Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a legally binding agreement between you and Praesova Ltd ("Praesova", "we", "us", "our") governing your access to and use of the Praesova platform, including our website, mobile applications, and related services (collectively, the "Platform").

By registering for an account, clicking "I Agree", or otherwise accessing the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or by a notice on the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after any change constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

Praesova Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. We operate a two-sided online marketplace that connects SIA-licensed security professionals ("Professionals") with businesses and individuals requiring security services ("Clients").

We are a marketplace, not an employer. Praesova facilitates introductions and transactions between Professionals and Clients. We are not party to any employment contract, service agreement, or engagement between a Professional and a Client. Professionals are independent professionals responsible for their own tax and insurance obligations.

Praesova does not guarantee the availability of work for Professionals, nor the availability of suitable Professionals for Clients.

To use the Platform you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Be legally permitted to work in the United Kingdom;
• Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information;
• Not have been previously suspended or banned from the Platform.

Professionals must additionally hold a valid SIA licence for the activities they intend to carry out. You are responsible for ensuring your licence remains current and for notifying us immediately if it expires, is suspended, or is revoked.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately at support@praesova.co.uk if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account.

You may not create more than one account per person or organisation without our prior written consent.

As a Professional, you represent, warrant, and agree that:

• You hold a valid, current SIA licence of the type required for each job you bid on or accept;
• All information in your profile, including qualifications, experience, and references, is accurate and truthful;
• You will promptly update your profile if any information changes, including your licence status;
• You will fulfil all engagements you accept in a professional, punctual, and competent manner;
• You are solely responsible for your own tax, National Insurance, and any other obligations arising from work obtained through the Platform;
• You hold appropriate public liability insurance where required for the roles you undertake;
• You will not use the Platform to solicit Clients to work with you outside of the Platform to avoid our fees;
• You will comply with all applicable laws, including the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

As a Client, you represent, warrant, and agree that:

• You have the legal authority to enter into agreements on behalf of your organisation;
• All job listings you post are genuine, lawful, and accurately described;
• You will not post listings for activities that are illegal or that do not require an SIA licence where one is specified;
• You will treat Professionals with dignity and respect and comply with all applicable employment and equality laws;
• You will pay Professionals the agreed rate on time as per any contract formed through the Platform;
• You will not use Professional identity information (revealed after shortlisting) for any purpose outside of the relevant hiring decision;
• You are responsible for conducting any additional due diligence required by your organisation or insurers beyond the verification Praesova provides.

Praesova is not responsible for any loss, damage, or claim arising from your engagement with a Professional, including but not limited to theft, injury, or negligence. You are responsible for ensuring adequate insurance cover for your events and premises.

The Praesova platform operates an anonymous sealed-bid model to protect Professionals from rate discrimination. The process works as follows:

1. Posting: Clients post job listings describing the role, location, dates, and any licence requirements.
2. Bidding: Eligible Professionals submit anonymous applications including their availability, proposed rate, and optional comments. Professional identity is not visible to Clients at this stage.
3. Shortlisting: Clients review anonymous bids and may shortlist candidates. Upon shortlisting, the Professional's verified profile — including name and SIA details — is revealed to the Client.
4. Offer & Acceptance: The Client makes an offer to one or more shortlisted Professionals. A binding agreement is formed when a Professional accepts an offer through the Platform.
5. Completion: Once the engagement is complete, both parties may leave reviews.

Praesova reserves the right to remove any job listing or application that violates these Terms or applicable law. Acceptance of a bid or offer through the Platform creates a contract solely between the Professional and the Client. Praesova is not a party to that contract.

Praesova charges the following fees for use of the Platform. All fees are inclusive of VAT where applicable:

• Registration: Free for both Professionals and Clients.
• Professional Service Fee: 5% of the agreed contract value, deducted from the Professional's payment upon completion of an engagement.
• Client Booking Fee: 10% of the agreed contract value, added to the total charged to the Client.

Fees are processed securely at the time of booking confirmation. We use a PCI-DSS compliant payment processor. Praesova does not store card details.

In the event of a cancellation, the following policy applies:

• Cancellation by Client — more than 7 days before the start date: Full refund of the booking fee.
• Cancellation by Client — 2–7 days before the start date: 50% of the booking fee is retained.
• Cancellation by Client — less than 48 hours before the start date: No refund of the booking fee. Professionals receive a cancellation payment of 50% of the agreed rate.
• Cancellation by Professional: No service fee refund. Repeated late cancellations may result in account suspension.

You must not use the Platform to:

• Post false, misleading, or fraudulent information, including fake SIA licence details;
• Circumvent the Platform by directly soliciting or arranging work with another user to avoid Praesova fees after an introduction through the Platform;
• Harass, abuse, threaten, discriminate against, or defame any other user;
• Scrape, copy, or systematically extract data from the Platform;
• Introduce malware, viruses, or other malicious code;
• Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely represent your affiliation;
• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations;
• Manipulate the review or rating system by submitting fake reviews;
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform or its infrastructure.

Breach of this section may result in immediate account suspension, permanent ban, recovery of fees, and referral to law enforcement where appropriate.

The Platform and all content on it — including but not limited to the Praesova name, logo, design, software, text, and graphics — are owned by or licensed to Praesova Ltd and are protected by UK and international intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works from, or commercially exploit any part of the Platform without our prior written consent.

Your content: By submitting content to the Platform (including profile information, job listings, bids, and reviews), you grant Praesova a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, store, display, and process that content for the purposes of operating and improving the Platform. You retain ownership of your content and may request its deletion in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

You represent that any content you submit does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Praesova disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Praesova does not warrant that:

• The Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure;
• Any Professional will be suitable for any particular role;
• Any Client listing is genuine, lawful, or will result in an engagement.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Praesova's total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising from or related to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the total fees paid by you to Praesova in the 12 months preceding the claim; or (b) £500.

Praesova shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages, including loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

By you: You may close your account at any time by contacting us at support@praesova.co.uk. Account closure does not affect any existing confirmed bookings, payment obligations, or pending disputes.

By us: We may suspend or permanently terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have:

• Breached any provision of these Terms;
• Provided false or fraudulent information;
• Had your SIA licence expire, be suspended, or be revoked;
• Engaged in conduct that poses a risk to other users or to the integrity of the Platform;
• Repeatedly cancelled confirmed bookings without adequate reason.

Upon termination, your right to access the Platform ceases immediately. Sections 7 (outstanding fees), 9 (intellectual property), 10 (liability), and 12 (governing law) survive termination.

If you believe your account has been suspended in error, you may appeal by emailing appeals@praesova.co.uk within 14 days. We will review appeals within 10 business days.

These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.

We aim to resolve disputes informally wherever possible. If you have a complaint, please contact us first at support@praesova.co.uk. We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days and aim to resolve it within 14 business days.

If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, both parties agree to attempt resolution through a recognised Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider before commencing court proceedings, unless interim or emergency relief is required.

Subject to the above, the parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.