Homeowner Booking Terms

Tracehome is a platform that connects you with independent tradespeople. When you make a booking, the contract for the work is between you and the tradesperson — Tracehome is not the provider of the work and is not a party to that contract, except that we may facilitate payment. Tradespeople are not our employees or agents.

You describe the work and review an AI-generated indicative estimate. To confirm a booking you give us your card details, which we store securely with our payment provider for later use. No deposit is taken and nothing is charged at this point. Confirming a booking is an offer to engage a matched tradesperson on the job details you submit, and authorises us to charge that card later under section 04. It is not yet a contract for the trade work.

We may also place a short authorisation hold on your card to cover a no-show. A hold reserves an amount with your bank; it is not a payment, no money moves, and it is released when the job is charged or the booking ends. If we place one, the amount is shown before you confirm.

The contract for the work is between you and the tradesperson and is formed when the tradesperson confirms the final price in our system (including an auto-accepted increase under section 03), or when you approve a variation that requires your consent. Until then, the tradesperson may decline; if they do, the booking is cancelled at no cost to you and any hold is released.

You are responsible for accurate details about the work and property, and for safe access at the agreed time.

The amount shown when you book is a provisional price derived from an AI estimate (using the maximum of the estimate range), not a fixed quote from the tradesperson. The tradesperson sets the confirmed price after reviewing the job, and the confirmed price is what you are charged.

• If the confirmed total equals or is less than the provisional total, the price is confirmed.
• If the confirmed total is higher by no more than 10% of the provisional total, or by no more than $100 AUD, we treat that increase as accepted by you when you confirmed the booking (an auto-accepted variation). We will notify you of the confirmed total.
• If the increase exceeds both of those thresholds, you must approve or reject. Rejection cancels the booking at no cost to you, and any authorisation hold is released.

Further variations after confirmation should be agreed before extra work is done, unless a further in-product approval flow applies.

Payments are processed by Stripe. There is one charge for a booking, and it is made after the tradesperson marks the job complete, for the confirmed total. Nothing is charged when you book.

That charge is made to the tradesperson’s Stripe Connect account, less Tracehome’s platform fee of 8% of the confirmed job total (taken from the tradesperson’s proceeds). Tracehome does not hold your funds at any stage — there is no deposit and no amount is held on our account pending release. By confirming a booking you authorise that charge to the card you saved.

We charge the card you saved at booking without asking you again. If that charge is declined, we email you a secure payment link instead. If we placed a no-show authorisation hold, it is released when the job is charged — you are never held and charged for the same booking at once.

The 8% platform fee is disclosed in the booking flow before you confirm, as is any authorisation hold. If a fee is ever non-refundable to you, that will be stated before you confirm.

Because nothing is charged until the job is complete, a booking that ends before then — the tradesperson declines, or you reject a variation that required your approval — costs you nothing, and any authorisation hold is released. You can cancel a booking yourself from its booking page at any point before the tradesperson confirms the price; once the price is confirmed or work is underway, contact us instead. Cancellation after price confirmation or after work has started depends on the circumstances and your Australian Consumer Law rights, and you may be charged for work already performed. Details are in our Refunds & Consumer Guarantees policy.

Refunds go back to the card that was charged. We decide refund requests within 2 business days, and your bank can take 5–10 business days to show the refund.

• provide safe and timely access to your property;
• give accurate information about the work and any hazards;
• be available (or arrange someone to be) as needed; and
• pay the agreed amount for work performed.

Issues with the work are primarily between you and the tradesperson. Australian Consumer Law guarantees (including due care and skill) apply against the tradesperson. Tracehome can help with communication. We are not an adjudicator of workmanship disputes and are not responsible for quality, timing, or outcome of the work.

If you open a chargeback with your card issuer, the booking may be marked disputed and handled under Stripe’s dispute process. A chargeback also pauses the tradesperson’s payout for that job until it is resolved. Please contact us first — we would rather sort it out with you and the tradesperson directly.

Choose and instruct tradespeople with care, and raise any safety concerns with the tradesperson and with us. In an emergency, contact emergency services on 000.

To the extent permitted by law, Tracehome is not liable for the acts, omissions, or work of tradespeople. Our liability to you is limited as set out in our Terms of Service. Nothing in these terms excludes rights and guarantees that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.

We may update these terms and will update the “last updated” date above. These terms are governed by the laws of Western Australia, Australia. Questions? Email hello@tracehome.com.au.