Terms of Service

1. These Terms, and who "we" are

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are the agreement between you and Rivlo — an early-stage project run by an individual operator in Bend, Oregon (the "operator"). "Rivlo," "we," and "us" mean that project and the person running it, and will mean the operating entity once it's formed and these documents are re-issued under it. By using Rivlo you accept these Terms, the Privacy Policy, and the Cancellation & Deposit Policy, which are part of these Terms. If you don't accept them, don't use Rivlo.

You must be 18 or older and able to enter a binding contract — one person per account. Where a feature shows its own terms (the Rental Agreement at booking, for example), those govern that feature if they conflict with these.

2. Definitions

Site / Services. The Rivlo website and everything it does — listings, bookings, messages, payments, deposits, identity verification, the pickup-area map, and dispute records.

Member. Anyone who has requested a booking or listed gear. An Owner is a Member who lists gear they own; the operator is an Owner for the operator's own listings. A Renter is a Member who requests or holds a Booking.

Listing / Gear. A Listing is an Owner's description of a specific item — photos, condition, price, Deposit, replacement value, minimum days, approximate pickup area. Gear is that item.

Booking. A Renter's request for Gear on specific dates and, once accepted, the resulting rental contract. The Rental Period runs from pickup until the Gear is back with the Owner.

Rental Agreement / Policies. The owner–renter contract presented at booking, and the Cancellation & Deposit Policy.

Deposit. The refundable security deposit on a Listing, set by the Owner.

Platform Fee. Rivlo's fee, currently 20% of the rental price, deducted from the Owner's payout.

Member Content. Anything a Member submits — listing text, photos, condition photos, messages. Rivlo Content is everything else on the Site, including what we license from others.

3. Rivlo is not a party to the rental

The rental contract for any Booking is between the Owner and the Renter, under the Rental Agreement. Rivlo runs the venue. We don't own, inspect, store, deliver, or control the Gear; we aren't a broker, an insurer, or anyone's agent beyond the payment-collection role in section 13; and we don't vouch for any Member. Owners and Renters deal with each other at their own risk. Our job is to run the Site, move the money, keep the records, and mediate.

Everyone is responsible for the laws that apply to them — for Owners, that includes permits, registrations, taxes, safety, and anti-discrimination law. We may provide Booking or Listing information to a government body that asks for it in an investigation or legal proceeding.

4. Your license to use Rivlo, and what you can't do

We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive license to use the Site to browse Gear, list your own, request and manage Bookings, message the other party to a Booking, and do what the Site is plainly designed for. You agree not to:

Scrape or copy. No crawling, scraping, or mirroring the Site or its data, and no bots, without our written permission. Ordinary search-engine indexing is fine.

Repurpose. No reproducing, framing, selling, licensing, reverse-engineering, or building derivative works from the Site or Rivlo Content.

Misuse booking tools. Listings, requests, and messages are for real rentals only — no fake requests, phishing, impersonation, or anything misleading.

Post garbage. Nothing unlawful, threatening, harassing, defamatory, obscene, or infringing.

Break things. Don't probe, overload, or interfere with the Site, and don't use it commercially beyond being an Owner or Renter in good standing.

5. Listings and Member Content

Owner representations. Listing Gear means you're stating it's clean, safe, in good working order, and accurately described, wear included; the photos show the actual item; you own it or have the right to rent it; and renting it won't break any agreement or law. You upload your own photos.

Our role. We don't verify descriptions and aren't responsible for their accuracy. We may edit a Listing for clarity, hide or remove it, or pause an Owner's ability to accept Bookings, with or without notice, if we think it's inaccurate or unsafe. Templates we provide, including the Rental Agreement, are not legal advice.

Your license to us. You own your Member Content. You give Rivlo a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display, copy, adapt, and distribute it to run and promote the Site, and to keep it in Booking and dispute records as long as those are kept. You promise your Member Content is yours to post and infringes no one's rights.

6. What can't be listed

No standalone life-safety equipment — climbing ropes, harnesses and protection, avalanche beacons, standalone PFDs and life jackets. No motorized vehicles. No firearms. Nothing illegal to rent or that needs a license the Owner doesn't hold. Life-safety items bundled with other Gear (a PFD with a raft) are allowed where the Listing says so. Owners must keep listed Gear in safe working order and pull a Listing the moment that stops being true.

7. Messages, other people's information, and no spam

Rivlo has built-in messaging between the Renter and Owner on a Booking, with email notifications. Use it only for the rental in front of you, and don't use it, or any contact details you learn through Rivlo, for anything else:

No spam. No mailing lists or unsolicited commercial messages, even after a completed rental, unless the person clearly said yes.

No harassment. Threats, slurs, and pestering get accounts closed.

No off-platform end runs. Don't use messages to move payment or the Deposit off Rivlo or to arrange a cash rental that skips the protections here. That voids the Deposit protections for the rental and can end your account.

The operator can read messages. Messages are stored, visible to both parties and the operator, and may be read to resolve a dispute, look into a safety or fraud concern, or answer a legal request.

8. The map and pickup locations

The Site shows each Listing's approximate pickup area on a map — not its address. Exact addresses and meeting spots are exchanged privately after the Owner accepts. Don't try to pinpoint an Owner's home from the map.

9. Accounts and identity verification

Rivlo currently works without a password: booking links and notifications go to the email you give us, so keep your name, email, and phone accurate and your email account secure. Anyone who can read your email can act on your Bookings, and you're responsible for what they do until you tell us.

Renter verification. Renters verify their identity once, before their first Booking — through Stripe Identity when that integration is live, and directly with the operator during the concierge phase. We can decline any Booking that doesn't clear verification.

What verification is not. It lowers risk; it doesn't remove it. We don't guarantee anyone's identity or conduct, run background checks, or inspect Gear.

10. How booking works

A booking request costs nothing and charges nothing; if the Owner doesn't respond before the first rental day, it lapses. When the Owner accepts: (a) the Rental Agreement forms between Owner and Renter; (b) the rental price is charged to the Renter's card; (c) both parties get each other's first name and phone number, plus the Booking's message thread, to arrange the handoff. The Owner's payout is released after pickup is confirmed. During the concierge phase the operator may run steps by hand.

11. Prices and fees

Owners set prices. Each Owner sets their own per-day price, any Friday–Saturday pricing, minimum days, Deposit, and replacement value, all shown on the Listing. Rivlo doesn't set or negotiate prices.

Renters pay the listed price; Owners pay the Platform Fee. There is no separate Renter service fee today. Rivlo keeps 20% of the rental price; the Owner receives 80%. The Deposit is never subject to the fee.

Changes. We may change the Platform Fee or add a Renter service fee later, with notice on the Site before it applies and only for Bookings requested after it takes effect. Taxes on the Platform Fee are our responsibility.

12. Payment processing

Payments run through Stripe, Inc. ("Stripe"). Renters pay by card; Owners onboard to a Stripe connected account for payouts. Bookings are Stripe Connect destination charges: the Renter's card is charged when the Owner accepts, funds route to the Owner's connected account after pickup is confirmed, and the Platform Fee is retained along the way. By receiving payouts, Owners agree to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, which incorporates the Stripe Services Agreement. Never use a card you aren't authorized to use. We aren't liable for Stripe's acts or outages or for problems between you and your bank.

13. Rivlo as the Owner's limited payment collection agent

Every Owner appoints Rivlo as their limited agent for one purpose: collecting rental payments (and upheld Deposit claims) from Renters on the Owner's behalf. A Renter's payment to Rivlo counts as payment to the Owner, who must then hand over the Gear as agreed. Owners agree that Rivlo may refund Renters under the Policies, hold or release Deposit funds under section 16, and net Platform Fees, refunds, and chargeback losses against payouts. Rivlo controls the funds until paid out and has the final say on the timing and amount of disbursements under these Terms. This role doesn't make us liable for an Owner's acts.

14. Condition photos

Both parties take condition photos together at pickup and again at return — at least four each time. They attach to the Booking and are the evidence record for any Deposit decision. Refusing or skipping the protocol can forfeit your side of the Deposit protections, and either side may end the handoff if the other won't take the photos.

15. Damage to Gear

The Renter is responsible for the Gear from pickup until the Owner has it back, including loss, theft, and damage from any cause other than normal wear from normal use. Damage the pickup photos don't show is presumed to have happened during the Rental Period. Both parties agree to cooperate with the operator on Deposit claims.

16. Security Deposits

Amount and hold. Each Listing shows its refundable Deposit, set by the Owner. For rentals of five days or fewer, we place a hold on the Renter's card the day before pickup; nothing is captured unless a claim is upheld. The hold releases when the Owner confirms a clean return at the return checklist; an Owner who flags a problem there keeps the hold in place and has 72 hours to file the claim details. For longer rentals, the Deposit is charged at acceptance and refunded after return.

Claims. An Owner must open any Deposit claim through the Site (or by email to the operator while claims are handled by hand) within 72 hours after the return (or the scheduled return, if the Gear never came back). The Renter gets a copy right away and has 72 hours to object. The operator then compares the pickup and return photos and any other evidence, and captures only the amount the evidence supports. Claims opened after the window are released to the Renter unless the Owner shows good cause.

Beyond the Deposit. If the evidenced loss exceeds the Deposit, the Renter owes the difference to the Owner under the Rental Agreement, up to the replacement value shown on the Listing, plus any cleaning or late fees under section 19. We charge the Renter's card for the excess only with the Renter's written agreement.

Finality. The operator's Deposit decision is final at Rivlo; it doesn't bar either side from pursuing the other for amounts beyond the Deposit.

17. No insurance — read this one

Rivlo provides no insurance of any kind. No damage, liability, theft, or trip coverage — for Owners, Renters, or anyone else. The protection mechanism is verified identities, refundable Deposits, condition photos at both handoffs, and a human operator who mediates.

Owners and Renters are each responsible for their own coverage. Your homeowners, renters, or auto policy may or may not apply to gear you rent out, gear you borrow, or a trailer you tow — many policies exclude rental activity, and towing coverage is usually an add-on, never assumed.

18. Safety, permits, and the law

Outdoor recreation carries inherent risk, including serious injury or death. Renters accept that risk when they rent, as spelled out in the Rental Agreement. Use gear only for its intended purpose and within your abilities. Boats listed on Rivlo go out with the Oregon Waterway Access Permit; the Lower Deschutes Boater Pass is per-person and is the Renter's responsibility (the Listing tells you how to get it). Obey posted rules, fire restrictions, and land-manager requirements wherever you take the gear, and never operate rented gear impaired.

19. Renter fees

These apply after a rental when something went sideways. During this early phase Rivlo adds no administrative markup to any of them; we reserve the right to add one later with notice on the Site.

Late return. The daily rate keeps accruing for every day (or part of one, after a one-hour grace period) the Gear is late. Tell the Owner the moment you know you'll be late. Gear more than 48 hours overdue with no contact from the Renter may be treated as lost.

Dirty gear. Normal dirt from normal use is free. Gear returned unduly dirty lets the Owner claim the reasonable cost of cleaning from the Deposit.

Damage. The actual cost of repair, parts and labor, supported by an estimate or receipt.

Lost or stolen gear. The replacement value shown on the Listing.

No-shows. A Renter who doesn't show up and doesn't cancel forfeits the rental price: no refund, Deposit released. An Owner who doesn't show up or doesn't have the Gear ready is treated as having cancelled: full refund to the Renter, and a strike for the Owner.

20. Cancellations and refunds

The Cancellation & Deposit Policy is part of these Terms. In short: a Renter who cancels 48 or more hours before the first rental day gets a full refund; inside 48 hours, 50% of the rental is refunded and the Deposit is fully released; once the Rental Period starts, nothing is refunded. An Owner may cancel at any time and the Renter is refunded 100% — but the Owner gets a strike, and repeat strikes mean delisting. If weather or river conditions make the trip unsafe, the Owner may issue a full refund at their discretion.

21. Chargebacks

If a Renter opens a chargeback with their bank over a rental charge or Deposit capture, we'll tell the Owner and, if we think it's unwarranted, contest it on the Owner's behalf with the Booking's evidence. Both parties agree to cooperate and to let us share Booking details with the banks and Stripe involved. Chargebacks are decided by the card networks and issuing bank, not by us. If one is lost and the money is pulled back from us, the Owner authorizes us to recover it from future payouts. Filing a chargeback on a valid charge instead of using the dispute process here is grounds for removal.

22. Taxes

Oregon has no sales tax, so Rivlo collects none. Owners are responsible for reporting rental income and for any taxes that apply to them; Stripe may issue a Form 1099-K for Owner earnings above the reporting threshold. We don't give tax, legal, or accounting advice.

23. Nondiscrimination

Owners may decline a request for fit, equipment, experience, or availability reasons — never on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, familial status, source of income, or any other characteristic protected by law. Violations get people removed.

24. Disclaimers

The Site and Services are provided "as is" and "as available." We don't promise the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any Listing or rental will work out. We don't inspect Gear, verify descriptions, or guarantee any Member's conduct. To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and accuracy.

25. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law: (a) Rivlo and the operator are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, lost trip time, or the cost of substitute gear, however caused, even if we were told they might happen; (b) our total liability to you for everything arising out of the Site, the Services, or any Booking is capped at the greater of $100 or the Platform Fees Rivlo actually earned from your Bookings in the 12 months before the claim arose; and (c) we are not liable for the acts or omissions of any Owner, Renter, or third party, including Stripe. These limits apply under every legal theory. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under Oregon law.

26. Release and indemnity

Release. If you have a dispute with another Member or with a third-party service linked from the Site, you release Rivlo, the operator, and anyone working with us from every claim, demand, and damage of every kind, known or unknown, connected with that dispute. You're releasing us, not the other party.

Indemnity. You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Rivlo, the operator, and anyone working with us from any third-party claim, loss, liability, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your use of the Site, your Gear, your rentals, your Member Content, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any law or anyone's rights. We may take over the defense of any such matter at our cost, and you won't settle anything that binds us without our written okay.

27. Dispute resolution

[for counsel review] — this section is the open question in these Terms, for counsel to keep, modify, or replace before launch. If it's replaced, the version you accepted at booking still governs your Booking.

Talk to us first. Before filing anything, email hello@rivlorents.com with your name, the Booking, and what you want. We'll work with you in good faith for 30 days to sort it out.

Arbitration. If that fails, any dispute between you and Rivlo arising out of these Terms, the Site, or a Booking will be resolved by binding arbitration under the American Arbitration Association's Consumer Arbitration Rules, before a single arbitrator, in Deschutes County, Oregon, or by video. The Federal Arbitration Act governs this section; fees follow the AAA consumer schedule.

Small claims. Either of us may instead bring an individual claim in small claims court in Deschutes County, as long as it stays there.

Individual claims only; no jury. You and Rivlo each waive the right to a jury trial and to bring or join a class action, class arbitration, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate different people's claims.

Opt-out. You can opt out of arbitration by emailing hello@rivlorents.com within 30 days after first accepting these Terms, with your name and the words "arbitration opt-out."

Everything else. Disputes between Members belong between them; we're not a party. For anything not arbitrated, you and Rivlo agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts serving Deschutes County, Oregon. Oregon law governs these Terms, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.

28. Termination

You can stop using Rivlo at any time; email us and we'll close your account, subject to any open Booking or claim. We can suspend or terminate your account, remove Listings, cancel Bookings, or restrict features at any time — immediately and without refund if you break these Terms, mistreat anyone, list prohibited Gear, or draw serious complaints. Payment obligations, Deposit claims, licenses, disclaimers, liability limits, release, indemnity, and dispute resolution survive termination.

29. Intellectual property and marks

The Site, the Services, and all Rivlo Content — including the Rivlo name, logos, and wordmark — belong to Rivlo or its licensors and are licensed to you, not sold. Nothing here gives you any right to use our name or marks.

30. General provisions

No partnership. We're not partners, joint venturers, employer and employee, or general agents of each other, and neither can bind the other beyond the payment-collection role in section 13.

Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Policies, and the Rental Agreement are the whole deal between you and Rivlo about the Site and replace every earlier discussion.

Severability. If any part of these Terms is unenforceable, it's trimmed to the minimum extent needed and the rest stays in force. If the class-action waiver in section 27 is unenforceable for a particular claim, that claim goes to court instead of arbitration.

Notices. We send notices by email to the address on your account or by posting on the Site. You send notices to us at hello@rivlorents.com.

Waiver. Not enforcing something once isn't a waiver of enforcing it later.

Assignment. You can't transfer these Terms or your account. We can assign them — in particular, to the operating entity when formed.

Limitation of actions. Any claim against Rivlo arising out of these Terms or the Site must be brought within one year after it arises or it's barred.

Copyright complaints. If something on the Site infringes your copyright, email hello@rivlorents.com with a description of the work, its location on the Site, your contact information, a good-faith statement that the use isn't authorized, a statement under penalty of perjury that your notice is accurate and you're authorized to act, and your signature. We remove infringing material and close repeat-infringer accounts.

Links. The Site links to third-party sites. We don't control or endorse them and aren't responsible for what you find there.

Feedback. We want to hear it, good or bad, at hello@rivlorents.com. Suggestions you send us are ours to use freely.

Headings. Headings are for convenience; the numbered text controls.

31. Changes to these Terms

These Terms are versioned and dated at the top. Material changes will be noted on this page and emailed to Members with active Bookings before they take effect; continued use after a change is acceptance of the new version. The version in force when a Booking is requested governs that Booking, and we record which version you accepted with each one. We may change, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Site or Services at any time; if we cancel an open Booking for that reason the Renter is refunded in full under the Policies.