Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of CicilyHomes Estates ("CicilyHomes", "we", "us", "our"), a platform connecting landlords and tenants for residential rentals in Abuja, Nigeria. By creating an account or using the platform, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use CicilyHomes.

1. What CicilyHomes is — and isn't

CicilyHomes is a marketplace that helps landlords list rental properties and helps tenants find and lease them, with identity/document review, in-platform messaging, digital lease records, and rent-payment processing. CicilyHomes is not a party to the rental agreement between a landlord and tenant, is not a licensed real-estate agent or broker, and does not guarantee the condition, legality, or availability of any listed property. You are responsible for your own due diligence, including physically viewing a property before signing a lease.

2. Accounts and roles

The platform has three account roles: Tenant, Landlord, and Admin (CicilyHomes staff only — admin accounts are never self-registered). Your dashboard and available actions are determined entirely by your account's role.

• You must provide accurate information when registering and keep it up to date.
• You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for all activity under your account. Tell us immediately at support@cicilyhomes.com if you suspect unauthorized access.
• You must be at least 18 years old to create an account.
• One account per person. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent verification, trust scoring, or a suspension is a violation of these Terms.

3. Verification — what "Verified" actually means

We want to be exact about this, consistent with what's on our About page: today, landlord identity and property-document review is performed by a member of our team checking a submitted National Identification Number (NIN) and a utility bill against the listing — it is a real human review, not (yet) an automated real-time government-ID or utility-account check. A "Verified" or "Manually Reviewed" badge reflects that a CicilyHomes team member approved the submission at that point in time; it is not a guarantee against fraud, and it does not replace your own judgment when viewing and evaluating a property.

4. Listings, leases, and digital signatures

Landlords are solely responsible for the accuracy of their listings (rent, property condition, amenities, availability) and for having the legal right to lease the property.

When a lease is signed on the platform, CicilyHomes generates a tamper-evident cryptographic record of the agreed terms at the moment of signing. This proves the terms were fixed and unaltered from that point forward, but it is not a certified electronic signature under Nigeria's Evidence Act or an equivalent standard, and it does not by itself establish either party's identity to a court's evidentiary standard. We recommend both parties also retain their own signed copy of the lease and treat the platform record as supporting evidence, not a replacement for legal advice on enforceability.

5. Payments and fees

• Rent is paid through the platform according to the payment plan agreed at listing (monthly, quarterly, or annual upfront) and processed by a third-party payment provider.
• A successful payment is only recorded once independently confirmed by the payment provider (not merely on submission) — see a payment's status in your dashboard for its current state.
• Refunds are only issued through an admin-reviewed decision, not unilaterally by either party, to protect both landlords and tenants from disputed or erroneous transactions.
• You are responsible for any fees your bank or payment method charges independently of CicilyHomes.

6. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to:

• Post a fake, misleading, or unauthorized listing, or submit false identity or verification documents.
• Attempt to circumvent the platform's payment or verification flow (e.g. soliciting off-platform payment specifically to avoid review or fees).
• Access or attempt to access another user's account or data, or any part of the platform your account role isn't permitted to access.
• Use the platform for any unlawful purpose, or to harass, discriminate against, or defraud another user.
• Interfere with the platform's operation (e.g. scraping, rate-limit evasion, attempting to bypass security controls).

Violating these Terms may result in listing removal, account suspension, or termination, at our discretion.

7. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

CicilyHomes is provided "as is." To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim warranties of any kind regarding the platform or any listing, and we are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform, a rental agreement between users, or a dispute between a landlord and tenant. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable Nigerian law.

8. Termination

You may stop using CicilyHomes and request account deletion at any time by contacting support@cicilyhomes.com. We may suspend or terminate an account that violates these Terms, subject to the record-keeping obligations described in our Privacy Policy.

9. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Any dispute arising from these Terms or use of the platform will first be attempted to be resolved informally by contacting support@cicilyhomes.com, before pursuing any other remedy available under Nigerian law.

10. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as the platform evolves. We'll update the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, notify users through the platform before the new Terms take effect. Continued use after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.

11. Contact us

Questions about these Terms: support@cicilyhomes.com, or by mail at 1 Zilly Aggrey drive, Epic Center 4th floor, Idu Karmo, FCT, Nigeria.