Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

Welcome to ApartmentRatings.com! These Terms and Conditions (the "Agreement") describe the terms on which ApartmentRatings.com, a division of MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands ("ApartmentRatings", "our" or "we") offers you our products and services, including an account (the "Services") on the website located at www.ApartmentRatings.com (the "Site"). BY USING OUR SERVICES, INCLUDING REGISTERING FOR AN ACCOUNT, YOU INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS AGREEMENT AND ITS TERMS AND ANY MODIFICATIONS THAT MAY BE MADE TO THE AGREEMENT OR ITS TERMS FROM TIME TO TIME. All uses of your account are governed by this Agreement. ApartmentRatings shall not be liable to you for any breach of the terms of this Agreement. If you have any questions about your obligations under this Agreement, email staff@aptratings.com.

If you are under 18, ApartmentRatings may not receive Content from you; please do not post to the Site. By posting Content on the Site, you represent that you are 18 years of age or older.

Modifications

ApartmentRatings reserves the right to revise, amend or modify the terms of this Agreement at any time and in any manner at its sole discretion. Any such revisions, amendment, or modifications will be effective upon the updating of such modifications, revisions or amendments. Continued use of the Site by you constitutes your binding acceptance of such revisions, amendments, and modifications. If you do not agree to this Agreement or any modifications, please do not use the Site. From time to time, and depending on the Services you use, additional terms and policies (including rules, guidelines and other similarly named documents) may apply ("Additional Terms"). You understand and agree that such Additional Terms are hereby incorporated by reference into this Agreement.

Submission of Content

  1. DEFINITION. ApartmentRatings allows you to provide certain content on the Site, including, but not limited to (i) a review in the form of an opinion about apartment rentals (an "Opinion"); (ii)a question, answer or comment about apartment rentals and other topics ("Discussion Content"); and, (iii) if using Roommates, data, text, graphics, messages and other information about you or an available room, whether publicly posted or transmitted privately through the Site ("Roommates Content"). The Opinion, Discussion Content, Roommates Content and any photographs, videos, and other materials you provide to ApartmentRatings (by uploading to the Site or otherwise) is defined as your "Content."

  2. You retain all rights of ownership to your Content. By submitting Content to the Site, you grant to ApartmentRatings a royalty-free, perpetual license to display and reproduce your Content online and offline and permit others (including without limitation, syndication, co-brand and content partners) to do the same. You are free to use your Content offline in any manner you choose. You grant to ApartmentRatings (and its sublicensees) the exclusive right to display your Content anywhere online, except for the following circumstances:

    1. You may post your Opinions and/or Discussion Content on USENET newsgroups. If you do so, you must include the following attribution: "You can read this information at http://www.ApartmentRatings.com."

    2. You may also display your Opinion and/or Discussion Content on any site which contains content contributed from 9 individual contributors or less, but you must include the following attribution in the display: "You can read this information at http://www.ApartmentRatings.com"

    3. You may display your Opinion and/or Discussion Content in a forum other than those described above with express written consent from ApartmentRatings. To request additional online rights to your Opinion and/or Discussion Content, you may email staff@aptratings.com. ApartmentRatings reserves the right to grant or deny permission on a case-by-case basis as ApartmentRatings deems appropriate in its sole discretion. In all other cases, ApartmentRatings' exclusive display and reproduction rights apply even if you initially post the Opinion and/or Discussion Content somewhere else online and then desire to post it to the Site; such dual posting is not permitted, although if you have the right to do so, you may be able to delete the Opinion and/or Discussion Content from the other site and then repost it on the Site (you should check with the site where you initially posted the Opinion and/or Discussion Content to determine if this is permissible). (For purposes of this section, the word "display" covers all copyright and other intellectual property rights necessary to effectuate the foregoing intent.)

  3. PURSUIT OF INFRINGERS. If ApartmentRatings identifies someone who is displaying your Content online in violation of this Agreement and ApartmentRatings wishes to take action against the infringer, ApartmentRatings may contact you to seek your help with the action. However, ApartmentRatings may also directly enforce your ownership rights in the Content against the infringer, and you authorize ApartmentRatings to take any actions on your behalf that ApartmentRatings reasonably deems necessary or appropriate to protect the parties' respective rights. If ApartmentRatings decides to sue the infringer, (1) ApartmentRatings may join you as a co-plaintiff to the action, and (2) any resulting damages or settlements attributable to online uses of your Content shall be solely ApartmentRatings'.

  4. REMOVAL OF CONTENT. Currently, ApartmentRatings allows you to edit and delete your Content. At any time, without further notice, ApartmentRatings may restrict your ability to edit or delete your Content. Please note that, irrespective of the foregoing, ApartmentRatings may not be able to propagate changes you make to the Content to the corresponding version being displayed somewhere other than on the Site.

  5. USAGE GUIDELINES. You agree not to use the Site to: (a) upload, post, email, or otherwise transmit any Content that is , unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, or, except for the Roommates service, ; (b) harm minors in any way; (c) impersonate any person or entity, or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; (d) upload, post, email, or otherwise transmit Content that you do not have a right to transmit under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements); (e) upload,3 post, email or otherwise transmit Content that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights ("Rights") of any party; (f) upload, post, email, or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other forms of solicitation; (g) upload, post, email, or otherwise transmit any material that contains software viruses or any other computer code, files, or programs designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment; (h) interfere with or disrupt the Site or servers or networks connected to the Site, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Site; (i) intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law; (j) "stalk" or otherwise harass another; (k) write comments that in refer to person(s) under 18 years of age in an indecent or prurient manner; or (l) collect or store personal data about other users. You acknowledge that ApartmentRatings does not pre-screen or filter user comments, Opinions, Discussion Content, or general Content, but that ApartmentRatings and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse or remove any Content that is available via the Site. Without limiting the foregoing, ApartmentRatings and its designees shall have the right to remove any Content that violates this Agreement or is otherwise objectionable. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any Content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such Content. In this regard, you acknowledge that you may not rely on any Content submitted to the Site. To report alleged violations of the Site Usage Guidelines as set forth in this Section 5, please click on the Report link under the applicable review, and follow the steps provided, or follow the instructions as otherwise mentioned in these Terms. You acknowledge and agree that ApartmentRatings may preserve Content and may also disclose Content if required to do so by law or if ApartmentRatings believes in good faith that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process; (b) enforce this Agreement; (c) respond to claims that any Content violates the rights of third-parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of ApartmentRatings, its users or the public.

Your Registration Obligations

In consideration of your use of this Site, you agree to: (a) provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Site's registration form (such information being the "Registration Data") and (b) maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, or ApartmentRatings has reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, ApartmentRatings has the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse to offer you any and all current or future use of the Site (or any portion thereof). You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account, including your log-in details. You shall be liable for any charges, damages, or losses that may be incurred or suffered as a result of your failure to do so.

Roommates

The Roommates service offered by ApartmentRatings allows you to create an account and become a member, in order to connect with others in your search for a roommate or to find or rent out a room (the "Roommates Services"). The Roommates Services, along with your creation, access and use of an account for Roommates is governed by this Agreement and the Guidelines. In addition to the other terms of this Agreement, the following terms apply to your access and use of the Roommates Services:

  • Guidelines: Your use of the Roommates Services is governed by this Agreement and the "Site Rules/Guidelines." Any violation of this Agreement, Guidelines or any other supplemental terms may result in your access to the Roommates Services being terminated immediately, in our sole discretion, with or without notice.

  • Roommates Content: You acknowledge and agree that ApartmentRatings does not control or monitor Roommates Content nor does ApartmentRatings guarantee the accuracy, integrity, security, or quality of such Roommates Content. You further acknowledge and agree that by using the Roommates Services, you may be exposed to Roommates Content that is inaccurate, offensive, indecent, objectionable, or that contains errors or omissions and under no circumstances will ApartmentRatings be liable for any Roommates Content, including but not limited to, any errors or omissions in Roommates Content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of Roommates Content. ApartmentRatings reserves the right, but not the obligation, to pre-screen, review, monitor, delete, or otherwise change Roommates Content at any time in our sole discretion, with or without notice. ApartmentRatings does not endorse Roommates Content or any opinion, recommendation, or advice expressed therein, and we expressly disclaim any and all liability in connection with Roommates Content. You agree that you will not submit Roommates Content that violates this Agreement or the Site Rules, or that is contrary to applicable local, national and international laws and regulations.

  • License to Grant to Roommates Content: In connection with your Roommates Content, you represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use and authorize ApartmentRatings to use all trademark, copyright, or other proprietary rights in and to your Roommates Content to enable inclusion and use of your Roommates Content, including display and reproduction of your Roommates Content, on or through the Roommates Services and/or the Site. You grant and assign to us and represent and warrant that you have the right to grant and assign to us, a perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable (through multiple tires), worldwide license to copy, perform, display, distribute, prepare derivative works from (including, without limitation, incorporating into other works) and otherwise use your Roommates Content, solely for the purpose for which such Roommates Content was uploaded, posted, transmitted, or otherwise made available by you. You further grant to each user of the Roommates Services a non-exclusive license to access your Roommates Content through the Roommates Services, and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform your Roommates Content as permitted through the functionality of the Roommates Services. You may elect to remove your Roommates Content through your account dashboard while you have an active membership on ApartmentRatings. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you acknowledge and agree that once your Roommates Content is made public or otherwise incorporated into other aspects of the Roommates Services or the Site by either you, ApartmentRatings, or other Roommates members, then you may not be entitled to access, update, or delete such Content. Such Content may continue to appear and be used through the Roommates Services indefinitely pursuant to the license granted herein, and ApartmentRatings is under no obligation to delete or require other Roommates members to delete such Content. You acknowledge and agree that we may retain, but will not display, distribute, or perform, sever copies of Roommates Content that has been removed or deleted. You further acknowledge and agree that we may retain Roommates Content, even after your account has been closed, if retention is reasonably necessary to comply with our legal or regulatory obligations, resolve disputes, prevent fraud and abuse, enforce this Agreement or any other contract entered into between you and ApartmentRatings.

  • Copyright Policy: ApartmentRatings has adopted and implemented a copyright policy in accordance with the Digital Millennium Act. For more information, please read our copyright policy at www.internetbrands.com/ibterms/copyrightpolicy.

  • Member Conduct: You may not use the Roommates Services for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by this Agreement or the Site Rules. You expressly agree not to: (a) act as an agent, affiliate, or representative of the Roommates Services and utilize the Roommates Services or Roommates Content for any commercial purpose, other than for which the Roommates Services is intended, without our express written permission; (b) access, monitor, or copy any content or information of the Roommates Services using any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means or any manual process for any purpose without our express written permission; (c) take any action that imposes, or may impose, in our discretion, an unreasonable or disproportionate burden on our infrastructure; or (d) “frame,” “mirror,” or otherwise incorporate any part of the Roommates Services for any commercial use without our prior written permission. If you notice any suspicious activity, including any activity that may violate this Agreement or the Guidelines, click on the flag icon below the listing page.

Privacy

Because your privacy is very important to ApartmentRatings, the Site offers you a number of choices to facilitate decisions about how you'd like ApartmentRatings to use and disclose your personal information. By accepting this Agreement, you expressly consent to ApartmentRatings' disclosure and use of your personal information (including using email to communicate with you) as described in the Site's Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold ApartmentRatings, and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, co-branders or other partners, and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of Content you submit, post to or transmit through the Site, your use of the Site, your connection to the Site, your violation of this Agreement, or your violation of any rights of another.

No Resale Of The Site

You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit for any commercial purposes, any portion, including, but not limited to the Roommates Services, Roommates Content or any other Content, of the Site, use of the Site, or access to the Site.

Termination

You agree that ApartmentRatings, in its sole discretion, may terminate your password, account (or any part thereof) or use of the Site, and remove and discard any Content within the Site, for any reason, including, without limitation, for lack of use or if ApartmentRatings believes that you have violated or acted inconsistently with the letter or spirit of this Agreement. ApartmentRatings may also in its sole discretion and at any time discontinue providing the Site, or any part thereof, with or without notice. You agree that any termination of your access to the Site may be effected without prior notice, and you acknowledge and agree that ApartmentRatings may immediately deactivate or delete your account and all related information and Content in your account and/or bar any further access to such information or to the Site. Further, you agree that ApartmentRatings shall not be liable to you or any third-party for any termination of your access to the Site.

Dealings With Advertisers Or Partners

Your correspondence or business dealings with, or participation in promotions of, advertisers or partners found on or through the Site, including payment and delivery of related goods or services, and any other terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and such advertiser or partner. You agree that ApartmentRatings shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such dealings or as the result of the presence of such advertisers or partners on the Site.

Data and Links

ApartmentRatings may provide access to third party data, software and services as part of the Services, which may require that you enter into a separate subscription or licensing agreement with third-party vendors. You will comply with, and upon request, execute, any agreements that may be required for the use of such software or services, and to comply with the terms of any license or other agreement relating to third-party products included in the Services or made accessible to you through the Services. Your use of the Services or of such third-party products or services will constitute your agreement to be bound by the terms of all licensing, subscription and similar agreements relating to such use. In addition, ApartmentRatings may provide, or third parties may provide, links to other websites or resources that are beyond ApartmentRatings' control. ApartmentRatings makes no representations as to the quality, accuracy, suitability, functionality or legality of any sites to which links may be provided, or any data. You rely on any such sites or data at your sole risk, and you hereby waive any claim you might have against ApartmentRatings, with respect to such sites and data. APARTMENTRATINGS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT ON THE INTERNET OR WORLD WIDE WEB PAGES THAT ARE CONTAINED OUTSIDE THE SITE.

RSS Feeds

ApartmentRatings offers various parts of the Service in RSS format so that users can embed individual feeds into a personal website or blog, or view postings through third party software news aggregators. ApartmentRatings permits you to display, excerpt from, and link to the RSS feeds on your personal website or personal web blog, provided that (a) your use of the RSS feed is for personal, non-commercial purposes only, (b) each title is correctly linked back to the original Content on the Service and redirects the user to the Content when the user clicks on it, (c) you provide, adjacent to the RSS feed, proper attribution to 'ApartmentRatings.com' as the source, (d) your use or display does not suggest that ApartmentRatings promotes or endorses any third party causes, ideas, web sites, products or services, (e) you do not redistribute the RSS feed, and (f) your use does not overburden ApartmentRatings' systems. ApartmentRatings reserves all rights in the content of the RSS feeds and may terminate any RSS feed at any time.

No Warranty

THE SITE AND APARTMENTRATINGS' SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS," AND APARTMENTRATINGS AND ITS SUPPLIERS AND CO-BRAND PARTNERS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND (EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY), INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Without limiting the foregoing, ApartmentRatings does not promise or warrant to you that any aspect of the Site will be accurate or work properly or will be available continuously. Some states do not allow the disclaimer of implied warranties, so the foregoing disclaimer may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other legal rights, which vary from state to state.

Liability Limits

IN NO EVENT SHALL APARTMENTRATINGS OR ITS SUPPLIERS OR CO-BRAND PARTNERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (HOWEVER ARISING, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE, ITS SERVICES OR THIS AGREEMENT. FURTHER, IN NO EVENT SHALL APARTMENTRATINGS OR ITS SUPPLIERS OR CO-BRAND PARTNERS BE LIABLE TO YOU IN AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN $500. Some states do not allow the foregoing limitations of liability, so they may not apply to you.

Access Limits

Without ApartmentRatings' express written consent, you may not (a) use any automated means to access the Site or collect any information from the Site (including without limitation robots, spiders or scripts), or (b) frame the Site, place pop-up windows over its pages, or otherwise affect the display of its pages. This means, among other activities, that you agree not to engage in the practices of "screen scraping," "database scraping," or any other activity with the purpose of obtaining lists of users or other information. You agree that you will not use the Site in any manner which could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Site or interfere with any other party's use and enjoyment of the Site.

Trial/Offers

The Services may be provided as a free offer or trial subscription, in ApartmentRatings’ sole discretion. Any Service provided as a free offer or trial is governed by this Agreement. At any time prior to or during the free or trial period, ApartmentRatings may, in our sole discretion, terminate the free or trial access without prior notice and without any liability to you, to the extent permitted under applicable law, for any reason, including to prevent abuse of the free or trial access. After the free or trial access period expires, you may continue using the Services only by enrolling in a paid subscription, if available, or as otherwise permitted by ApartmentRatings. During the free or trial period, no express or implied warranties shall apply to the Services; all Services are provided “as-is” with all defects, and no technical or other support is included. At the end of the period that a Service is provided under a free offer or trial subscription, you may be asked whether you want to purchase the Services. If you do not choose to purchase the Services after the applicable free offer or trial period, your access to content that you posted or uploading during such period may no longer be available to you and you may not be able to access or retrieve any such data. Services provided as a free offer or trial subscription may be subject to additional terms.

Governing Law And Arbitration

This Agreement is governed in all respects by the laws of the State of California as such laws are applied to agreements entered into and to be performed entirely within California between California residents. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Site shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis, and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in Los Angeles County, California, and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered into any court having jurisdiction thereof. The award of the arbitrator shall be final and binding upon the parties without appeal or review except as permitted by California law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may seek any interim or preliminary relief from a court of competent jurisdiction in Los Angeles County, California as necessary to protect the party's rights or property pending the completion of arbitration. By using the Site, you consent and submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California.

Entire Agreement

This Agreement (and any addenda or statements expressly incorporated into this Agreement that you enter into) constitute the entire agreement, and supersede the provisions of any other agreements or understandings (oral or written), between the parties with respect to the subject matter of such documents. In the event of any conflict between the terms of this Agreement and an addendum, the provisions of the addendum shall control. If you have registered to use the Manager Center, then this Agreement and the Manager Center Agreement entered into between you and Apartment Ratings (and any addenda or statements expressly incorporated into such agreements) constitute the entire agreement, and supersede the provisions of any other agreements or understandings (oral or written), between the parties with respect to the subject matter of such documents. To the extent there is any conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the Manager Center Agreement, the terms of the Manager Center Agreement will control.

General

You shall comply with all laws and regulations applicable to your access and use of the Site and your publication of your Content. If any portion of this Agreement is deemed unenforceable, that portion shall be enforced to the maximum extent possible and the remaining portions of the Agreement shall be given full effect. ApartmentRatings' failure to act in a particular circumstance does not waive the ability to act with respect to that circumstance or similar circumstances. ApartmentRatings shall be excused for any failure to perform to the extent that its performance is prevented by any reason outside of its control. No agency, partnership, joint venture, employment or franchise relationship is intended or created by this Agreement. ApartmentRatings may change, remove, or require registration or payment to continue use of any aspect of the Site at any time without further notice to you. ApartmentRatings' suppliers and co-brand partners are third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement. Except as provided in Section 1, this Agreement may be amended only by a writing physically signed by both ApartmentRatings and you.

Other Disclosures

The Site is provided by ApartmentRatings.com, a division of MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands, 909 N. Pacific Coast Highway, 11th Floor, El Segundo, California 90245. Under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, California users are entitled to the following consumer rights notice: If you have a question or complaint regarding the site, please send an email to legal@internetbrands.com. You may also contact us by writing to the Legal Affairs Department at the address listed above. California residents may reach the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services by mail at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, California 95834, or by telephone at (916)445-1254 or (800)952-5210. Please be sure to identify the specific website, software, or service about which you have a question or complaint and how we can contact you. Any expenses (such as hardware, software and Internet access costs) or taxes you incur to access the Site shall be your sole responsibility. For purposes of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, you may contact ApartmentRatings' agent for service of notice at the foregoing address or by emailing staff@aptratings.com. Please make sure that your notices fully comply with the requirements of such act.

Last Updated: April 5, 2023