HomeTrust Review & Content Policy

Effective Date: 08/21/2026

Last Updated: 08/21/2026

This Review & Content Policy ("Policy") is incorporated into the HomeTrust Terms of Service and governs reviews, ratings, photos, and other content submitted to the HomeTrust platform ("Platform"). It is designed to comply with the FTC's Rule on Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 C.F.R. Part 465, effective October 21, 2024) and to keep HomeTrust's reviews a trustworthy signal for Homeowners and a fair one for Businesses.

1. Who Can Leave a Review

Reviews may only be submitted by a Homeowner who has an actual, verifiable interaction with the Business being reviewed through the Platform — such as a completed quote request, estimate, or appointment. HomeTrust ties review eligibility to this platform record rather than accepting open-ended, unlinked reviews, so that a review reflects a real customer relationship.

You may not submit a review of:

• A business you have not actually engaged or attempted to engage for services;
• Your own business, or a business owned or operated by you, a family member, or an employee;
• A business where you have any undisclosed financial interest or affiliation; or
• A competitor of your own business, submitted to disadvantage them.

2. Prohibited Review Practices

The following are prohibited on the Platform, by Homeowners and Businesses alike:

• Fake reviews — reviews not based on a genuine experience with the Business, including reviews generated, purchased, or written by someone other than the person who had the experience;
• Incentivized reviews — offering or accepting money, discounts, free services, gifts, or other compensation in exchange for a review, or for a review of a particular sentiment (positive or negative);
• Insider reviews — reviews by owners, employees, or their close relatives of their own business, without clear and conspicuous disclosure of the relationship (which HomeTrust does not permit in any form on this Platform, per Section 1);
• Review gating — soliciting reviews only from customers likely to leave a positive review while suppressing or discouraging negative ones;
• Review suppression by payment or threat — offering compensation for removing a negative review, or threatening a customer (e.g., legal threats, refusal of warranty service) to compel removal or alteration of a review;
• Demanding payment to remove a review — a Homeowner may not demand money or services from a Business in exchange for taking down or altering an honest review; and
• Misrepresenting independence — any claim that a review, rating, or the Trust Score is independent, unbiased, or unaffiliated with HomeTrust or the Business when that is not accurate.

3. Business Response Rights

A Business may publicly respond to a review of its business through the Platform to provide context, correct factual inaccuracies, or explain its side. A Business may not use a public response to harass, threaten, or disclose private information about the reviewer, and may not demand review removal as a condition of resolving a customer's complaint.

4. Content Moderation

HomeTrust maintains a moderation process, administered by HomeTrust staff, to detect and act on reviews and other content that violate this Policy. This includes:

• Automated and manual screening for patterns consistent with fake, incentivized, or manipulated reviews;
• A reporting/flagging tool available to any user to flag content they believe violates this Policy;
• Human review of flagged content by HomeTrust staff before removal, except where content is unlawful or presents an immediate risk (e.g., threats, doxxing), which may be removed immediately; and
• A record of moderation decisions for accountability and, where required, regulatory reporting.

HomeTrust does not accept payment from a Business in exchange for removing, suppressing, or deprioritizing a negative review, and does not offer paid tiers that include review removal as a feature.

5. Removal and Appeals

HomeTrust may remove or hide a review or other content that: violates this Policy; is unlawful, defamatory, or discloses private information; is unrelated to an actual service interaction; or otherwise violates the Terms of Service. A user whose content is removed, or a Business subject to a review it believes violates this Policy, may appeal by contacting support@hometrust.app with an explanation; HomeTrust will review the appeal and respond.

6. Content License

By submitting a review, photo, project description, or other content to the Platform, you grant HomeTrust the license described in ToS Section 5, and you represent that the content reflects your own genuine experience or is otherwise something you have the right to post.

7. Enforcement

Violations of this Policy may result in removal of the content, a Trust Score impact, loss of verification indicators, and suspension or termination of the violating account under ToS Section 15 or Business Partner Agreement Section 9. Where required by law, HomeTrust may report review manipulation to the Federal Trade Commission or other applicable regulator.

8. Reporting a Concern

To report a suspected fake, incentivized, or otherwise policy-violating review, or a business pressuring you about a review, contact support@hometrust.app.