Terms of Service

Rooted Common Ground (rooted-common-ground.world) is operated by Rooted Networks Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Contact: safety@rooted-common-ground.world.

Payments are currently still processed and received under the previous sole trader arrangement (Neil Donnelly-Swift t/a Rooted Common Ground) while banking arrangements transition to the new company; this will be updated once that transition completes.

• Membership — a paid (or coded) annual account that unlocks participation once your community area switches on.
• Kindness — a time-based community credit earned only through completed exchanges. It is not money, cannot be bought, sold, transferred, or redeemed for cash, and has no monetary value.
• Love — a non-transferable token of gratitude given freely between members. It cannot be earned, bought, or exchanged for anything of value.
• Community fund — a ringfenced pool of voluntary contributions managed by Rooted Common Ground for a designated area. Contributions are not charity donations and are not Gift Aid eligible, as we are not a registered charity.
• Approved Builder — a member who has applied and been accepted to build to the heating specification. Approved Builders are independent and responsible for their own work and for following all applicable regulations.
• Verification / safety checks — steps such as human photo review, live selfies, and door codes that are designed to reduce risk. They are not guarantees of any member's identity or conduct.

• You must be 18 or over.
• You must be a genuine person — no bots, no fake accounts.
• You must agree to these terms before using the platform.
• We can refuse or end membership at our discretion if terms are breached.

• Access to the Kindness Exchange, Needs Board, Grow Together, Groups and Events.
• Trust tier progression based on genuine participation.
• A Kindness balance — earned through real exchanges, not gifted or purchased.
• Love — received freely from other members.

• Any guarantee of availability of specific members or services.
• Any employment, contractor or agency relationship.
• Any guarantee that exchanges will be completed.
• Any liability for the outcomes of member interactions.

• Membership: £10/year — pay annually, or spread it monthly (£5 today, then £0.42/month for 12 months; same yearly total).
• With a community or hardship code, membership is £5/year or free. No proof needed, no questions asked, no judgement.
• Nobody is turned away for lack of funds — request a free or reduced membership any time.
• Payment is via Stripe. Membership runs for 12 months from the payment date.
• If membership lapses, your account moves to browse-only. Your data is preserved.
• Refunds: within 14 days of payment if you have not used the platform. After 14 days, no refund — but you can cancel renewal at any time.
• We may change membership prices with 60 days' notice to existing members.

• Gifts toward the Sanctuary Farm and community funds are voluntary support contributions. They are not charity donations and are not Gift Aid eligible, because we are not a registered charity. Payments are currently still processed and received under the previous sole trader arrangement (Neil Donnelly-Swift t/a Rooted Common Ground) while banking arrangements transition to the new company.
• Payments are only final when confirmed by Stripe. An abandoned or failed checkout creates no payment obligation and is not recorded.
• A contribution is recorded, and counted toward any total shown, only after confirmed payment.
• We may reverse or adjust a recorded contribution if Stripe reports a refund, dispute, or chargeback.
• Your contribution is not held in a legal trust unless and until a separate trust or charity is formally established. Any total shown is an internal project ledger and does not mean the funds are held in a separate charitable trust.
• Refunds are available within 14 days under our payment policy and any applicable legal requirements, subject to fraud and chargeback checks. To request one, email hello@rooted-common-ground.world.

You agree not to:

• Impersonate another person.
• Harass, threaten or abuse any member.
• Post false, misleading or fraudulent listings.
• Use the platform for commercial gain or advertising.
• Attempt to extract personal data from other members.
• Attempt to circumvent location locks, trust tiers or area visibility rules.
• Use the platform to facilitate unlawful activity of any kind.
• Create multiple accounts.

• You own your content but grant Rooted Common Ground a licence to display it to other members.
• We can remove any content that breaches these terms without notice.
• We do not endorse or verify the accuracy of member-posted content.

• We operate a three-strike system: Warning → Suspension → Permanent ban.
• Serious breaches (harassment, fraud, safety violations) may result in immediate permanent ban.
• You can appeal any suspension within 14 days by emailing safety@rooted-common-ground.world.
• On termination, your data is handled per our Data Retention Policy.
• If you are permanently banned, you may not rejoin under any name or account.

• Rooted Common Ground connects people — it does not employ, vet or guarantee them.
• We are not liable for any loss, damage, injury or harm arising from member interactions.
• We are not liable for losses arising from platform downtime or data loss beyond our reasonable control.
• Our total liability to you in any 12-month period is capped at the membership contribution you paid in that period.
• Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.

We will give 30 days' notice of material changes. Continued use after that date means you accept the new terms.

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.