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HoustonBuilt Guarantee & Refund Policy

Effective date: July 22, 2026 · Last updated: July 22, 2026

The Promise: If a milestone paid through HoustonBuilt does not go the way it should, tell us within 7 days and we will make it right — through a refund from escrow, a partial refund, or by getting the contractor back on site to fix it. That is the HoustonBuilt Guarantee.

1. The 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Every job funded and paid through HoustonBuilt is covered by our 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee (the "Guarantee"). If you (the Homeowner) are not satisfied with a completed milestone, you have 7 calendar days from the date the milestone is marked complete in the Service to file a Guarantee claim. If your claim is valid under this policy, HoustonBuilt will work with you and the Contractor to resolve the issue through one of the resolution options listed in Section 5.

The Guarantee is a limited contractual commitment from SKCG Financial Holdings LLC (dba HoustonBuilt) to the Homeowner. It is not an insurance product, a construction warranty, a performance bond, or a substitute for the Contractor's own warranty obligations. It applies only to milestones that were both (a) booked through the HoustonBuilt Service and (b) paid through the Service's milestone escrow.

2. What is covered

The Guarantee covers a completed milestone that:

was not completed as agreed in the accepted quote or scope of work (for example, the deliverables listed in the quote were not delivered);
was completed at a quality below the reasonable standard for the trade in the Houston metro area (for example, obvious workmanship defects that a reasonable licensed professional would not have delivered);
involved a Contractor no-show after a milestone was funded (the Contractor did not show up as scheduled, did not perform the work, and did not communicate a reasonable rescheduling); or
involved materials substituted without your approval for materials of a materially lower grade, brand, or specification than what the quote called for.

3. What is NOT covered

Important: The Guarantee does not cover the following. If you file a claim for one of these, we will decline it.

Change orders you approved verbally or outside the Service. Only change orders documented in writing inside HoustonBuilt are covered. Approve change orders inside the app so you are protected.
Work in progress that has not yet been rejected. The Guarantee applies to a completed milestone that you formally dispute in the Service; it does not apply while the Contractor is still working on the milestone.
Disputes filed more than 7 days after milestone completion. After the 7-day window closes, the milestone is auto-approved and the Guarantee no longer applies to that milestone.
Damage caused by materials you supplied to the Contractor, or by pre-existing conditions on the property that you did not disclose.
Cosmetic wear and tear, normal settling, or subjective aesthetic preferences where the work objectively matches the scope and industry standard.
Force majeure events: hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, flooding, hard freezes, extended power or water outages, wildfires, earthquakes, pandemics, acts of war, terrorism, riots, or acts of government. Houston-area homeowners in particular understand that severe weather can delay or damage in-progress work; those events are not covered by the Guarantee.
Work performed off-platform. If you and the Contractor moved the job or a portion of the job off HoustonBuilt (paid outside the Service, agreed to scope changes outside the Service, or added work that was never funded through the Service), that portion is not covered.
Third-party product warranties. Manufacturer warranties for materials, appliances, HVAC equipment, roofing products, and similar items are governed by the manufacturer's own warranty and are not part of the Guarantee.
Consequential or indirect damages. The Guarantee refunds the amount paid for the affected milestone. It does not cover indirect losses such as lost rental income, alternate-housing costs, or lost time from work. See the Limitation of Liability section of the Terms of Service.

4. How to file a claim

Within 7 days of milestone completion, email hello@houstonbuilt.app with the subject line "Guarantee Claim — [Job ID]." (You can find the Job ID inside the Service on the job page.)
Include the following in your email:
- Your name and the Job ID;
- The milestone you are disputing and the amount;
- A short description of what went wrong (which of the covered categories in Section 2 applies);
- Photos or video that show the issue clearly (before and after, if possible);
- Screenshots or copies of relevant messages with the Contractor from inside the Service;
- Any receipts, product specifications, or third-party inspection reports you already have.
Do not initiate a chargeback with your bank or card issuer. Filing a chargeback instead of using this process will void the Guarantee (see Section 7).
Keep the site in the same condition and give the Contractor reasonable access if a repair visit is later scheduled.

5. How we handle claims

5.1 Response times

Within 48 hours of receiving your claim, HoustonBuilt will acknowledge it by email and, if needed, request additional information.
Within 7 calendar days of receiving a complete claim, HoustonBuilt will propose a resolution.
Complex claims that require a third-party inspection may take longer. If so, we will tell you in the acknowledgment email.

5.2 Resolution options

Depending on the facts, HoustonBuilt may propose one of the following:

Full refund from escrow

The disputed milestone amount is refunded to your original payment method.
Applies when the work was not performed, or when a re-do is not practical.

Partial refund

A portion of the milestone is refunded to reflect the difference between what was agreed and what was delivered.
Applies when part of the work is acceptable and part is not.

Contractor sent back to fix

The Contractor returns at no additional cost to complete or correct the work.
Applies when the fix is straightforward and the parties agree.

Replacement Contractor

HoustonBuilt helps you rebook the remaining work with a different Contractor on the platform.
Any unused escrow funds are applied to the new Contractor's quote.

5.3 Mediation

If you and the Contractor disagree with our proposed resolution, HoustonBuilt will conduct an informal mediation by reviewing all evidence submitted by both sides and issuing a written decision. Mediation is offered as a service to help resolve the dispute quickly; the mediation decision is not binding arbitration.

5.4 Escalation to binding arbitration

If informal mediation does not resolve the dispute, the parties may escalate to binding individual arbitration as described in Section 17 of the Terms of Service. Nothing in this Guarantee expands or reduces the arbitration rights (or the 30-day opt-out right) set out in the Terms.

6. Refund method and timing

Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method (typically the card or bank account used to fund the milestone through Stripe). Refunds are initiated within [NUMBER] business days after approval and typically appear on your statement within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. Currency conversion fees, if any, are set by your issuer and are not refundable by HoustonBuilt.

7. Chargeback policy

The Guarantee is designed to resolve disputes faster and more fairly than a bank chargeback. If you file a chargeback with your card issuer or bank instead of following the claim process described above, HoustonBuilt reserves the right to:

treat your claim under the Guarantee as withdrawn;
pause the escrow release and the affected job while the chargeback is under review;
share transaction records, messages, milestone approvals, photos, and other information with the card network to defend the charge; and
suspend your account until the chargeback is resolved.

If a chargeback is resolved in your favor after HoustonBuilt has already issued a refund under this policy, you agree to return the duplicate amount to HoustonBuilt.

8. Contractor-side rules

Contractors who use HoustonBuilt agree that:

the Guarantee may be honored by HoustonBuilt against funds in the milestone escrow;
where a claim is approved, the affected milestone (or portion of it) will not be paid out to the Contractor;
HoustonBuilt may withhold, offset, or reverse a payout from a different milestone or job to satisfy a valid Guarantee claim, subject to a good-faith investigation and the Contractor's opportunity to respond;
a pattern of valid Guarantee claims may result in delisting from the platform under the Terms of Service.

9. Limits

The maximum recovery under the Guarantee for any single job is the total amount actually paid by the Homeowner to the Contractor through the Service for that job. The Guarantee does not create liability for HoustonBuilt beyond that amount and is subject to the Limitation of Liability in the Terms of Service.

10. Changes to this policy

HoustonBuilt may update this Guarantee from time to time. Material changes will be announced by email to the address on your account or by an in-Service notice at least 30 days before they take effect. The version of the Guarantee in effect on the day a milestone is funded is the version that applies to that milestone.

11. How to contact us

Guarantee claims and questions:

SKCG Financial Holdings LLC (dba HoustonBuilt)
Attn: Guarantee Claims
110 Bagby Street, Apt 53
Houston, TX 77002
Email: hello@houstonbuilt.app