Terms of Use

01. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your use of southwaltonexteriors.com (the “Site”) and the free referral service offered through it (the “Service”). The Site and Service are operated by [Legal Entity Name, LLC], doing business as South Walton Exteriors (“South Walton Exteriors,” “we,” “us” or “our”).

By using the Site or submitting a request, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site or the Service. You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter into a binding agreement to use the Service.

02. Referral Service Disclaimer

Service names and descriptions on the Site, such as “stucco repair” or “balcony waterproofing,” describe the types of work that the independent contractors we refer may perform. They are not offers by South Walton Exteriors to perform that work.

We do not accept payment from you for any contractor’s work. If anyone asks you to pay South Walton Exteriors for construction work, please contact us right away.

03. Independent Contractors

Contractors in our referral network are independent businesses. They are not employees, agents, partners, joint venturers or representatives of South Walton Exteriors, and we are not a party to any agreement between you and a contractor. We do not control or direct how a contractor performs its work, and we are not responsible for a contractor’s acts, omissions, representations, pricing, scheduling, workmanship, materials, permits, insurance, compliance with laws or warranties.

Our use of the word “partner” refers only to a referral relationship. It does not create a legal partnership.

04. No Endorsement or Guarantee

A referral is not an endorsement, recommendation, certification or guarantee of any contractor or of the outcome of any project. We do not guarantee that:

• we will be able to refer a contractor for every request, location or timeline;
• a referred contractor will contact you, provide a quote, accept your project or perform it on any schedule;
• any price, estimate, inspection finding or recommendation a contractor gives you is accurate, competitive or appropriate; or
• any work will be free of defects, meet your expectations or comply with building codes, product approvals or community architectural standards.

What our license check does and does not mean

Before we refer work, we confirm each partner holds any Florida contractor license their type of work requires. That check reflects license status as shown in public Florida records at the time we check, and license status can change afterward. Some trades, including painting and stucco or plastering work, do not require a state contractor license in Florida, while work that involves structural elements, roofing, or other regulated scopes generally does. We do not verify insurance, bonding, workers’ compensation coverage, financial condition, work history or references unless we tell you otherwise in writing. Please do your own checks before you hire.

05. Before You Hire a Contractor

You are responsible for choosing, hiring and managing any contractor. Before you sign anything or pay a deposit, we strongly recommend that you:

• Verify the license for the specific work at myfloridalicense.com, where a license is required, and confirm the license is active and in the name of the business you are hiring.
• Ask for proof of insurance, including general liability and workers’ compensation coverage, and confirm it directly with the insurance provider.
• Get a written contract that spells out the scope of work, materials, price, payment schedule, start and completion dates, change-order process and warranty terms.
• Confirm who will pull permits. Permits for regulated work must be obtained by an appropriately licensed contractor.
• Be cautious with large deposits. Under Florida law (s. 489.126, Fla. Stat.), a contractor who receives more than 10% of the contract price up front for residential work generally must apply for required permits within 30 days and begin work within 90 days after permits are issued, unless you agree otherwise in writing.
• Understand Florida’s Construction Lien Law (Chapter 713, Fla. Stat.), which can allow unpaid subcontractors and suppliers to place a lien on your property. Ask for lien releases as you make payments.
• Know your recovery options. Florida’s Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund may compensate eligible homeowners harmed by certain state-licensed contractors. It is generally not available for work by unlicensed contractors.
• Check community requirements. Many 30A communities and associations require architectural review or approval before exterior work begins.

06. Referral Fees

Our referral service is free to you. Participating contractors may pay South Walton Exteriors a fee for referrals, subscriptions or advertising, and we may refer some contractors more often than others. We disclose this so you can weigh our referrals accordingly. You are never obligated to hire any contractor we refer, and you are always free to get quotes from contractors outside our network.

07. Site Information Is General

Articles, checklists, service descriptions, FAQs and other content on the Site are general educational information about coastal construction issues. They are not engineering, architectural, legal, insurance or other professional advice, and they are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a qualified professional. Conditions vary from property to property. Always rely on the advice of a licensed engineer, contractor, attorney or insurance professional for decisions about your property. Product, code and legal information may change, and we do not promise that Site content is complete or current.

08. Communications & Privacy

When you submit a request, you agree that we may share the information you provide with contractors in our network so they can respond, and that we and those contractors may contact you about your request by phone, text message or email, as described in our Privacy Policy. You agree to provide accurate information and to submit requests only for property you own or are authorized to manage. You can opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP.

09. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• submit false, misleading or fraudulent requests, or requests using someone else’s contact information without permission;
• use the Site to send spam, solicit our contractors for unrelated purposes, or harass anyone;
• scrape, copy or harvest Site content or data by automated means;
• interfere with the Site’s security or operation, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to any system; or
• use the Site for any unlawful purpose.

We may refuse service, decline to make a referral, or block access to the Site at our discretion.

10. Intellectual Property

The Site and its content, including text, graphics, logos and design, are owned by or licensed to South Walton Exteriors and are protected by intellectual property laws. You may view and print pages for your personal, non-commercial use. Any other use requires our written permission. Community names, product names and other marks mentioned on the Site belong to their respective owners and are used only to describe locations and products. Their use does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.

11. Third-Party Links

The Site may link to third-party websites, such as government license lookups or contractor websites. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content, accuracy or privacy practices.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Site and the Service are provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, secure or error-free. We make no warranty of any kind regarding any contractor or any contractor’s work, products, services or estimates.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, South Walton Exteriors and its owners, officers, employees and agents will not be liable for (a) any acts, omissions, work, products, pricing, delays, defects, property damage, personal injury or other conduct of any contractor or other third party, or (b) any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, rental income, data or use, arising out of or related to the Site, the Service or any referral, even if we were advised of the possibility of such damages.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability for any claim arising out of or related to the Site or the Service will not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations of liability, so some of the above may not apply to you. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

14. Disputes With Contractors & Release

Any dispute about an estimate, contract, payment, permit, schedule, workmanship, warranty or other aspect of a contractor’s services is between you and that contractor. Although we are not obligated to do so, we welcome feedback about contractors in our network and may use it in deciding whether to continue referring them.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release South Walton Exteriors and its owners, officers, employees and agents from any claims, demands and damages of every kind, known and unknown, arising out of or connected with any dispute between you and a contractor or other third party you were referred to through the Service.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless South Walton Exteriors and its owners, officers, employees and agents from any claims, losses and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of your violation of these Terms, your misuse of the Site, or information you submit that is false or that you were not authorized to submit.

16. Governing Law & Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any legal action arising out of or related to these Terms, the Site or the Service must be brought exclusively in the state courts located in Walton County, Florida, or the federal court for the district that includes it, and you consent to the jurisdiction of those courts.

17. Changes & General Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time by posting a new version on this page and changing the effective date above. Changes apply from the date they are posted, and continued use of the Site after that date means you accept the updated Terms.

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions stay in full effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. These Terms and our Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and South Walton Exteriors about the Site and the Service. You may not assign these Terms without our consent. Sections that by their nature should survive, including the disclaimers, limitation of liability, release, indemnification and governing law, survive any termination of your use of the Site.

18. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms, or concerns about a contractor in our network? Please contact us.