Terms of service
Draft — pending legal review. This document is a plain-language draft and has not yet been reviewed by a lawyer.
Who we are
Evictions API is operated by Future Cities LLC (“we”, “us”). These terms cover your use of the website at evictionsapi.com and the Evictions API service, including the API. Last updated: [to be completed in legal review].
What the service does
Evictions API is software. You submit an eviction case through the API. The service is designed to check it against the rules of the state where the property is, generate the notice and court documents, and route them to an independent partner attorney licensed in that state, who reviews and approves every notice and every filing. Notices are to be served and cases filed only after that approval.
Evictions API is a sandbox beta, in test mode only. Serving notices and filing in court for real cases are not available yet in any state, and neither is online checkout. A state opens when its rules have been reviewed by a licensed attorney in that state and a partner attorney is confirmed. Until then, requests for that state are recorded and nothing is served or filed.
We are not your lawyer
Future Cities LLC is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Information on the website, including the state pages, is general information. Legal services are provided by the partner attorney, who is independent of us and responsible for the legal work on your case. The terms of your relationship with the attorney are [to be completed in legal review].
Your responsibilities
- Give accurate and complete information, and update it if it changes.
- Submit a case only for a property you own or are authorized to manage, and provide proof of that authority when asked.
- Do not submit a case that is retaliatory, discriminatory or otherwise unlawful.
- Report promptly if the tenant pays or cures the problem, through the API or by email to hello@evictionsapi.com, and tell us by email if the tenant leaves.
- Keep your API keys secret. Anything done with your keys is treated as done by your organization.
Checks and refusals
A case cannot be submitted until it passes the intake checks. We or the attorney may decline, pause or stop a case that fails a check, that the attorney will not approve, or that appears improper.
Fees
These fees will apply when a state opens. The platform fee will be $29 for a case that starts at the notice. If the case goes to court, the platform fee will be $99 in total: the $29 notice fee will be credited, so you will pay $70 more. The platform fee for a case that starts at filing will be $99. The attorney’s fee will be set by the attorney and paid to the attorney. Court filing fees and service costs will be passed through at cost. Under the intended design, you pay the attorney’s flat fee directly to the attorney. Before any case starts, you receive the itemized cost. Online checkout is in development. Refunds and payment terms are [to be completed in legal review].
No promised outcome or timeline
Courts decide eviction cases. We do not promise any outcome, and how long a case takes depends on the law, the court and the parties.
Accounts
Anyone can sign up for a sandbox account with an email address, a name, an organization name and a password. You are responsible for what is done with your account and for keeping your password and API keys secret. Tell us at hello@evictionsapi.com if you think someone else has used them. Accounts today work in test mode only; there is no live mode. When real cases become possible, we may ask you to verify your organization first. Rules on suspending or closing accounts are [to be completed in legal review].
Test mode
Test API keys and every account today use the sandbox and a fictional state. A built-in sandbox reviewer reviews test cases automatically, in place of a partner attorney. Test cases are never served on anyone or filed in any court, and no real tenant, court or attorney is involved.
Limits of liability, disputes and governing law
[to be completed in legal review]
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. How we notify you of changes is [to be completed in legal review].
Contact
Questions about these terms: hello@evictionsapi.com.
Ready to try it?
Sign up for the sandbox and send a test case. Real cases are not accepted yet.