Porchlight
DRAFT. This is a starting draft, not legal advice. An attorney must review it before Porchlight launches with real users or real money.

Terms of Service

Draft version 2026-10-b

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and [Company legal name], doing business as Porchlight ("Porchlight," "we," "us"), and govern your use of porchlightgigs.com and our related services (the "Service"). By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Safety Guidelines. If you don't agree, don't use the Service.

PLEASE READ SECTIONS 9 THROUGH 13 CAREFULLY. THEY LIMIT OUR LIABILITY, INCLUDE A RELEASE OF CLAIMS, AND REQUIRE MOST DISPUTES TO BE RESOLVED BY INDIVIDUAL BINDING ARBITRATION INSTEAD OF IN COURT OR IN A CLASS ACTION.

1. What Porchlight is (and isn't)

Porchlight is an online venue that lets adults who need help with short, local household tasks ("Posters") find teens ages 13–17 ("Teens") who want to do them, with a Teen's parent or legal guardian ("Parent") overseeing the Teen's account. Porchlight:

  • is not an employer, staffing agency, or agent of any Poster, Teen, or Parent, and Teens are not Porchlight's employees or contractors;
  • is not a party to any job. Each job is an agreement solely between the Poster and the Teen (through the Teen's Parent);
  • does not supervise, direct, control, inspect, or guarantee any job, job site, tool, task, or the conduct of any user, on or off the Service;
  • does not guarantee that any job will be posted, filled, completed, or done well, or that any user is who they say they are or will behave safely.

Posters decide what work to offer, and Parents and Teens decide whether a job is appropriate and safe to accept.

2. Who can use Porchlight

  • Teens must be 13 to 17 years old, and their account must be approved by a Parent. No one under 13 may use the Service.
  • Parents and Posters must be at least 18 and able to form a binding contract.
  • Posters must pass identity verification and a background check before posting jobs or messaging Teens.
  • Posting jobs is for individuals hiring help for their own household. Businesses may not post jobs.
  • You must give accurate, current information (including your date of birth) and keep your login secure. You're responsible for everything done through your account.
  • You may not use the Service if we have suspended or removed you, or if you are a registered sex offender or are prohibited by law from working with or contacting minors.

3. Parents and guardians

Minors generally can't enter binding contracts, so a Parent who approves a Teen's account agrees to these Terms both for themselves and on the Teen's behalf, and is responsible for the Teen's use of the Service. The Parent confirms that they are the Teen's parent or legal guardian, that they have the authority to agree for the Teen, and that they will:

  • decide which jobs, people, places, times, and tasks are appropriate and safe for their Teen, including arranging transportation and supervision;
  • review job details and messages (which Parents can read at all times) and approve jobs where required;
  • make sure their Teen follows these Terms, the Safety Guidelines, and applicable law.

4. Posters' responsibilities

Each Poster is solely responsible for every job they post and agrees to:

  • describe the job, location, tools, and conditions accurately and completely;
  • provide a reasonably safe place to work, safe and working tools, and any instructions and supervision appropriate for the Teen's age;
  • never ask a Teen to do prohibited or hazardous work (see the Safety Guidelines), and follow all child-labor, safety, and other laws that apply;
  • maintain adequate homeowner's or renter's insurance (including liability coverage) for work done at their property, and understand that Porchlight provides no insurance for anyone;
  • treat Teens respectfully and keep all communication on the Service.

5. Allowed and prohibited jobs and conduct

Jobs must fit one of our listed categories and follow the Safety Guidelines, including age limits, time-of-day limits, and the list of prohibited work (for example ladders, roofs, power saws, chemicals, driving, and overnight jobs). You may not: share contact information or move conversations or payments off the Service; ask a Teen to keep secrets, meet outside a job, or send photos; harass, threaten, or discriminate against anyone; post false or misleading content; create more than one account or impersonate anyone; scrape, copy, or interfere with the Service; or use the Service for anything illegal. Our automated screening and reviews may block content, but they are not perfect and you remain responsible for what you post and do. We may remove any content or job at any time, for any reason.

6. Payments

  • Posters pay through the Service when they hire. Payments are processed by our payment provider (Stripe), subject to its terms.
  • Job pay is held until the job is confirmed complete (or automatically released after the period shown in the Service), then sent to the Parent's payout account.
  • Porchlight charges Posters a service fee shown before checkout. Fees are non-refundable except as stated here or required by law.
  • If a job is cancelled before it starts, the Poster is refunded the job pay. Disputes are reviewed by our team, and our decision about releasing or refunding held funds is final as between you and Porchlight.
  • Paying or accepting payment outside the Service for a job found on the Service is prohibited.
  • Each Poster, Parent, and Teen is responsible for their own taxes and for deciding whether any tax or labor law applies to them. Porchlight does not give tax, legal, or employment advice.

7. Verification and screening have limits

We use third-party providers for identity verification and background checks, and automated tools to screen messages and job posts. These checks rely on outside records and technology that may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong, and they can't predict how anyone will behave. A passed check is not an endorsement or guarantee by Porchlight of any person's identity, character, safety, or suitability. You are responsible for your own judgment and precautions when dealing with other users.

8. Safety, reports, and removal

We may suspend, restrict, or remove any account or content at any time, with or without notice, including to protect Teens. We review reports, may contact you or your Parent, and may share information with law enforcement or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children when required by law or when we believe someone may be at risk. If there's an emergency, call 911 first. We keep message and report records for safety reviews (see the Privacy Policy).

9. Assumption of risk

You understand that jobs found through the Service happen in person, away from Porchlight, and can involve risks, including physical injury, illness, property damage or loss, and harmful conduct by other people. Porchlight has no control over these risks. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you (and, for a Teen, the Teen's Parent) voluntarily assume all risks arising from jobs, job sites, travel to and from jobs, and any interaction with other users, whether online or in person.

10. Release

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you (and, if you are a Parent, you on behalf of yourself and your Teen) release, waive, and forever discharge Porchlight and its owners, officers, employees, agents, and providers (the "Porchlight Parties") from any and all claims, demands, and damages of every kind, known and unknown, arising out of or related to any job, job site, tool, task, payment between users, or the conduct of any user or third party, including claims for personal injury, illness, death, emotional distress, or property damage. If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code section 1542, which says: "A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party," and any similar law.

11. Disclaimer of warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, safety, accuracy, and uninterrupted or error-free operation. We do not warrant that the Service, any verification or background check, any screening tool, any user, or any job is safe, accurate, reliable, lawful, or suitable for you. Maps, locations, and other information on the Service are approximate.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law: (a) the Porchlight Parties will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, earnings, data, or goodwill, or for any personal injury, illness, death, or property damage arising from any job or from the conduct of any user or third party, even if advised of the possibility; and (b) the Porchlight Parties' total liability for all claims relating to the Service or these Terms is limited to the greater of (i) the service fees you paid to Porchlight in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (ii) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100). These limits apply to every theory of liability (contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, statute, or otherwise) and even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose.

13. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Porchlight Parties from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, fines, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) any job you post, accept, approve, or perform; (c) for Posters, any injury, illness, or damage that happens at your property or in connection with your job; (d) your content or communications; (e) your violation of these Terms or of any law or anyone's rights; or (f) for Parents, your Teen's use of the Service. We may take over the defense of any such claim at our own expense, and you'll cooperate with us.

14. Disputes: informal resolution and binding arbitration

Talk to us first. Before filing any claim, you agree to email support@porchlightgigs.com with a description of the dispute and try to resolve it informally for at least 30 days.

Arbitration. Any dispute between you and Porchlight arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service that isn't resolved informally will be resolved by final and binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, instead of in court, except that either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court, and either party may seek an injunction in court to stop infringement or misuse of the Service. The arbitrator decides all issues except those about the scope or enforceability of this section and the class-action waiver, which a court decides. The Federal Arbitration Act governs this section.

Class action waiver: you and Porchlight may bring claims against each other only individually, not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, collective, consolidated, or representative action. You and Porchlight each waive the right to a jury trial.

Opt out. You can opt out of arbitration by emailing support@porchlightgigs.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, with your name, account email, and a clear statement that you opt out. Disputes between users are between those users; Porchlight has no obligation to resolve them, though we may help at our discretion.

15. Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Rhode Island, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, except that the Federal Arbitration Act governs Section 14. Any claim not subject to arbitration must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Providence County, Rhode Island, and you consent to their jurisdiction.

16. Time limit for claims

To the extent permitted by law, any claim relating to the Service or these Terms must be filed within one year after it arises, or it is permanently barred.

17. Suspension and termination

You can close your account at any time by contacting us. We may suspend or end your access at any time, for any reason, including a violation of these Terms or a safety concern. Sections 1, 6 through 16, and 18 survive termination.

18. General

  • Laws that can't be waived. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that can't be excluded or limited under applicable law (for example, in some places, liability for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud). In those cases, our liability is limited to the fullest extent the law allows.
  • Severability. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted and the rest stays in effect. If the class-action waiver is found unenforceable for a claim, that claim must be brought in court, not arbitration.
  • Changes. We may update these Terms. If a change is material, we'll notify you by email or in the Service before it takes effect. Continuing to use the Service after that means you accept the updated Terms.
  • Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Safety Guidelines, and the Parental Consent are the entire agreement between you and Porchlight about the Service.
  • No waiver; assignment. Our failure to enforce a provision isn't a waiver. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them in connection with a merger, sale, or reorganization.
  • Events beyond our control. We aren't responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including outages of our hosting, payment, verification, or email providers.
  • Notices. We may send notices to the email on your account. You can reach us at support@porchlightgigs.com.

19. Contact

[Company legal name], [mailing address], support@porchlightgigs.com