certifications, and they are not awarded separately from Trust Level.

The Work Record is the only performance measure eznest operates. eznest operates no performance certification, rating tier or performance score other than the Work Record described in this Section. No measure of completed Project count, client rating or dispute history affects a Provider's Trust Level, their labels, or their ranking.

Version 2.0 of these Terms set out five commitments for any performance measure eznest introduced. The Work Record meets each of them, under the same letters:

(a) A separate and separately named measure. The Work Record measures what has happened on a Provider's completed work on eznest. It is not part of Trust Level, which remains credential-only under §12.1, and the two are never combined into one number.

(b) Published criteria. Its criteria, its inputs, how each input is weighted, the time window, the starting point every Provider begins from and the bands are published in full at eznest.ca/work-record (the "Work Record criteria"), under a policy version that is carried with every Work Record eznest shows. If this summary and the Work Record criteria differ, the Work Record criteria govern. In summary:

(i) The Work Record counts completed engagements: Projects on eznest that reached delivery and were closed. Requests, quotes, proposals that were not accepted, and cancelled work count in neither direction. Every completed engagement counts, including one completed before the Work Record began to operate, and the count never ages out.

(ii) A completed engagement is clean unless an event that eznest attributes to the Provider happened on it. A dispute counts against the Work Record only by the outcome eznest decided: in the Client's favour, or with partial fault on both sides. A dispute having been raised is not, by itself, counted. A dispute resolved in the Provider's favour, a withdrawn dispute, and a card-network chargeback never count against the Provider. A refund counts against the Work Record only where eznest's record of the refund states a service failure.

(iii) Every Provider starts at the same standard, which the Provider's own record outweighs after about ten completed engagements, so that a small number of jobs cannot produce a misleading figure. An event that counts against the Work Record counts for a rolling 24 months.

(iv) No figure or band is shown until the Provider has five completed engagements. Below that, the Work Record says that there is not yet enough completed work to show a record.

(v) The figure is shown with its band, the number of completed engagements, the dispute history, the Provider's verified reviews where there are any, and every event that moved the figure, with its reason and the month it happened. Individual dispute records, dispute reason codes, evidence, payment-processor identifiers, internal notes and the reasons for eznest's decisions are never shown.

The Work Record criteria state which inputs are part of the Work Record at any time. When this version was published, dispute history was not yet part of the Work Record, and the Work Record states that wherever it is shown, rather than showing a count of disputes.

(c) Seeing it. A Provider sees exactly the Work Record a Client sees, in the Trust Center: the same figure, the same counts, and every event that moved the figure with its reason and date. Nothing is withheld from the Provider's own view. The Work Record criteria explain how each event moves the figure and how completed engagements without such an event raise it.

(d) Appealing it. The owner or an administrator of the Provider's business may appeal any event that moved the figure from the Trust Center, giving the reason the event is wrong. A person at eznest reviews each appeal. A substantiated appeal corrects the Work Record: eznest records the corrected outcome beside the original record, which is never rewritten, a correction never adds weight against the Provider, and the corrected Work Record is the one shown from then on. Appeals and their history are never shown to Clients. A Provider with a question about the Work Record may also write to support@eznest.ca.

(e) Amended and notified before it operates. This version of these Terms is the amendment, and eznest notifies it to Providers by email and in-Platform notification. The Work Record operates from the date eznest first shows it, which is no earlier than the date this version takes effect. Until that date no Provider is measured by it: eznest shows no Work Record figure, band or count for any Provider, to anyone, including the Provider, and the Provider's Trust Center says that the Work Record is not yet in operation. From that date the Work Record is shown to Clients, including on the Provider's public profile on eznest and beside the Provider's quotes when a Client reviews or compares them, and to the Provider in the Trust Center. A later change to a weight, the starting point, the time window, the display minimum or the bands changes the policy version; eznest republishes the Work Record criteria with a new effective date and notifies the change to Providers before it operates.

(f) What the Work Record is not used for. The Work Record is not an input to matching or ranking (§7.3). It does not change a Provider's Trust Level or their Bronze, Silver or Gold label, and it does not change the categories and value bands a Provider may participate in under §12.2. It cannot be bought, and paying eznest anything does not improve it.

(g) Any other performance measure. If eznest introduces a performance measure other than the Work Record:

(i) It will be a separate and separately named measure. It will not be merged into Trust Level, which remains credential-only under §12.1; (ii) Its criteria, its inputs, and how each input is weighted will be published before any Provider is measured by it; (iii) A Provider will be able to see the measure applied to their own account, the reason for it, and how to change it; (iv) A Provider will be able to appeal it, and a substantiated appeal will correct the measure; (v) These Terms will be amended and the change notified before it operates.

13. Content, intellectual property, and license

13.1 Provider content

The Provider retains ownership of all content the Provider submits to the Platform, including but not limited to profile information, photos, project work product, and messages ("Provider Content").

13.2 License to eznest

The Provider grants eznest a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, host, display, and distribute Provider Content for the purpose of operating the Platform, providing the Services described in these Terms, and promoting the Platform. This license persists as long as the content is needed for those purposes and includes the right to display the Provider Content to Clients, prospective Clients, and the public (where the content is intended to be public, such as profile information).

13.3 Platform IP

All intellectual property in the Platform itself — including the brand, code, design system, content, and trademarks — is owned by eznest or its licensors. The Provider receives a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Platform solely for the purposes described in these Terms.

13.4 Reviews and ratings

(a) Client reviews and ratings, once submitted, may not be modified by the Provider, but the Provider may post a public response. (b) eznest does not buy, fabricate, or fraudulently induce reviews. The Provider similarly may not buy, fabricate, or fraudulently induce reviews.

14. Confidentiality and privacy

14.1 Confidential information

In the course of using the Platform, the Provider may have access to information about Clients and eznest's business that is confidential ("Confidential Information"). The Provider agrees to:

(a) Hold Confidential Information in strict confidence; (b) Use Confidential Information solely for the purpose of performing Services or operating on the Platform; (c) Not disclose Confidential Information except to the Provider's employees or contractors with a need to know and who are bound by similar confidentiality obligations.

14.2 Privacy compliance

The Provider acknowledges that the Provider will receive personal information about Clients through the Platform. The Provider agrees to:

(a) Comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and any applicable provincial privacy legislation; (b) Use Client personal information solely for the purpose of providing the Services contracted; (c) Not retain Client personal information longer than necessary; (d) Not sell, share, or further disclose Client personal information except as required by law or contracted with the Client; (e) Implement reasonable safeguards against unauthorized access, loss, or theft; (f) Notify eznest within twenty-four (24) hours of any actual or suspected privacy breach.

15. Anti-circumvention and off-Platform activity

15.1 Reporting Projects initiated through the Platform

The Provider agrees that all Projects initiated through the Platform — meaning Projects where the Client and Provider were first introduced through the Platform — must be reported through the Platform, with the full contract value disclosed, even if the Client and Provider subsequently choose to conduct ancillary communication or perform the Services off-Platform.

15.2 What constitutes circumvention

Circumvention includes but is not limited to:

(a) Under-reporting the contract value of a Project; (b) Reporting a Project as cancelled or withdrawn when in fact the Services were performed; (c) Diverting the Client to an off-Platform engagement before any Project is reported; (d) Soliciting or relabeling business from a Platform-introduced Client with the specific intent of avoiding the Marketplace Service Fee.

15.3 What does NOT constitute circumvention

The Provider may, without violating this Section:

(a) Continue communicating with or serving a Client off-Platform after a Project is completed, provided that the fee rail for any later obligation is determined from the recorded relationship origin under Section 9 rather than from where the communication occurs; (b) Maintain pre-existing relationships with Clients the Provider had before joining the Platform; (c) Decline a Platform lead and have no further engagement with that Client; (d) Engage on competing platforms.

15.4 Detection and remedies

Eznest may, using telemetry, client cross-checks, performance pattern analysis, and other reasonable means, identify suspected circumvention. Where circumvention is substantiated, eznest may:

(a) Charge the Marketplace Service Fee that would have been owed, subject to the snapshotted rate and the dispute process; (b) Demote the Provider's Trust Level or revoke Certifications; (c) Suspend or terminate the Provider's Account; (d) Pursue other remedies available at law.

16. Performance standards

16.1 Service quality

The Provider warrants that Services will be performed in a workmanlike manner, consistent with industry standards for the relevant trade.

16.2 Responsiveness

The Provider agrees to:

(a) Respond to new Client inquiries through the Platform within twenty-four (24) hours during normal business operations; (b) Honour scheduled appointments and provide reasonable notice of any change; (c) Communicate proactively about delays, changes, or issues affecting a Project.

16.3 Workflow discipline

The Provider agrees to:

(a) Use the Platform's Workflow for every Project, including milestone sign-offs, photo uploads, and document storage; (b) Not mark milestones complete until the work for that milestone is actually completed; (c) Initiate all change orders through the Platform's change-order tool, with the change priced and approved by the Client before work proceeds; (d) Cooperate with deficiency review and remediation per the published process.

16.4 Communication standards

In all Platform communications, the Provider agrees to:

(a) Use respectful, professional language; (b) Not solicit off-Platform contact during the early stages of a Project (introductory messages from the Client); (c) Not request payment outside the Workflow's structure; (d) Not engage in harassment, threats, or discriminatory conduct.

17. Disputes between Provider and Client

17.1 Internal dispute support

If a Provider and Client have a dispute regarding a Project, either party may open an internal dispute record. Eznest may review the Project record, ask each party for information, and record an outcome. The outcome does not bind the parties. Apart from the refund in §17.5, this is support and recordkeeping, not mediation, adjudication, or arbitration.

17.2 Client approval

The Provider acknowledges that:

(a) A milestone is approved only by the Client. eznest does not approve a milestone on a Client's behalf, and a Client's silence is not approval. A Payment Through eznest for a milestone is therefore never taken without the Client's approval of that milestone; (b) A Client's approval can be blocked while a statutory cooling-off period runs on the Project or while a dispute is open on it; (c) The Provider may not pressure the Client for sign-off.

17.3 Effect and external remedies

An eznest outcome is a recorded view. It does not bind the Provider or Client, award damages or compensation, or compel performance. It moves money only through the refund of a Payment Through eznest that §17.5 describes, and in no other way. Either party remains free to rely on its contract, applicable consumer or construction law, a regulator, or a court. Eznest does not promise or fund an external mediator or arbitrator.

17.4 No outcome guarantees

Eznest does not guarantee any specific outcome. Eznest is not a court of law and does not have judicial authority.

17.5 Refund of a Payment Through eznest after a dispute decision

(a) When it can happen. A refund can follow a dispute decision only where the dispute is tied to exactly one milestone or one invoice, that milestone or invoice was charged through eznest as a Payment Through eznest, and the refund rail is available for the Provider. A dispute about work that the Client paid for outside eznest cannot produce a refund, because eznest holds and has processed nothing.

(b) Who decides, and on what. Only an eznest marketplace administrator can record a decision that refunds money. Support staff cannot. The administrator records the outcome and a written reason of at least eight and at most one thousand characters. The outcomes are these:

• resolved in the Client's favour: eznest refunds the whole principal of that milestone or invoice that has not already been refunded;
• split: eznest refunds the amount the administrator states, which must be more than zero and less than the principal not already refunded;
• resolved in the Provider's favour, or still under review: no money moves.

(c) How the refund is made. The refund is made under §9.8: it is a refund of principal on the Provider's Connected Account, paid from that account's balance, followed by the return of both eznest fee components to that account in proportion to the principal refunded. It follows the one-open-refund and remaining-principal limits in §9.8(g). Original processing costs may not be returned to the Provider by Stripe (§9.8(b)).

(d) The case stays open until the money has moved. From the time an administrator records a decision that refunds money, the dispute stays under review, and a different outcome cannot be recorded, until the processor has confirmed the refund. A refund that the processor definitively refuses is retained as failed, and only an identical decision may supersede it.

(e) The Provider's agreement. By accepting these Terms, the Provider authorises eznest to make a refund described in this Section on the Provider's Connected Account, agrees that the principal of that refund is paid from that account's balance, and agrees that eznest need not obtain the Provider's further consent to a particular decision. The Provider's recourse against a decision it disputes is the process in Section 18 and the remedies in §17.3.

(f) Nothing else is decided. A refund under this Section does not decide any other claim between the Provider and the Client, and it does not change the Provider's Trust Level (§12.3).

18. Disputes between Provider and eznest

18.1 Initial resolution

If the Provider has a dispute with eznest, the Provider agrees to first attempt resolution by submitting a written notice through the Platform's support channel and allowing eznest thirty (30) days to respond.

18.2 Optional resolution

The Provider and eznest may agree in writing to mediation or another resolution process after a dispute arises. No external dispute-resolution service is pre-arranged or mandatory under these Terms.

18.3 Courts

Unless the parties later agree otherwise in writing, either party may bring a dispute in a court with jurisdiction. Nothing in these Terms waives access to Small Claims Court or another court that the law makes available.

18.4 Carve-outs

Nothing in this Section prevents either party from seeking injunctive relief from a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent imminent harm, including but not limited to misappropriation of intellectual property or breach of confidentiality.

18.5 No class-action waiver

These Terms do not require the Provider to waive participation in a class proceeding.

19. Indemnification

19.1 Provider indemnification

The Provider agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless eznest, its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claim, liability, loss, damage, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

(a) The Provider's performance of Services; (b) The Provider's breach of these Terms; (c) The Provider's breach of applicable law; (d) Any claim by a Client or third party that the Provider's Services caused injury, damage, or loss; (e) The Provider's violation of any third party's rights, including intellectual property rights; (f) The Provider's failure to maintain required insurance, licenses, or registrations.

19.2 eznest indemnification

eznest will defend the Provider against any third-party claim alleging that the Platform itself infringes a Canadian patent, copyright, or trademark, provided the Provider notifies eznest promptly and cooperates in the defense. This indemnification is limited to amounts actually paid by eznest in settlement or judgment and excludes consequential damages.

20. Limitation of liability

20.1 Disclaimer

Except as expressly stated in these Terms, the Platform is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

20.2 Cap on liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, eznest's aggregate liability to the Provider for any claim arising out of these Terms, regardless of the form of action, is limited to the greater of:

(a) The platform fees actually paid by the Provider to eznest in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim; or (b) One thousand dollars (CA$1,000).

20.3 Excluded damages

In no event is eznest liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or exemplary damages, including lost profits, lost business opportunities, or loss of data, even if eznest has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

20.4 Carve-outs

Sections 20.2 and 20.3 do not limit:

(a) Either party's indemnification obligations; (b) Either party's liability for breach of confidentiality; (c) Either party's liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (d) Liabilities that cannot be excluded by law.

21. Termination

21.1 Termination by the Provider

The Provider may terminate the Account at any time by following the published account-deletion process. Termination does not change an already-accepted Project, invoice, refund, or other outstanding obligation.

21.2 Termination by eznest

eznest may suspend or terminate the Provider's Account at any time, with or without notice, for:

(a) Breach of these Terms; (b) Suspected fraud, misrepresentation, or illegal conduct; (c) Sustained poor performance (e.g., low client ratings, high dispute rate); (d) Failure to pay an undisputed Marketplace Service Fee, Payment Facilitation Fee, Payment Processing Fee, or other separately accepted charge when due; (e) Failure to maintain required insurance, licences, or credentials; (f) Any other reason at eznest's reasonable discretion, with notice where commercially reasonable.

21.3 Effect of termination

On termination:

(a) The Provider's Account is closed; (b) In-flight Projects either complete through the Platform or are referred to alternative providers, at eznest's discretion; (c) Outstanding platform fees and separately accepted charges remain due and payable; (d) The Provider's data is retained or deleted in accordance with the Privacy Policy and applicable law; (e) Confidentiality and indemnification obligations survive termination; (f) Sections that by their nature survive (including 13.3, 14, 18, 19, 20, 22) continue in force.

21.4 Reputation portability

On termination, the Provider may request a signed transcript of the Provider's reviews and ratings accumulated on the Platform. This transcript may be used by the Provider for their own marketing purposes but is provided as a courtesy, not a guarantee of continued availability.

22. Data protection and privacy

22.1 Privacy Policy

The Provider's use of the Platform is subject to eznest's Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

22.2 Right to data export

The Provider may request a copy of all personal information eznest holds about the Provider, in a portable format, at any time.

22.3 Right to deletion

The Provider may request deletion of the Account and associated personal information, subject to eznest's right to retain certain data for legal, regulatory, or legitimate business reasons (e.g., audit log retention, tax records, dispute records).

22.4 Anti-lock-in commitment

eznest commits to:

(a) Maintain the Provider's data in portable, machine-readable format; (b) Provide reasonable export tools; (c) Not impose contractual penalties for the Provider's choice to operate on competing platforms or to leave the Platform.

23. Communications

23.1 Consent to communications

The Provider consents to receive operational communications from eznest, including notifications about Projects, billing, account status, security, and updates to these Terms. The Provider may opt out of marketing communications at any time.

23.2 Method of communication

eznest may communicate with the Provider by email, in-Platform notifications, push notifications (if enabled), and SMS (if enabled with consent). Notices required by law must be sent in writing.

23.3 CASL compliance

The Provider acknowledges that eznest's outreach to the Provider is permitted under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) by virtue of the Provider's express consent provided during Account registration.

24. Modification of Terms

24.1 Right to modify

eznest may modify these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to the Provider with at least thirty (30) days' notice through email and in-Platform notification.

24.2 Provider's options

Following notice of a material change:

(a) The Provider may continue using the Platform, signifying acceptance of the modified Terms; (b) The Provider may terminate the Account before the effective date of the change, in which case the existing Terms continue to apply until termination.

24.3 Non-material changes

Non-material changes (such as clarifications, corrections, or formatting) take effect upon posting and do not require notice.

25. General provisions

25.1 Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

25.2 Jurisdiction

Subject to any mandatory law that applies, the parties submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Ontario.

25.3 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force. The invalid provision is to be replaced with a valid provision that most closely matches the intent of the original.

25.4 No waiver

Failure by either party to enforce a provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision.

25.5 Assignment

The Provider may not assign these Terms or the Account without eznest's prior written consent. Eznest may assign these Terms to a successor or affiliate.

25.6 Entire agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any additional terms applicable to specific Platform features, constitute the entire agreement between eznest and the Provider regarding the Platform, superseding all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals.

25.7 Language

These Terms are provided in English. A French translation will be provided in connection with the Platform's Quebec launch. In the event of conflict between language versions, the English version controls except where Quebec law mandates the French version.

25.8 Force majeure

Neither party is liable for failure to perform obligations under these Terms due to causes beyond their reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, acts of government, network outages, or pandemics.

25.9 Headings

Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

26. Acknowledgment

By creating an Account on the Platform, the Provider acknowledges that the Provider has read, understood, and agrees to be bound by these Terms.

Eznest Technologies Inc. Corporation number: 1801532-5 (Canada Business Corporations Act, incorporated 13 June 2026) Registered office: 226 Kinloch Crt, Nepean, Ontario K2J 5S9, Canada Contact: support@eznest.ca