Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using the Close to the Door mobile application (“App”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the App.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Wee Inc Ltd, a company registered in Scotland at 7 Queens Gardens, Aberdeen, AB15 4YD, United Kingdom, trading as Close to the Door (“we”, “our”, or “us”). The App is available globally, and these Terms apply to all users. Certain regions have specific additional rights — refer to Section 22.

2. Description of Service

Close to the Door is a mobile application that helps users find accessible parking spaces for people with disabilities. The App:

• Displays parking space locations from user contributions and OpenStreetMap
• Allows users to submit new parking spaces and edit existing ones
• Enables community voting to verify parking space accuracy
• Provides a reporting system for incorrect or inappropriate content
• Provides one-tap navigation to parking spaces via your preferred external map app (Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze)
• Features a gamification system with points, achievements, and leaderboards

The App is informational only. It does not determine the legality of any parking action — refer to Sections 12 and 13.

3. Eligibility

To use Close to the Door, you must:

• Be at least the minimum age for your region (refer to the table below)
• Have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms in your jurisdiction
• Not be prohibited from using the App under applicable law

By using the App, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements. If you are under the age of majority in your country but above the minimum age, your parent or guardian must review and accept these Terms on your behalf.

4. Account Registration

4.1 Account Creation

To contribute content (submissions, edits, votes, reviews, or reports), you must create an account using:

• Google Sign-In, or
• Apple Sign-In

4.2 Account Responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the security of your account
• All activities that occur under your account
• Notifying us immediately of any unauthorised access at security@closetothedoor.com

4.3 Account Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms
• Submit false or misleading information
• Engage in abusive behaviour
• Attempt to manipulate the voting system

5. User Content

5.1 Content You Submit

When you submit parking spaces, edits, votes, reviews (including any star rating and accompanying text), or reports (“User Content”), you:

• Retain ownership of your content
• Grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable licence to host, store, reproduce, modify, display, perform, and distribute your content in connection with operating and improving the App
• Represent that your content is accurate to the best of your knowledge
• Agree that your content does not violate any third-party rights

5.2 Content Standards

Your User Content must not:

• Contain false or misleading information
• Include spam, advertising, or promotional content
• Contain offensive, defamatory, or inappropriate material
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringe intellectual property rights of others

5.3 Content Moderation

We reserve the right to:

• Review and moderate all submissions before publication
• Reject or remove content that violates these Terms
• Edit content for accuracy or clarity
• Take action against accounts that repeatedly violate guidelines

5.4 Community Contributions

Approved parking space submissions, edits, votes, reviews, and reports become part of the Close to the Door community database. If you delete your account:

• All of your personal information is deleted (refer to the Privacy Policy for the full list)
• Your contributions — including submissions, edits, votes, reviews (star ratings and review text), and reports — are anonymised and retained. The link between each contribution and your identity is permanently severed.
• Anonymised contributions remain in the community database but cannot be traced back to you
• By submitting User Content, you acknowledge and agree that anonymised contributions may be retained by us indefinitely after account deletion to preserve the integrity of the accessibility database

5.5 Public Visibility

• Your username and contribution points appear on public leaderboards
• Usernames are auto-generated and anonymous (you cannot choose a custom username)
• Your individual parking space submissions and reviews are visible to all users

5.6 Reviews

You may post reviews of parking spaces, which may include a numerical rating and accompanying text describing your experience (“Reviews”). Reviews carry specific obligations in addition to the general User Content standards in Section 5.2.

When posting a Review, you:

• Must have used (or genuinely attempted to use) the parking space you are reviewing
• Must base the Review on your honest, first-hand experience
• Must disclose any material connection to the location, owner, or operator (e.g., if you are the property owner, manager, or receive any benefit for posting)
• Must not post fake, fraudulent, incentivised, or paid Reviews
• Must not post Reviews on behalf of another person, and may not accept payment or other consideration in exchange for posting a Review
• Must not post the same Review (or materially similar Reviews) multiple times
• Must not engage in coordinated review campaigns with other users, whether positive or negative

Your Review must not:

• Contain defamatory statements about any individual or business
• Accuse any specific person of unlawful conduct without a reasonable, good-faith basis
• Reveal personal information about other users, drivers, or bystanders
• Include photos or videos that identify individuals without their consent
• Contain threats, harassment, hate speech, or discriminatory content
• Include advertising, promotional content, or external links

We reserve the right to remove, edit, or decline to publish any Review that, in our reasonable judgment, violates these rules, is materially inaccurate, or creates legal risk. Removal of a Review is not a determination on the truth of its content and does not constitute endorsement or adjudication of any underlying dispute. Where required by law (including under Directive (EU) 2019/2161 and the UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024), we take reasonable and proportionate steps to verify that Reviews originate from genuine users.

Reviews express the opinion of the individual user and do not reflect the views of Close to the Door. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy of any Review.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the App for any unlawful purpose
• Submit false or misleading parking space information
• Create multiple accounts to manipulate votes, Reviews, or leaderboards
• Post fake, incentivised, or paid Reviews, or solicit the same from others
• Attempt to interfere with the App’s operation
• Scrape or collect data from the App without permission (refer to Section 9)
• Reverse engineer or decompile the App, except to the extent that applicable law expressly permits it (e.g., interoperability under Article 6 of the EU Software Directive 2009/24/EC or comparable local law)
• Use automated systems or bots to interact with the App
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users
• Impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation

7. Rate Limiting

To maintain service quality and prevent abuse, we implement rate limits on certain actions:

• Parking space submissions may be limited in frequency
• Username regeneration is limited
• Edits to the same space have a 24-hour cooldown period
• Reviews are limited to one per user per parking space (you may edit your own Review, subject to edit limits)
• Repeated violations may result in temporary or permanent restrictions

These limits help ensure fair access for all users and protect the integrity of community contributions.

8. Sensitive Data

Disability Status: The App optionally collects information about your disability status (driver, passenger, carer, or prefer not to say).

By providing this information, you:

• Provide explicit consent for its processing as special category data under EU/UK GDPR Article 9, as sensitive personal information under the CPRA, and under equivalent local law
• Understand this data is stored securely and never shared with third parties or analytics services
• Acknowledge you can update or remove this information at any time in Settings

This data helps us understand how different users interact with accessible parking and improve the App for the disability community.

9. Data Usage and API Access

9.1 Prohibited Data Collection

Except as expressly permitted by these Terms or by the applicable open-data licence (refer to 9.5), you may not, without our prior written consent:

• Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the App or its API using automated tools, scripts, or bots
• Bulk download parking space data, whether manually or through automated means
• Create derivative databases by systematically collecting data from the App
• Mirror or replicate the App’s data on external servers or services
• Use the API for purposes other than standard App functionality on your personal device
• Circumvent rate limits or other technical measures designed to protect the service

9.2 Permitted Uses

You may:

• Use the App normally on your personal device to find accessible parking
• Share individual parking space locations with others (e.g., sending a link)
• Report issues with parking space data through the App’s reporting feature
• Access your own contribution history through the App

9.3 Commercial Use of Our Proprietary Data

Without a separate commercial licence agreement, you may not:

• Use data created by Close to the Door or its users — excluding data sourced from OpenStreetMap or open-government portals, which remains governed by its original licence — for commercial purposes
• Incorporate our proprietary data into commercial products or services
• Sell, license, or monetise proprietary data obtained from the App
• Use the App or its proprietary data to build competing services

9.4 Research and Accessibility

We support legitimate accessibility research. If you wish to use our data for:

• Academic research
• Accessibility advocacy
• Non-profit accessibility initiatives

Please contact us at data@closetothedoor.com to discuss a data sharing agreement.

9.5 Open Data Attribution and Licence Terms

Some parking space data in the App is sourced from open data sources and retains its original licence terms. You may use such data in accordance with those licences, regardless of Section 9.3:

• OpenStreetMap data — Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. © OpenStreetMap contributors. Available at openstreetmap.org/copyright.
• Irish council data — Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
• UK council data — Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3)
• Other open-government data — retains its original licence terms

Where the App publicly distributes a Produced Work based on ODbL-licensed data, we make the underlying derivative database available in accordance with ODbL §4.6.

If you wish to obtain source data directly, we encourage you to use the original data portals with appropriate attribution.

9.6 Enforcement

Violation of these data usage terms may result in:

• Immediate termination of your account
• Blocking of your IP address or device
• Legal action to recover damages and legal costs
• Reporting to relevant authorities where applicable

We actively monitor for suspicious access patterns and automated data collection attempts.

10. Third-Party Content and Services

10.1 OpenStreetMap Data

The App displays parking space data from OpenStreetMap (OSM). This data is:

• Provided under the Open Database License (ODbL)
• Not verified or endorsed by Close to the Door
• Subject to OSM’s terms: openstreetmap.org/copyright

10.2 Third-Party Authentication

When you use Google or Apple Sign-In, you are also subject to their respective terms of service and privacy policies.

10.3 External Links

The App may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the content or practices of these third parties.

11. Intellectual Property

11.1 Our Rights

The App, including its design, features, and content (excluding User Content, OSM data, and open-government data), is owned by Close to the Door and protected by intellectual property laws.

11.2 Limited Licence

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the App for personal, non-commercial purposes in accordance with these Terms.

11.3 Restrictions

You may not:

• Copy, modify, or distribute the App, except as expressly permitted by applicable law
• Use our trademarks without permission
• Remove any copyright or proprietary notices

11.4 Intellectual Property Notices and Takedown

If you believe content in the App infringes your intellectual property or other legal rights, please email legal@closetothedoor.com with:

• A description of the allegedly infringing content and its location in the App
• A description of your rights and the legal basis for the claim
• Your contact information
• A statement made in good faith that the use is not authorised
• Your signature (electronic is acceptable)

We will review notices and respond (including by removing content where appropriate) within 14 days. We may share notices with the affected user. Abusive or materially false notices may result in liability to the submitter and in counter-notice procedures where applicable.

12. Disclaimers

12.1 Accuracy of Parking Information

IMPORTANT: Parking space information in the App is provided by users and third parties, including data sourced from OpenStreetMap and open-government portals. Parking rules, signage, markings, time restrictions, permit requirements, bay availability, and enforcement practices change frequently and vary by location. Information in the App may be incomplete, outdated, inaccurate, or incorrect at any given moment.

Before parking, you are solely responsible for:

(a) reading and complying with all on-site signage, markings, and notices;

(b) confirming that you hold any required permit, badge, or authorisation (including a valid disabled parking permit) and that it is currently valid;

(c) confirming any time limits, loading restrictions, clearway notices, Traffic Regulation Orders, residents’ schemes, pay-and-display requirements, bus-lane rules, tow-away zones, or other restrictions that may apply in your jurisdiction;

(d) confirming that the space is a lawful public parking bay and not private land.

12.2 Navigation

The App provides one-tap navigation by passing the destination coordinates to your chosen external map app (Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze). The route, voice guidance, and live location are produced by that external map app, not by us. Routes may be incorrect, out of date, or unsuitable for your vehicle or circumstances, and may direct you along routes that are closed, one-way, unsafe, or prohibited.

When navigating:

• Always keep your eyes on the road and obey all traffic signs, signals, laws, and the instructions of any police officer or authorised official — they override any in-app or map-app instruction in every case
• Do not interact with the App while driving
• Do not rely solely on the App or the external map app to identify hazards, road closures, or changes in road layout
• Pull over safely before adjusting any settings

You accept full responsibility for operating your vehicle safely and lawfully at all times.

12.3 “As Is” and “As Available”

Except for warranties that cannot lawfully be excluded, the App is provided “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including:

• Merchantability
• Fitness for a particular purpose
• Non-infringement
• Accuracy or reliability of content

12.4 Availability

We do not guarantee that the App will be:

• Available at all times
• Free from errors or bugs
• Secure from all threats

13. Limitation of Liability

13.1 Parking Fines, Penalties and Charges

You accept full and sole responsibility for any Parking Fine, Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), Fixed Penalty Notice, excess-charge notice, clamping fee, release fee, tow-away fee, administrative charge, private-parking charge, or criminal penalty incurred while parking or attempting to park, whether or not you relied on the App.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we accept no liability for any Parking Fine, Penalty Charge, or related cost or loss suffered by you or any third party, whether arising in contract, tort (including negligence), statutory duty, or otherwise, and whether or not the relevant information in the App was correct.

13.2 General Limitation

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages
• We shall not be liable for any loss of profits, revenue, goodwill, data, or business opportunity, however arising
• Our total aggregate liability arising out of or related to the App or these Terms shall not exceed the greater of (i) the amount you paid to us in the twelve months preceding the claim, or (ii) one hundred United States dollars (USD $100)

13.3 Statutory Carve-Outs

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for:

• Death or personal injury caused by our negligence
• Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
• Any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under the laws of your country of residence

Consumers in the United Kingdom, European Economic Area, Australia, and other jurisdictions may have statutory rights under local consumer protection law that are not affected by these Terms. Where local mandatory consumer law gives you stronger rights than these Terms, those stronger rights prevail.

14. Indemnification

Except where prohibited by local law (for example, certain consumer contracts in the EU/UK), you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Close to the Door, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• Your use of the App
• Your User Content
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Any Parking Fine or Penalty Charge claimed against us as a result of your parking action

We will give you prompt notice of any claim and you may participate in the defence with counsel of your choice at your expense.

15. Privacy

Your use of the App is also governed by our Privacy Policy, available at closetothedoor.com/privacy or within the App. By using the App, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

16. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Updating the “Last Updated” date
• Displaying a notice in the App
• Requiring affirmative acceptance for changes that materially reduce your rights

Your continued use of the App after non-material changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree, you must stop using the App and delete your account.

17. Termination

17.1 By You

You may terminate your account at any time through Settings > Preferences > Delete Account.

17.2 By Us

We may terminate or suspend your access immediately, without prior notice, for any material breach of these Terms. For other reasons, we will provide reasonable prior notice where practical.

17.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your right to use the App ceases immediately
• Your personal data will be deleted as described in the Privacy Policy
• Your contributions (submissions, edits, votes, reviews, reports) will be anonymised and retained indefinitely as part of the community database, with the link to your identity permanently severed
• Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including: Section 5.1 (licence grant for prior contributions, as anonymised), Section 11 (Intellectual Property), Section 12 (Disclaimers), Section 13 (Limitation of Liability), Section 14 (Indemnification), Section 18 (Governing Law), and this Section 17.3

18. Governing Law and Disputes

18.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Scotland, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. This choice of law does not deprive a consumer of the protection of the mandatory rules of the country in which they have their habitual residence (Article 6(2), Rome I Regulation, and comparable local rules).

18.2 Jurisdiction

• Consumers: You may bring proceedings in the courts of the country where you live, or in the Scottish courts. We may bring proceedings only in the courts of the country where you live.
• Non-consumers (businesses): Disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Scottish courts (the Sheriff Court at Aberdeen, or the Court of Session for matters within its exclusive jurisdiction).

18.3 Informal Resolution

Before initiating formal proceedings, you agree to contact us at legal@closetothedoor.com and make a good-faith effort to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

18.4 Individual Basis

Where permitted by applicable law, disputes shall be resolved on an individual basis. This does not override any non-waivable rights to participate in collective or representative proceedings available under your local law (including, without limitation, under Directive (EU) 2020/1828 on representative actions, the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, or US state consumer protection statutes).

18.5 Online Dispute Resolution (EU Consumers)

EU consumers may access the European Commission’s online dispute resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. We are not obliged to use alternative dispute resolution and are not bound to any specific ADR provider.

19. General Provisions

19.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Close to the Door relating to the App.

19.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

19.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

19.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or by operation of law, with notice to you.

19.5 Force Majeure

Neither party is liable for delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, civil unrest, government action, pandemic, or failure of internet or third-party infrastructure.

19.6 Language

These Terms are drafted in English. Any translation provided for convenience does not amend these Terms; in case of conflict, the English version prevails — except where mandatory local law requires otherwise.

19.7 Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at:

20. Acknowledgements

By using Close to the Door, you acknowledge that:

1. Parking space information is user-generated and may be inaccurate
2. You are solely responsible for verifying parking space legitimacy before use, and for compliance with local signage, permit requirements, and parking law
3. We are not liable for parking fines, penalties, vehicle damage, or other losses arising from your parking decisions, to the fullest extent permitted by law
4. Navigation features are for convenience only; you are solely responsible for operating your vehicle safely and lawfully
5. Your contributions help build a community resource for people with disabilities

21. OpenStreetMap Attribution

Close to the Door uses map data from OpenStreetMap contributors. OpenStreetMap data is available under the Open Database License (ODbL).

© OpenStreetMap contributors
openstreetmap.org/copyright

22. Region-Specific Terms

The following provisions apply to users in specific regions and, where more protective, supersede conflicting provisions above.

22.1 European Economic Area and United Kingdom Consumers

• You have a statutory right of withdrawal in some cases; however, by installing the App and starting to use the service, you agree that performance begins immediately and, to the extent permitted by law, you waive any applicable cooling-off period for digital services supplied free of charge.
• Nothing in these Terms limits your statutory consumer rights (for EU consumers, under the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU and related directives; for UK consumers, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015).
• Section 18.4 does not waive any non-waivable right to participate in group or collective redress.
• Complaints to our internal contact may, if unresolved, be referred to your national consumer authority.

22.2 California (US)

• California users have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act and Privacy Rights Act, as described in the Privacy Policy.
• Nothing in these Terms waives rights under California Civil Code §1542 or similar non-waivable protections.

22.3 Other US States

• Residents of states with comprehensive consumer-privacy laws have rights described in the Privacy Policy.
• Nothing in these Terms waives non-waivable rights under state consumer protection statutes.

22.4 Australia

• Our goods and services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. For major failures you are entitled to a refund, replacement, or compensation for reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. Nothing in these Terms limits those rights.

22.5 Brazil

• Consumer relationships are governed by the Código de Defesa do Consumidor (Law 8.078/1990) and the Marco Civil da Internet (Law 12.965/2014). Consumer rights under those laws prevail where they are more protective than these Terms.

22.6 Canada (including Quebec)

• Quebec consumers are protected by the Consumer Protection Act (RLRQ c P-40.1). Consumer rights under that Act prevail where they are more protective than these Terms.
• These Terms have been drafted in English at the express request of the parties. Les présentes conditions ont été rédigées en anglais à la demande expresse des parties.