Legal Document

Terms of Use

Effective: January 1, 2026 Last updated: August 2026 Jurisdiction: User's local jurisdiction
Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using UpkeepBids. By creating an account or using our platform, you agree to be bound by these terms. If you do not agree, do not use UpkeepBids.

1 Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Use ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User") and UpkeepBids ("Company," "we," "us," or "our"), a business registered in Manitoba, Canada operating under Dustyboot Co.

By accessing or using the UpkeepBids platform — including our website, mobile application, or any related services — you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you are using UpkeepBids on behalf of a business, you represent that you have authority to bind that business to these Terms.

2 Description of Service

UpkeepBids is a two-sided reverse auction marketplace that connects homeowners with verified tradespeople for home service work. The platform allows:

  • Homeowners to post home service jobs and receive competitive bids from tradespeople
  • Tradespeople to browse available jobs and submit bids to win work
  • Both parties to communicate, agree on pricing, and manage payments through escrow
  • Users to leave and view reviews, credentials, and verification statuses

UpkeepBids is a platform only. We do not perform home services, employ tradespeople, or guarantee the quality of any work performed. We are not a party to any agreement between a homeowner and a tradesperson.

3 Eligibility

To use UpkeepBids you must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Be a resident of Canada or a jurisdiction where the service is available
  • Have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts
  • Not have been previously banned or suspended from UpkeepBids

Tradespeople must additionally hold any licences, certifications, and insurance required by applicable provincial law to perform the services they bid on. Tradespeople who submit bids on jobs outside their verified trade type may be suspended from the platform.

4 User Accounts

You must register an account to use UpkeepBids. When registering you agree to:

  • Provide accurate, current, and complete information
  • Keep your account information up to date
  • Maintain the confidentiality of your password and account credentials
  • Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account
  • Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account

You may not create more than one account or transfer your account to another person. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account at our discretion if we believe these Terms have been violated.

5 Homeowner Terms

As a homeowner using UpkeepBids, you agree to:

  • Post accurate and complete descriptions of the work you need done
  • Not post jobs for work that is illegal, unsafe, or violates applicable building codes
  • Respond to bids and communications in a timely and respectful manner
  • Fund the agreed escrow amount promptly upon accepting a bid
  • Release escrow funds promptly upon satisfactory completion of the job
  • Leave honest and accurate reviews based on your experience
  • Not attempt to circumvent the platform by hiring a tradesperson directly to avoid fees

Homeowners may post multiple jobs simultaneously. Each job must be a distinct project. UpkeepBids reserves the right to remove job postings that are misleading, duplicate, or violate these Terms.

6 Tradesperson Terms

As a tradesperson using UpkeepBids, you agree to:

  • Maintain an active subscription of $20/month to access the platform and submit bids
  • Only bid on jobs within your verified trade type(s)
  • Hold all licences, certifications, insurance, and WCB coverage required by Manitoba law for the work you perform
  • Provide accurate information in your profile including credentials and experience
  • Respond to job inquiries and messages in a timely manner
  • Show up as agreed and complete the work to a professional standard
  • Not solicit homeowners to pay outside the platform

Tradespeople who repeatedly fail to complete accepted jobs, receive sustained poor reviews, or are found to have misrepresented their credentials may be suspended or permanently banned from the platform.

7 Bidding & Reverse Auction

UpkeepBids operates a reverse auction model. Tradespeople submit bids on homeowner job postings and compete by offering lower prices. The homeowner selects their preferred tradesperson based on price, credentials, reviews, and reputation.

  • Bids are visible to the homeowner and, unless the homeowner has disabled public bids, to other bidding tradespeople
  • A bid constitutes a binding offer to complete the described work at the stated price
  • A tradesperson may withdraw a bid before it is accepted by the homeowner
  • Once a homeowner accepts a bid, both parties are committed to the agreed terms
  • Only one bid per tradesperson is permitted per job posting

UpkeepBids does not guarantee that any job will receive bids, or that any bid will be accepted.

8 Escrow & Payments

All payments on UpkeepBids are processed through a secure escrow system powered by Stripe.

How escrow works: Once a homeowner accepts a bid, the agreed amount is transferred into escrow. The tradesperson is notified that funds are secured. Upon satisfactory completion of the work, the homeowner approves the release of funds. Payment is then transferred to the tradesperson minus applicable fees.
  • Homeowners must fund escrow before the tradesperson is obligated to begin work
  • Funds will not be released until the homeowner confirms the work is complete
  • Homeowners may not unreasonably withhold approval of completed work
  • Tradespeople must not demand payment outside the escrow system
  • In the event of a dispute, escrow funds are held pending resolution

Payments are processed in Canadian dollars (CAD). UpkeepBids does not store payment card information — all payment data is handled by Stripe in accordance with PCI-DSS standards.

9 Fees

The following fees apply to use of the UpkeepBids platform:

  • Homeowners: Free. There is no fee to post jobs, receive bids, or select a tradesperson.
  • Tradesperson subscription: $20.00 CAD per month, billed monthly. Required to access the platform and submit bids.
  • Platform fee: 3% of the agreed job amount, deducted from the escrow payout to the tradesperson upon job completion.
  • Payment processing fee: 2.9% of the transaction amount, charged by Stripe on every completed transaction.
Total cost to tradespeople per completed job: $20/month + 5.9% of job value. Fees are only charged on work that is actually completed and approved. No lead fees. No pay-per-contact.

UpkeepBids reserves the right to modify its fee structure with 30 days' written notice to registered users. Continued use of the platform after notice constitutes acceptance of the new fee structure.

10 Dispute Resolution

UpkeepBids provides a structured dispute resolution process to handle disagreements between homeowners and tradespeople.

Step 1 — Platform mediation: Users are encouraged to resolve disputes directly through the UpkeepBids messaging system. Our support team may facilitate communication but will not make binding decisions.

Step 2 — Escalation to Small Claims Court: If a dispute cannot be resolved through the platform, funds held in escrow will be transferred to the appropriate local court, subject to that court's jurisdiction and applicable claim limits.

By creating an account, both homeowners and tradespeople consent to the jurisdiction of the appropriate local courts and agree that UpkeepBids may transfer disputed escrow funds to the appropriate local court. UpkeepBids will retain its platform and processing fees prior to any such transfer and will not be a party to the dispute. The court decides — not us.

This dispute resolution process applies exclusively to disputes arising from jobs completed through the UpkeepBids platform. Users waive the right to participate in class action proceedings against UpkeepBids in relation to platform disputes.

11 Verification & Credentials

UpkeepBids operates a verification system to help homeowners make informed decisions. However, UpkeepBids does not independently guarantee the accuracy, currency, or completeness of any verification.

  • Certifications uploaded by tradespeople are checked against available Manitoba trade databases where possible
  • A "Verified" status indicates that our system was able to confirm the credential at the time of review — it does not constitute a guarantee that the credential remains current
  • A "Secure Badge" indicates that a tradesperson submitted a background check that was reviewed and approved by UpkeepBids staff at the time of submission
  • Homeowners are responsible for conducting their own due diligence before hiring any tradesperson
  • Tradespeople who upload false, expired, or misleading credentials will be permanently banned and may face legal action

12 Reviews & Ratings

UpkeepBids allows users to leave reviews after each completed job. Reviews must be:

  • Honest and based on actual experience with the job in question
  • Free from discriminatory, abusive, or defamatory content
  • Not posted in exchange for payment or other incentives
  • Submitted by the actual homeowner or tradesperson involved in the job

UpkeepBids also pulls external Google reviews associated with a tradesperson's business via the Google Places API. These reviews are provided for informational purposes and are not verified or moderated by UpkeepBids.

UpkeepBids reserves the right to remove any review that violates these Terms. We do not alter review content.

13 Prohibited Conduct

Users may not:

  • Create fake accounts, impersonate others, or misrepresent their identity or qualifications
  • Solicit payments outside the UpkeepBids escrow system
  • Post false, misleading, or fraudulent job listings or bids
  • Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
  • Attempt to manipulate reviews or ratings
  • Use the platform for any illegal purpose
  • Scrape, reverse engineer, or exploit the platform
  • Circumvent the platform after being introduced to another user through UpkeepBids

Violation of any of the above may result in immediate suspension or permanent banning from the platform, forfeiture of any pending payments, and referral to appropriate authorities where applicable.

14 Intellectual Property

All content on the UpkeepBids platform — including the name, logo, design, code, text, and graphics — is the property of UpkeepBids / Dustyboot Co. and is protected by Canadian copyright and trademark law.

Users may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from UpkeepBids content without express written permission. Users retain ownership of content they submit (reviews, photos, job descriptions) but grant UpkeepBids a non-exclusive licence to display and use that content on the platform.

15 Limitation of Liability

UpkeepBids is a marketplace platform. We are not responsible for the quality, safety, legality, or completion of any work performed by tradespeople found through our platform.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

  • UpkeepBids is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages
  • Our total liability to any user for any claim is limited to the fees paid to UpkeepBids in the 30 days preceding the claim
  • We do not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable Canadian law.

16 Privacy

Your use of UpkeepBids is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the platform you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in our Privacy Policy.

UpkeepBids stores data on servers located in Canada (AWS ca-central-1 and ca-west-1 regions) in compliance with applicable Canadian privacy law including PIPEDA.

17 Modifications to Terms

UpkeepBids reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will provide at least 30 days' notice of material changes via email to registered users and by posting updated Terms on the platform.

Your continued use of UpkeepBids after the effective date of updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to updated Terms, you must stop using the platform and close your account.

18 Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Manitoba and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any legal proceedings arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of UpkeepBids that are not subject to the dispute resolution process in Section 10 shall be brought in the appropriate local courts. You consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

19 Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:

© 2026 UpkeepBids / Dustyboot Co. — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. These Terms of Use were last updated in August 2026. Return to UpkeepBids.