Who we are
Oakrule is run by Isaac Lins, an individual based in Switzerland (“we”, “us”). You can reach us at [email protected].
These terms apply to the website, the app, the API and the emails we send (“the service”). By using the service, you agree to them. Our Privacy Policy, the Acceptable Use Policy and, if you use the API, the API terms are part of these terms.
Legal information, not legal advice
The service tells you what rental housing laws say, quoted word for word from official sources, and explains them in plain words. That is legal information.
It is not legal advice. We don't tell you what to do in your situation, we don't represent you, and using the service does not create an attorney-client relationship. We are not a law firm or a lawyer referral service, and no lawyer reviews your answers.
Whether a rule applies to a specific home can depend on facts we don't know. For a decision about your own situation, talk to a lawyer, a legal aid office or your city's rent office. Each answer shows where to get help.
Accuracy and freshness
We work hard to get it right. Every rule is quoted from its source, and code checks each quote against the source text. Each answer shows the date it applies to and when its source was retrieved.
But laws change, sources can be wrong or incomplete, and some explanations are worded with the help of an AI model. Answers can be incomplete, out of date or wrong. Before you rely on an answer, read the cited source. If you find a mistake, tell us at [email protected] and we will look at it.
We cover only the places and topics we list. If a place or topic is not listed, the lack of an answer says nothing about the law there.
Letters and notices you create
The service can fill in a letter or a rent-increase notice with the rules it quotes. These are templates. You decide whether to use them, you complete and edit them, and you send them yourself, in your own name. We don't send them, and we don't check them for your situation. Read them carefully before you send them; a lawyer or legal aid office can go over them with you.
What you type into a letter or notice (names, unit, contact details) stays in your browser. We don't receive or store it.
Your account
You can use most of the service without an account. To save properties or get alerts, you sign in with Google or with a link we email you. You must be at least 18 to create an account or buy a plan. Keep your sign-in secure; you are responsible for what happens under your account.
Only save addresses you own, manage or rent, or have another real reason to look up. You can delete your account at any time in My properties. That deletes your saved properties and settings.
Paid plans
Some features may cost money. Before you pay, we show the price, what it includes and how often you are billed. Stripe handles the payment. Subscriptions renew until you cancel. You can cancel at any time in the billing portal; your plan then runs to the end of the period you paid for. Sales tax is added where it applies.
If something went wrong with a charge, write to us and we will sort it out. This does not limit any refund rights the law gives you.
We may change prices for the future. We tell you before a change affects your plan, so you can cancel before it does.
Using the service fairly
Follow the Acceptable Use Policy. In short: use the service to understand and follow the law, not to get around it; don't misuse, overload or copy the service; respect other people's privacy.
Our content and yours
The laws we quote are public. Our summaries, plain-language explanations, design and software belong to us. You may use and share answers for your own purposes, also with your tenants, landlord or advisers, as long as you keep the citation and the not-legal-advice note. For automated or commercial reuse, use the API under the API terms.
What you save in your account stays yours. You allow us to store and process it only to run the service for you. If you send us feedback, we may use it to improve the service without owing you anything.
Other websites
Answers link to official sources and to offices that can help. We don't control those sites and are not responsible for them.
No warranty
We provide the service as it is and as available. As far as the law allows, we make no promise that it is complete, accurate, current, uninterrupted or fit for a particular purpose. Some places don't allow some of these exclusions; there they apply only as far as allowed.
Limits on liability
As far as the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, lost profits or lost data, or for decisions you make based on the service. Our total liability for all claims about the service is limited to what you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or USD 100 if you paid nothing.
Nothing in these terms limits liability for intent or gross negligence, for personal injury, or any other liability that the law does not allow to be limited.
Changes
The service will change: we may add, change or stop features. We may also update these terms. If a change matters, we tell you on the site or by email before it takes effect. If you keep using the service after that, the new terms apply. If you don't agree, stop using the service and delete your account.
Ending
You can stop using the service at any time. We may suspend or close access, in particular for accounts or API keys that break these terms or put the service or others at risk. If we shut the service down, we tell account holders in advance where we can, and delete their data.
Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by Swiss law, without its conflict-of-law rules. The courts of Switzerland have jurisdiction. If you are a consumer, you keep the protection of the mandatory laws of the place where you live, and you can also go to the courts there where that law gives you the right.
Before going to court, please write to us. Most problems can be solved by email.