Terms of Use
Use the site honestly. Businesses must tell the truth about themselves. Homeowners must review and vote only on real experiences. We can remove anything that breaks these rules. We help you find pros, but you hire them, not us.
1. Who we are
Top of the Trades ("we", "us") runs topofthetrades.org, a directory of home-service businesses with a verification badge ("Checked") and homeowner-voted awards, open in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Top of the Trades is affiliated with Forty-Second Street, Inc. By using the site you agree to these terms.
2. We are a directory, not a contractor
We do not perform, supervise or guarantee any work. Any agreement for work is between you and the business you hire. Check licenses, insurance, written estimates and contracts yourself before you hire. We are not a government regulator or licensing board.
3. What "Checked" means
"Checked" means that on the date shown on the business's verification page we reviewed the items listed there, such as state business registration, license status and a certificate of insurance, and that we re-check those records on a recurring basis, normally monthly. It is a review of records and documents. It is not a guarantee of quality, safety, pricing or outcome, and it is not a license, certification or endorsement by any government body. We remove the badge when we learn a reviewed item has lapsed.
4. Accounts and listings
- You must be 18 or older to create an account, claim a listing or vote.
- Listings may be created from public license records before a business claims them. A business may claim, correct or ask us to remove its listing at any time.
- If you claim a business, you confirm you are authorized to act for it and that what you submit is true and current.
- You are responsible for keeping your login secure.
- We may decline, edit, suspend or remove any listing, review, vote or content that we believe is false, misleading, unlawful or against these terms.
5. Paid plans
The Checked plan and the Advanced plan are billed yearly or monthly, in advance, as the business chooses. We charge for the Checked plan only after a business passes verification; a business that does not pass is not charged. We email a reminder at least 30 days before each yearly renewal, and you can turn off renewal at any time, in which case the plan stays active until the end of the period already paid. If Checked status is removed for a lapse, the next renewal is paused until the business is back in good standing. Paid plans buy placement and profile features, which are labeled. They never buy the Checked badge, an award, a place on a ballot, a vote, a review, or the removal of a review or a competitor.
6. The trust badge
A business with an active Checked status may display our badge on its own website and materials, using the code we provide, unaltered, and linked to its verification page. The badge names the year it covers. The license to display the badge ends automatically when the status lapses or the plan ends, and the business must remove it. Misuse of the badge may result in removal from the directory.
7. Reviews, voting and awards
- Review only businesses you actually hired, and describe your own experience.
- No reviews or votes in exchange for payment, discounts, gifts or prizes, and no reviews or votes by owners, employees or competitors. We never offer voters prizes or incentives.
- One household gets one vote per award category per contest year. We may verify voters and discard votes we believe are fraudulent. Vote counts are reviewed by an independent auditor and a summary is published each year.
- Nomination and participation in the awards are free. Winners receive a digital badge at no cost. Optional winner products, such as plaques, signs and a logo license, are sold separately and are never a condition of winning or of displaying a win.
- Award rules, categories and timing are described on the Awards and Rules pages and may change only between contest years.
8. Your content
You keep ownership of what you submit. You give us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display, adapt and distribute it in connection with the directory. Do not submit content you do not have the right to share.
9. Acceptable use
Do not scrape the site, interfere with its operation, impersonate anyone, post unlawful content, or use the site to send spam.
10. Disclaimers and limits
The site is provided "as is". To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential damages, or for any work performed by businesses listed on the site. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim.
11. Changes and contact
We may update these terms and will post the new date at the top. Questions: email hello@topofthetrades.org.