Terms & Conditions

Agreement

By accessing or using the PGBuddies platform (website at pgbuddies.com, mobile apps, and any related services), you agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions ("Terms"). If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age and legally capable of entering into a binding contract under Indian law to use PGBuddies. By using the platform, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements.

Updates

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify registered users of material changes at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Marketplace Nature

PGBuddies is a technology platform that connects prospective tenants with PG accommodation owners and other service providers. PGBuddies itself is not a PG owner, landlord, or service provider — we facilitate the connection.

Current Services

Our platform currently offers: verified PG/hostel discovery and booking, online payment processing, tenant-owner communication, support ticket management, and reviews.

Upcoming Services

We are expanding into Tiffin meal plans, Gym memberships, Café access, and Laundry services. These services will be subject to additional terms presented at the time of launch.

Service Availability

We aim for 99.9% uptime but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. Scheduled maintenance, force majeure events, or third-party outages may temporarily affect availability without liability to PGBuddies.

Account Creation

You must register using a valid mobile number. OTP-based verification is mandatory. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and for all activities that occur under your account.

Accurate Information

You agree to provide true, accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your profile updated. Providing false information is grounds for immediate account suspension.

One Account Per Person

Each individual or business entity may maintain only one active account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent bans or policies is prohibited.

Account Security

You must notify PGBuddies immediately at support@pgbuddies.com if you suspect unauthorised access to your account. PGBuddies is not liable for loss or damage arising from your failure to protect your account credentials.

Accurate Booking Information

You must provide accurate check-in dates, identity documents, and contact information when booking. Fraudulent or misleading bookings may result in permanent account suspension and legal action.

Property Rules

Upon check-in, you agree to comply with the rules and regulations of the PG property as communicated by the owner. PGBuddies is not responsible for enforcing property-level rules but will act on verified misconduct reports.

Payments

You agree to pay all fees (booking fee, monthly rent, service charges) through the PGBuddies platform using authorised payment methods. Off-platform cash payments are strongly discouraged and not covered by our dispute resolution mechanism.

Damage & Liability

You are liable for any damage caused to the property beyond normal wear and tear. PGBuddies may facilitate dispute resolution but bears no financial liability for property damage.

Reviews

You may leave honest, factual reviews of properties you have stayed in. Defamatory, false, or vindictive reviews are prohibited and may be removed. Fake reviews are subject to account termination.

Accurate Listings

Owners must provide truthful, current, and complete information about their property — including photos, amenities, pricing, house rules, and availability. Misleading listings are a serious breach of these Terms.

Document Compliance

Owners must submit valid property documents for verification before listing. Operating an illegal or unregistered PG is prohibited on PGBuddies.

Tenant Safety

Owners are responsible for maintaining safe and habitable living conditions as represented in their listing. PGBuddies may suspend or remove listings that receive verified safety complaints.

Timely Response

Owners must respond to booking inquiries within 48 hours. Chronic non-responsiveness may result in listing demotion or removal.

Commission & Fees

Owners agree to pay PGBuddies the applicable platform commission or subscription fee as agreed at the time of onboarding. Fee structures may be updated with 30 days' notice.

Payment Gateway

All payments are processed by Razorpay, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment gateway. By making a payment on PGBuddies, you agree to Razorpay's terms of service in addition to ours.

Booking Fees

A non-refundable platform booking fee may be charged at the time of reservation to confirm your booking. This fee covers verification and administrative costs.

Refund Policy

Refunds for cancelled bookings are governed by our Refund Policy (pgbuddies.com/policies/refund). Generally, refunds are processed within 5–7 business days of approval. Refunds for gateway charges are subject to Razorpay's processing timelines.

Disputes

Payment disputes must be raised within 7 days of the transaction date by contacting support@pgbuddies.com. PGBuddies will investigate and respond within 5 business days.

Taxes

All prices displayed are inclusive of applicable GST unless stated otherwise. You are responsible for any additional taxes applicable to your jurisdiction.

You may NOT:

Use the platform for any unlawful purpose; impersonate any person or entity; scrape, crawl, or systematically extract data from the platform; post false, misleading, or defamatory content; transmit spam, malware, or harmful code; attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems; circumvent security measures; resell or commercially exploit platform features without written authorisation; or use the platform to harass, abuse, or threaten other users.

Consequences

Violation of this section may result in immediate account suspension, permanent ban, removal of content, and/or referral to law-enforcement authorities. PGBuddies reserves the right to seek damages.

PGBuddies IP

The PGBuddies name, logo, brand, website design, software, and all associated content are the exclusive property of PGBuddies and are protected under applicable intellectual property laws. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the platform for its intended purpose ("personal use licence").

User Content

By uploading photos, reviews, or other content to PGBuddies, you grant us a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable licence to use, display, reproduce, and distribute that content in connection with our services. You retain ownership of your content.

Feedback

Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide to PGBuddies may be used by us without compensation or attribution.

Platform as Intermediary

PGBuddies is a marketplace and does not own, operate, manage, or control any PG property or service listed on the platform. All listings are independently operated by third-party owners. PGBuddies makes no representations or warranties regarding the quality, safety, legality, or accuracy of any listing. Services are provided "as is" and "as available".

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, PGBuddies, its directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the platform. Our total aggregate liability for any claim shall not exceed the amount you paid to PGBuddies in the 3 months preceding the claim.

Third-Party Links

The platform may contain links to third-party websites. PGBuddies is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites.

Informal Resolution

Before initiating formal proceedings, you agree to contact PGBuddies at legal@pgbuddies.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

Arbitration

If informal resolution fails, disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (India). The seat of arbitration shall be Jaipur, Rajasthan. Proceedings shall be conducted in English.

Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Subject to the arbitration clause above, courts in Jaipur, Rajasthan shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

Class Action Waiver

You agree that any dispute resolution proceedings shall be conducted on an individual basis only — not as a class, consolidated, or representative action.

By You

You may terminate your account at any time by requesting deletion via account settings or emailing support@pgbuddies.com. Outstanding obligations (e.g., pending payments) must be resolved before termination.

By PGBuddies

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time for breach of these Terms, fraudulent activity, non-payment, or any conduct that we determine to be harmful to the platform or other users.

Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to access the platform ceases immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (including payment obligations, intellectual property, dispute resolution, and limitation of liability) shall survive.

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Refund Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and PGBuddies regarding the platform and supersede all prior agreements.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Waiver

Failure by PGBuddies to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

Force Majeure

PGBuddies shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, government action, internet outages, or pandemics.

Assignment

You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without prior written consent from PGBuddies. PGBuddies may assign its rights as part of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.