Terms of Service

You must be 18+ and legally able to enter contracts to use SideAway.

SideAway is a marketplace connecting executives with independent personal assistants. We are not the employer of any assistant.

Assistants who provide services through SideAway are independent contractors, not employees, agents, partners, or joint venturers of SideAway. Assistants set their own rates and availability, use their own methods and equipment, and are solely responsible for their own taxes, insurance, licenses, and benefits. Executives who book assistants do so directly with the assistant; SideAway is not a party to that engagement.

Bookings are agreements between executive and assistant. SideAway facilitates payments and may charge service fees.

Service fees, cancellation windows, and refund eligibility are described in our Additional Policies. Payment authorizations are captured when a booking is confirmed. Chargebacks initiated without first contacting SideAway support may result in account suspension. Assistant payouts are issued through our payment processor after the applicable hold period. Assistants are responsible for reporting their own income; US-based assistants earning above IRS thresholds will receive a 1099-K or 1099-NEC as required by law.

Refunds follow the cancellation timing grid in our Additional Policies. Outside those windows, refunds are issued at SideAway's reasonable discretion when an assistant fails to perform, when a booking is materially misrepresented, or where required by law. Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method within 5–10 business days.

Some assistant profiles display a "verified" badge based on identity and background checks performed by a third-party consumer-reporting agency. If a background check is run on you, you will receive a separate disclosure and authorization request as required by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and applicable state laws. You have the right to request a copy of your report and to dispute inaccurate information.

No harassment, illegal activity, or misuse of the platform. Violations may result in suspension or termination.

You may close your account at any time from Settings. We may suspend or terminate your access without notice if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, our Additional Policies, or applicable law, or to protect the safety of the community. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including Liability, Indemnification, Governing Law, and Dispute Resolution — will survive.

SideAway is provided "as is." To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim warranties and limit liability.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SideAway, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any third-party claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to (a) your use of the service, (b) your content, (c) your engagement with any other user, or (d) your violation of these Terms or applicable law.

If you believe content on SideAway infringes your copyright, send a notice under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c) to our designated agent: SideAway, Inc., Attn: DMCA Agent, 7111 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste B460, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA, or dmca@sideaway.com. Your notice must include the statutory elements (identification of the work, the infringing material, your contact information, a good-faith statement, and a statement under penalty of perjury). We terminate the accounts of repeat infringers.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the service will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules, seated in Los Angeles County, California. The arbitrator (not any court) has exclusive authority to resolve threshold questions of arbitrability.

Class-action waiver. You and SideAway agree that each may bring claims against the other only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative proceeding.

30-day opt-out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing legal@sideaway.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, stating your name and intent to opt out. Opting out will not affect any other part of these Terms.

Claims for injunctive relief for intellectual-property misuse, and small-claims-court matters, are excluded from arbitration.

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remainder remains in effect (severability). These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Additional Policies, are the entire agreement between you and SideAway. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. Our failure to enforce a right is not a waiver. Notices to you may be sent to the email on file. Neither party is liable for delays caused by events beyond reasonable control (force majeure).

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use means you accept the updates.