Terms of Service

Last updated: 2 May 2026 · Version 1.0

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") govern your use of the OnTheRota platform at ontherota.co.uk and any related services we provide (collectively, the "Service"). By creating an account, joining the waitlist, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

OnTheRota is operated by Simpson's Ventures Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (the "Company", "we", "us", "our"). If you have questions, email hello@ontherota.co.uk.

The single most important thing to understand about OnTheRota: we are an introduction service. We are not party to any engagement between a hirer and a trade. We do not employ trades, we do not verify credentials, we do not handle payments between hirers and trades, and we accept no liability for any work undertaken or any reliance placed on information shared via the Service.

1. Definitions

"Hirer" means a contractor, project manager, or company that uses the Service to find subcontractor labour.
"Trade" means an individual subcontractor, sole trader, or labour-only operative who lists themselves on the Service to be found by Hirers.
"User" means any Hirer or Trade.
"Profile" means the information a Trade uploads to the Service, including name, contact details, accreditations, day rate, and availability.
"Subscription" means a paid plan for Hirers giving them access to search Profiles and unlock contact details.
"Contact Unlock" means the action by which a Hirer reveals a Trade's direct contact details (phone and email) on the Service.

2. The Service

OnTheRota is a UK-focused online platform that allows Trades to publish Profiles describing their availability, day rate, region, and accreditations, and allows Hirers to search those Profiles and request direct contact with Trades.

OnTheRota is not:

An employer of, or agency for, any Trade;
A party to any contract between a Hirer and a Trade;
Responsible for IR35 status, tax, payroll, or invoicing between Hirer and Trade;
An insurer of any work, materials, or behaviour;
A guarantor of accreditations, work quality, conduct, attendance, or any other characteristic of any Trade or Hirer.

3. Eligibility and accounts

You must be at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts to use the Service. By creating an account you confirm that all information you provide is accurate, that you are who you say you are, and that you have the right to share any documents or images you upload.

You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure. You are responsible for all activity carried out under your account.

We may suspend or terminate any account at our discretion for breach of these Terms or for activity we reasonably believe is fraudulent, abusive, or harmful to other Users or to the Service.

4. Accreditations — your responsibility to verify

Trades upload their own accreditations, certifications, qualifications, and supporting documents (collectively, "Accreditations") to their Profiles. OnTheRota displays Accreditations exactly as provided by the Trade. We do not validate, verify, endorse, or guarantee any Accreditation.

It is the Hirer's sole responsibility to verify any Accreditation before engaging a Trade. Verification methods include, but are not limited to: checking the relevant public register (such as NICEIC, NAPIT, ECA, Gas Safe Register, or CSCS), contacting the issuing body directly, requesting the original document from the Trade, or instructing a third party to perform verification on your behalf.

Trades warrant that any Accreditation they upload is genuine, current, and held in their own name. Uploading false, expired, forged, or third-party Accreditations is a serious breach of these Terms and may result in immediate account termination and, where applicable, referral to the relevant trade body and/or law enforcement.

5. Subscriptions, billing and refunds (Hirers)

Hirer access to search and contact unlocks requires a paid Subscription. Current pricing is published on the pricing page. The price you agreed to at sign-up will apply for the duration of your billing cycle.

5.1 How you pay

Hirer Subscriptions are billed by UK Direct Debit via GoCardless Ltd, our payment processor. You authorise the Direct Debit mandate at sign-up. We do not handle your bank-account details directly and we do not accept payment by card under the standard Subscription. Top-up purchases (additional Contact Unlock packs) are added to your next monthly Direct Debit invoice rather than collected as one-off payments. You are protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee at all times.

5.2 Free trial

We may offer a free trial of up to 14 days, including a limited number of Contact Unlocks. No payment card is required to start a trial. Trial benefits do not roll over into paid Subscriptions.

5.3 Contact Unlock cap and top-ups

Standard Subscriptions include 25 Contact Unlocks per calendar month. Unused Unlocks do not roll over to the following month. Hirers may purchase additional packs of 5 Contact Unlocks for £19.99 per pack at any time. Top-up Unlocks do not expire.

5.4 Already-unlocked contacts

Once a Hirer has used a Contact Unlock to reveal a Trade's contact details, those details remain visible to that Hirer indefinitely (subject to the Trade's right to close their account). Re-viewing an already-unlocked contact does not consume a further Unlock.

5.5 Founding Members

The first 25 paid Hirer accounts to sign up after public launch are designated "Founding Members". Founding Members receive the £149/month (or £1,490/year) Subscription rate locked for the active life of the account — even if the standard public price rises (for example, when we register for VAT). Founding Members are subject to the same monthly Contact Unlock cap as standard subscribers (25 per calendar month, with optional top-up packs). The Founding Member rate ceases to apply if the account is cancelled and later reopened.

5.6 Cancellation and refunds

Monthly Subscriptions may be cancelled at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle; no pro-rata refund is given for partial months. Annual Subscriptions are refundable in full within 30 days of payment, less a deduction for any Contact Unlocks used during that period at £6 per Unlock.

5.7 Price changes

We may revise Subscription pricing for non-Founding-Member accounts with not less than 30 days' written notice. Founding Member pricing is contractually locked for the active life of the account and is not subject to revision.

6. Trade listings — free, with conditions

Trades may create and maintain a Profile free of charge. There is no fee to be contacted or to take work via the Service. By listing on OnTheRota you agree:

To keep your availability information reasonably up to date;
To represent your Accreditations and qualifications truthfully;
To respond to legitimate enquiries within a reasonable time;
To accept that OnTheRota may remove your Profile at any time for breach of these Terms.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

Scrape, copy, or extract Profiles or contact details by automated or systematic means;
Solicit Trades or Hirers to take engagements off-platform with the purpose of avoiding Subscription fees or Contact Unlock caps;
Resell, share, or redistribute access to your account, Subscription, or Contact Unlocks;
Misrepresent your identity, employment status, accreditations, or right to act on behalf of any company;
Upload material that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, infringing, or otherwise objectionable;
Use the Service to discriminate against any User on grounds protected by the Equality Act 2010;
Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service, or attempt to bypass any access control, rate limit, or security feature.

We may, without notice, plant test or "honeypot" Profiles for the purpose of detecting scraping and off-platform solicitation. Contact made with such Profiles outside the Service is evidence of breach of these Terms and may result in account termination, retention of any subscription fees paid, and legal action to recover damages.

8. User content and licence

You retain ownership of all content you upload, including Profile information, photographs, and Accreditation documents (your "Content"). By uploading Content, you grant OnTheRota a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce, and transmit your Content for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Service. This licence ends when you delete the Content or close your account, except where the Content has already been viewed or unlocked by another User in good faith.

You warrant that you own or have the right to share all Content you upload, and that your Content does not infringe any third-party right.

9. Intellectual property

All rights in the OnTheRota brand, software, design, copy, and database (other than User Content) belong to Simpson's Ventures Ltd or its licensors. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of the Service without our prior written permission.

10. Termination

You may close your account at any time from your account settings (or, until self-serve closure is available, by emailing hello@ontherota.co.uk). We may suspend or terminate your account on notice for material breach, on no notice for fraud or activity that puts other Users or the Service at risk.

On termination: (a) your access to the Service ends; (b) your Profile is removed from public search; (c) Contact Unlocks already used by Hirers in good faith remain visible to those Hirers; (d) your right to a refund is governed by clause 5.5.

11. Disclaimer of warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Service is provided "as is" and "as available". We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation: warranties as to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy of any information displayed (including Accreditations), the suitability of any Trade or Hirer, or the uninterrupted operation of the Service.

12. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by English law.

Subject to that, our total aggregate liability to any User in any 12-month period is limited to the greater of: (a) the Subscription fees paid by that User to us in the preceding 12 months; or (b) £100.

We are not liable for: loss of profits, loss of business, loss of opportunity, loss of contracts, loss of goodwill, or any indirect or consequential loss; loss arising from work performed (or not performed) by any Trade; loss arising from reliance on any Accreditation displayed on the Service; or loss arising from any engagement, dispute, or contract between a Hirer and a Trade.

13. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless OnTheRota, Simpson's Ventures Ltd, and our directors, officers, and employees from any claim, loss, liability, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of: (a) your breach of these Terms; (b) your User Content; (c) your engagement with any other User outside the Service; or (d) your reliance on any Accreditation or other information displayed on the Service.

14. Privacy and data protection

Our use of personal data is described in the Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email to your registered address and posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date at least 30 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Service after the change date constitutes acceptance.

16. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms and any dispute arising from them are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, save that we may bring proceedings against a User in the courts of the country in which that User is domiciled.

17. Contact

For any question about these Terms, please email hello@ontherota.co.uk.