Terms of Service

Acceptance

By using this service, creating an account, or subscribing to Pro, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the service. We reserve the right to update these terms as described under “Changes to these terms” below.

The short version

You use the simulator at your own discretion. It's a Monte-Carlo model — useful, not magic. The numbers it shows are projections, not financial advice. If you subscribe to Pro, we charge through Stripe; you can cancel any time from your account.

Who we are

The Rent vs Buy Calculator is operated by an individual in California, USA. Contact: contact@rentbuysellapp.com.

Using the service

• You may use the free tier without an account.
• To save scenarios, manage a subscription, or access Pro features, you sign in by entering an email — we send you a one-time link or 6-digit code. No password.
• You agree not to abuse, scrape, reverse-engineer, or attempt to disrupt the service. Don't use it to harass others or to break any law.
• The service is intended for users in the United States. We don't target other jurisdictions.

Pro subscriptions

If you choose to subscribe to Pro:

• Price: $12.99 per month, or $99 per year (about 36% off the monthly rate). Prices are in US dollars.
• Trial: 5 days free. A valid payment method is required to start the trial. You will not be charged during the trial. If you cancel before the trial ends, you will not be charged at all.
• Billing: after the trial, your card is charged automatically at the start of each billing cycle. Renewals continue until you cancel.
• Payment processor: all payments are handled by Stripe Inc. We never see or store your card number, CVV, or expiry. Stripe's privacy policy applies to that data.
• Taxes: our published prices do not include applicable taxes. Where required, taxes are added at checkout.
• Cancellation: you can cancel any time from the “Manage subscription” button on your account page. After you cancel, your Pro access continues until the end of the period you have already paid for. We do not pro-rate or refund the remainder of a billing period.
• Refunds: we generally do not offer refunds. If a charge looks wrong (duplicate, unauthorized, or service was unavailable for the period charged), email us and we'll review it case-by-case.

Price changes

If we ever change the price of Pro, we'll notify subscribers by email at least 30 days before the change takes effect. The new price only applies to billing cycles that start after the change date. You can cancel before the change if you prefer not to renew at the new price.

Not financial advice

The simulator is a statistical tool. It runs many possible futures based on historical market data and the inputs you provide. The outputs are projections, not predictions, and they are not personalized financial, tax, real-estate, or legal advice.

Decisions to buy, rent, sell, refinance, or invest are yours. They should be made after consulting professionals (a CPA, a fiduciary financial planner, a real-estate attorney, your mortgage broker) familiar with your specific situation. We have no view into your full financial picture and don't purport to.

No warranties

The service is provided on an “as-is” and “as-available” basis. We don't warrant that it will be error-free, uninterrupted, or that the data behind it (Zillow ZHVI/ZORI, FRED rates, Census tax rates, etc.) will be current at the moment you run a scenario. We make no guarantees about specific outcomes, returns, or appreciation.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits or business opportunities, arising from your use of the service. Our total liability to you for any claim related to the service will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) US$100.

Intellectual property

The simulator code, content, and design are ours. We grant you a personal, non-transferable license to use the service for your own purposes. Don't copy, redistribute, or resell the service or its outputs without permission. Data we surface from third parties (Zillow, FRED, Census, etc.) is used under their respective terms; attribution is given on the methodology page.

Account termination by us

We may suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe are abusing the service, breaching these terms, or being used to harm others. Where the situation allows, we'll contact you first. If termination is for a non-billing reason and you have an active paid subscription, we will refund the unused portion.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. If we make a change that materially affects your rights, we'll update the “Last updated” date and notify subscribers by email at least 30 days before it takes effect. Continuing to use the service after a change means you accept the updated terms.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute that can't be resolved by writing to contact@rentbuysellapp.com shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco County, California, and you consent to that jurisdiction.

Privacy

Our handling of your data is described in the Privacy Policy. It is part of these terms by reference.