Terms of Service

By accessing or using EstateHelm ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you don't agree to these terms, please don't use the Service.

EstateHelm is a household management platform that helps you organize and securely store information about your home, family, and personal affairs. The Service includes:

• End-to-end encrypted storage for household information
• Organization tools for properties, contacts, pets, vehicles, and more
• Secure sharing features for family members and trusted contacts
• Maintenance scheduling and reminders

To use EstateHelm, you sign in with your existing Google or Apple account. We don't create separate passwords or collect personal information beyond your email address (used for account identification and important notifications).

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your Google or Apple account and for all activity that occurs under your EstateHelm account.

4.1 You Own Your Data

You retain all rights to the data you store in EstateHelm. We don't claim ownership of your content.

4.2 End-to-End Encryption

Your household data is encrypted using keys that only you control. This means:

• We cannot access or read your encrypted data
• We cannot recover your data if you lose your encryption keys
• You are responsible for keeping your recovery key safe

If you lose access to your biometric authentication and your recovery key, your encrypted data will be permanently inaccessible. We cannot help you recover it.

4.3 Data Backups

While we maintain backups of encrypted data for disaster recovery, we strongly recommend you periodically export your data as an additional backup.

5.1 Consent for Automated Access

EstateHelm offers a Digital Legacy feature called the "Heartbeat Protocol" that allows you to designate beneficiaries who may receive access to your encrypted data under specific conditions. By activating the Heartbeat Protocol, you explicitly authorize EstateHelm to:

• Monitor your account activity to detect periods of inactivity
• Automatically release encrypted recovery packages to your designated beneficiaries when your configured inactivity threshold and buffer period have elapsed
• Process access requests from beneficiaries and display pending requests when you log in during the buffer period

This authorization constitutes your explicit consent for the automated release of your encrypted keys to designated beneficiaries. You may revoke this authorization at any time by deactivating the Heartbeat Protocol or deleting your account.

5.2 Service Availability Disclaimer

The Heartbeat Protocol is dependent on the availability of EstateHelm's servers to process access requests and trigger the release of encrypted recovery packages. EstateHelm is not liable for delays or failures in the Heartbeat Protocol caused by extended service outages, network issues, or other factors beyond our control.

We are actively developing offline verification mechanisms to reduce dependency on server availability. Until such mechanisms are implemented, beneficiaries should be aware that access may be delayed if EstateHelm services are unavailable.

5.3 User Responsibility for Beneficiary Designation

You are solely responsible for:

• Choosing trusted and appropriate beneficiaries
• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date beneficiary information
• Selecting appropriate inactivity thresholds and buffer periods for your situation
• Informing your beneficiaries about their designation and how the Protocol works
• Regularly reviewing and updating your beneficiary settings

EstateHelm is not responsible for disputes between you and your designated beneficiaries, or for any consequences arising from your choice of beneficiaries or Protocol settings.

5.4 Buffer Period and Cancellation

When a beneficiary requests access, the pending request is prominently displayed when you log in. You are given a buffer period (as configured by you) to cancel the request if you are still active. If you do not cancel during the buffer period, access will be automatically granted. EstateHelm is not liable for access granted after the buffer period expires without cancellation.

6.1 Prohibited Activities

You agree not to use EstateHelm to:

• Violate any laws or regulations
• Infringe on the rights of others
• Store or transmit malicious code
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service
• Use the Service for any illegal purpose
• Engage in any activity that places excessive load on our infrastructure or degrades service quality for other users
• Abuse, harass, or threaten our staff, other users, or any third party
• Create multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions, bans, or usage limits
• Share, sell, or transfer your account credentials to third parties

6.2 Prohibition of Automated Access

You may not access the Service through automated means without our prior written consent. The following activities are strictly prohibited:

• Using bots, scripts, crawlers, scrapers, or other automated tools to access, browse, download, upload, or interact with the Service
• Programmatically accessing the Service except through officially provided APIs (if any) and in accordance with their documentation and rate limits
• Bulk downloading, extracting, or harvesting data from the Service
• Automated account creation or automated login attempts
• Using any technology to circumvent security measures, rate limits, or access controls
• Reverse engineering, decompiling, or otherwise attempting to derive the source code or underlying algorithms of the Service

This prohibition applies regardless of whether the automated access causes harm to the Service. Standard web browsers operated directly by users in real-time are permitted.

6.3 Enforcement and Account Suspension

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to investigate and take appropriate action against any user who violates this Section, including but not limited to:

• Issuing warnings regarding violations
• Temporarily suspending your access to all or part of the Service
• Permanently terminating your account without refund
• Reporting violations to law enforcement authorities where appropriate
• Pursuing legal remedies, including claims for damages, injunctive relief, and recovery of attorneys' fees and costs

Any abuse of the Service, whether listed above or not, that we determine in our sole discretion to be harmful, disruptive, or in violation of the spirit of these Terms may result in immediate account termination without prior notice or opportunity to cure.

7.1 Free Trial

EstateHelm offers a 14-day free trial for all new households. During the trial period, you have full access to the Household plan features. After the trial ends, you must subscribe to continue using the service.

7.2 Paid Subscriptions

Paid subscriptions provide additional features and higher limits. Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually, as selected at purchase. Prices are subject to change with notice.

7.3 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You'll retain access to paid features until then.

After your subscription ends, your account will remain accessible in read-only mode for at least 1 year, allowing you to view and export your data. After this retention period, your data may be permanently deleted. We recommend exporting your data or resubscribing before the retention period ends.

7.4 Refunds

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for new subscriptions. Contact us within 30 days of your initial purchase for a full refund. After 30 days, refunds are provided at our discretion.

7.5 Changes to Plans and Features

We reserve the right to modify, add, or remove subscription plans, features, pricing, and usage limits at any time without prior notice. This includes changing what features are available in each subscription tier, adjusting feature limits, and discontinuing certain features entirely. We recommend reviewing our pricing page periodically for the most current information. Your continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the modified plans and features.

We strive to keep EstateHelm available 24/7, but we don't guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to:

• Scheduled maintenance (we'll try to notify you in advance)
• Unplanned outages or technical issues
• Factors outside our control

EstateHelm and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by us and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reverse engineer any part of the Service.

EstateHelm is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We don't warrant that the Service will be error-free or uninterrupted.

Important: EstateHelm is designed as an organizational tool for household information. It is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or estate planning advice. For important legal documents or estate planning, please consult qualified professionals.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses.

Our total liability for any claims under these terms shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless EstateHelm and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from your use of the Service or violation of these terms.

13.1 Account Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account at any time for violation of these terms, with or without notice. You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us or using the account deletion feature.

13.2 Subscription Lapse and Heartbeat Protocol

If your Estate tier subscription lapses while you have an active Heartbeat Protocol:

• If you cannot log in (the scenario the Protocol is designed for): The Protocol remains active to ensure your beneficiaries can access your data in the event of your incapacity.
• If you log in after lapse: Your subscription is marked as expired and the Heartbeat Protocol is deactivated, as your login demonstrates you are active and capable. You will need to resubscribe to continue using EstateHelm.

Account Deletion: Requesting account deletion will permanently remove your account and all associated data, including any active Heartbeat Protocol configuration. Beneficiaries will lose their designation and cannot request access after deletion.

13.3 Data Retention Periods

Upon account deletion or termination for terms violation:

• Your encrypted data will be retained for a minimum of 90 days and a maximum of 180 days following termination
• During this period, we may retain data for legal compliance, dispute resolution, or to fulfill any pending Heartbeat Protocol obligations
• After this retention period, all encrypted data will be permanently deleted from our systems and backups

If your account is terminated while a Heartbeat Protocol access request is pending or in the buffer period, we will make reasonable efforts to complete that process before data deletion.

We may modify these terms from time to time. We'll notify you of significant changes by email or through the Service. Your continued use of EstateHelm after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws, without regard to conflict of law principles.

If you have questions about these terms, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]