Realfoto Media’s
Terms and Policies

Privacy

If you choose to use our Service, then you agree to the collection and use of information in relation to this policy. The Personal Information that we collect is used for providing and improving the Service. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.

Information Collection and Use

While using our Service, we may require you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to name, email address, agent ID, brokerage information, phone number, payment information, and listing information. The information that we request will be retained by us and used as described in this privacy policy.

We use your information to contact you, link your listings to the MLS service and other services you are subscribed to, deliver your content, take payment, and enable prospective buyers to contact you through Uplist.ca.

We do not disclose your personal or listing information to any other clients or non-relevant parties.

Our service does use third party services that may collect information used to identify you.

Cookies

Cookies are files with small amount of data that is commonly used an anonymous unique identifier. These are sent to your browser from the website that you visit and are stored on your device internal memory.

This Service does not use these “cookies” explicitly. However, the app may use third party code and libraries that use “cookies” to collection information and to improve their services. You have the option to either accept or refuse these cookies and know when a cookie is being sent to your device. If you choose to refuse our cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of this Service.

Service Providers

We may employ third-party companies and individuals due to the following reasons:

• To facilitate our Service;
• To provide the Service on our behalf;
• To perform Service-related services; or
• To assist us in analyzing how our Service is used.

We want to inform users of this Service that these third parties have access to your Personal Information. The reason is to perform the tasks assigned to them on our behalf. However, they are obligated not to disclose or use the information for any other purpose.

Security

We value your trust in providing us your Personal Information, thus we are striving to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it. But remember that no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure and reliable, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Links to Other Sites

This Service may contain links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. Note that these external sites are not operated by us. Therefore, we strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of these websites. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Children’s Privacy

These Services do not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. In the case we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we immediately delete this from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we will be able to do necessary actions.

Payment

Clarifies the expectations we have of you regarding prompt payment and acceptable methods of payment.

Payment Terms

Invoices are issued by email upon completion of work. All invoices will be considered overdue 30 days after issue. At that time they will be subject to collections.

Credit Card Policy Update

Effective February 1st, 2024, Realfoto Media, Inc. (“Realfoto”) is implementing an updated credit card policy to streamline our billing process and ensure timely payment for services rendered. This policy is applicable to all clients of Realfoto and is part of our commitment to efficient and transparent business practices.

Credit Card on File:
All clients are required to maintain a valid credit card on file with Realfoto. By providing credit card information, clients authorize Realfoto to securely store and use this information for billing purposes.

Autopay Preference:
Realfoto strongly prefers that clients enroll in our autopay program. Under autopay, clients’ credit cards will be automatically charged for services immediately upon job completion. This ensures a seamless transaction and timely compensation for our services.

NET 30 Billing Cycle:
For clients opting out of autopay, Realfoto operates on a NET 30 billing cycle. Invoices are due within 30 days of the invoice date.

Authorization for Overdue Payments:
Clients not enrolled in autopay and who have an outstanding balance beyond the NET 30 terms authorize Realfoto to charge the provided credit card for the total amount of the overdue invoice(s). This measure is to prevent delays in payment and reduce the need for payment follow-ups.

Notification of Charges:
Realfoto will notify clients via email prior to charging the credit card for overdue payments, providing a brief window to arrange for alternative payment methods if necessary.

Updating Credit Card Information:
It is the responsibility of the client to ensure that the credit card information on file is current. To update their credit card information, clients are encouraged to contact Realfoto’s office directly, preferably via phone, to securely relay sensitive payment details.

Security and Privacy:
Realfoto is committed to the privacy and security of client information. All credit card information is stored and processed in compliance with industry-standard security protocols.

Payment Methods

Apart from the credit card payment methods, acceptable payment methods also include:

• PayPal, addressed to accounting@realfoto.ca
• Interac e-transfer, emailed to accounting@realfoto.ca
• By brokerage cheque, for those offices we have a payment arrangement with.
• By cheque, mailed to:
  Realfoto Media Inc
  2725 Rock Bay Avenue
  Victoria BC, V8T 4R8

NSF Cheques

Should a cheque be returned for insufficient funds, a fee of $45 will be charged and payment in full of both the original amount and the NSF fee will be due immediately and may be subject to collections.

Right to Refuse Service Due to Overdue Account

We reserve the right to refuse service to any client whose account is overdue. The amount by which these arrears result in refusal of service is wholly our discretion, as are any payment plans or arrangements for future service.

Collections

Should your account become significantly overdue either in amount or lateness of payment, it may be referred to a third party collections agency or taken to Small Claims court. In this case you will be notified and given 20 days to pay your account in full before action is taken.

Damages and Refunds

Explains the limits to which we assume responsibility for damages, and clarifies the situations under which moneys paid may be refunded or services discounted to support our goal of positive long-term client relationships.

Damages

Barring situations of gross negligence, damages are limited to the total value of the services provided.

Photography and Videography

Photographers are contracted to shoot the property as-is. Any moving of decor or waiting for on-the-spot cleaning is above and beyond the scope of our services. Photographers will be as helpful as they deem possible, within the time constraints of a standard 30 minute appointment.

• If you are unhappy with photographs due to staging or readiness of the property, we will arrange a return shoot at a non-negotiable reduced rate.
• If you are unhappy with the quality of the photographs for a reason deemed to be the fault of the photographer, we may, at the sole discretion of Photography Department management, offer a re-shoot, free of charge.

In either of the above situations, you will be invoiced for the full rate for the original photo shoot appointment, and will be expected to remit payment as per our payment policy.

Floor Plans

If a floor plan error is made at the fault of the measuring technician, we will amend the error, free of any additional charge. Most errors can be fixed without a return visit, and we will make every attempt to amend errors in this fashion both to provide prompt revisions and to reduce disruption to property owners and tenants.

Virtual Open House

Virtual Open Houses are shot as-is. Shuffling of excess decor from room to room is impossible due to the nature of the technology.

• If you are unhappy with a virtual walkthrough due to staging or cleanliness, a return shoot will be scheduled for a non-negotiable fee, based on the work required.
• If operator or technological error results in an unusable 3D walkthrough, we may, at our sole discretion, arrange a re-shoot, free of charge.

In either of the above situations, you will be charged the full rate for the original 3D scan appointment, and will be expected to remit payment as per our payment policy.

Cancellations and Late Arrivals

Clarifies the expectations we have of you regarding client-provided access to worksites, and to describe the fees associated with untimely cancellations and no-show appointments.

Cancellations

We value your business and understand that the reasons for cancellation are often complex and/or out of your control. We will accept cancellations at no cost, up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment(s). For Monday appointments, cancellations must be received by close of business the Friday prior. All effort will be made to reschedule the appointment(s) according to your needs, no questions asked. Any cancellations that fall outside of this scope will incur a $100 charge per appointment type.

Weather Cancellations

If weather interferes with the scheduled shoot, we’ll seamlessly reschedule your shoot to the next available slot at no additional cost. Rest assured, you will not be charged a cancellation fee if adverse weather conditions force us to cancel the shoot. We monitor weather conditions closely and will notify you as soon as possible if a rescheduling is needed. Communication will be initiated promptly to work with your schedule and ensure a mutually convenient time for the rescheduled shoot.

Late Arrival/No-Show of Client Provided Access

Technicians will wait at a scheduled worksite for 15 minutes, or a longer time determined solely at our discretion, should the you, or your designated individual providing access, be unavailable. In these situations our technicians and/or office staff will make all reasonable attempts to contact you by phone and page to find an acceptable solution within the given time limit.

Should you be concerned you will be unable to provide timely access within these parameters, you are welcome to provide us with keys for access to the property on the business day prior to the appointment.

Should the scheduled technician(s) have to leave the work site after the designated waiting period has elapsed without completing the requested services, you will be charged a $100 cancellation fee per technician (to a maximum of $300) and all efforts will be made to reschedule the appointment(s), at full price, according to your needs.

On-Site Cancellation

If a property is not ready for the requested services (for example, is not clean enough for photos, or is inaccessible for measurement due to locked areas), an on-site cancellation fee of $100 per appointment type booked (to a maximum of $300) will be charged, and all efforts will be made to reschedule the appointment(s) according to your needs.

If requested services can be only partially completed, the appointment(s) will be invoiced at full price, and applicable re-visit fees will be charged to return to the work site to complete the services.

On-Site Damage

Establishes a consistent procedure for finding a resolution when damages occur at the fault of a Realfoto employee while working on-site at a private property or business.

When Damage to Personal Property Occurs

Should one of our employees be partially or wholly at fault in the damage of an item or building component at a job site, we will repair or replace the item or component. Whether an initial attempt to clean or repair the item is made before direct replacement is arranged is at our sole discretion.

In these situations, our management team will work with the client who placed the order to arrange repair/remediation/replacement with minimal inconvenience to the homeowner.

When Property Goes Missing

If an item is reported missing, we will first discuss the situation with the technicians who were on site. It is almost certain that the item has been moved out of sight for a photo, and the technician forgot to return it to its original location.

Should the missing item not be found, we request that the homeowner file a police report. We will co-operate completely in any investigation and take any necessary steps to mitigate any future situations of this nature.

Limitation of Liability

Should an item over $1000 in value be damaged or stolen, at the fault of our employee, with reasonable proof, the company will pay the deductible for the property owner’s insurance on said item, and assist in remediation of the situation as much as is reasonable.

Twilight Photo & Video Shoots

Clarifies the availability of our twilight photoshoot service and the circumstances in which our photographers may be obligated to cancel a photoshoot, in order to consistently provide quality products to our clients.

Conditions Required for Twilight Media Capture

Twilight photography and videography must be captured in the approximately 30 minute window around sunset. While clear skies are not necessary, precipitation or excessive wind will ruin a twilight photoshoot.

Scheduling Twilight Photography & Videography

Our photographers are not obligated to work evenings in addition to their 9-5 weekday shifts. They are given the opportunity to volunteer, and thus twilight photography is scheduled on an as-available basis. We make all reasonable effort to incentivise these shoots to provide for your requests.

Cancellation at Photographer’s Discretion

All effort is made to schedule photo shoots when weather is fair. If, by 4:30 pm on the day of a scheduled shoot, poor weather precludes acceptable quality, and if you are unavailable by phone, email or page, cancellation will be left to the discretion of the individual photographer. In these situations, we stand by the decision of the photographer. If the photographer arrives for a confirmed appointment during the scheduled time window to find that interior and exterior lights have not been turned on, photos will be taken and you will be charged in full.

Floor Plans

Explains the standard of floor plan accuracy, and your role in proofing delivered plans.

Measurements Within Industry Standard

Industry standard floor plan accuracy is within 2% of as-built dimensions. Square footage includes the thickness of walls. In the case of walls shared between strata properties, the thickness is estimated, and half the wall thickness is included in published square footage.

Methods

We measure floor plans using laser measuring technology, accurate at least to the inch. Square footages are calculated through area plotting on CAD software. Ceiling heights and built-in features are included on plans, furniture is not.

Billable Square Footage

Charges are for all finished and unfinished square footage including but not limited to garages, carports, pool decks, and outbuildings. Patios, decks, balconies, porches, and crawl-spaces under 4’6” in height are included free of charge whenever possible.

Guarantees

We consistently provide floor plans to industry standard (accurate within 1-2% of actual dimensions). We makes no absolute guarantees as to accuracy, and each floor plan includes a disclaimer to protect our clients in the rare case that an error is made. It is our practice not to make lot size measurements as we are not certified surveyors.

Strata Measurements

It is not uncommon for Strata measurements to differ from as-built dimensions due to changes during construction or differences in area calculation standards. We will publish strata measurements in place of as-measured square footage upon request. We will not arbitrarily change published square footage without objective, measurable cause.

Floor Plan Proofing

We expect clients to examine floor plans for errors including, but not limited to, typographical, labelling, and interpretation of space type (finished vs unfinished) errors. We use our discretion to apply the standards of the local market to allocate areas appropriately as “Finished” and “Unfinished” as part of a “Total” floor area. Ultimately, it is the client’s responsibility to ensure that the advertisement of “Finished”, “Unfinished” and “Total” square footage accurately reflects the requirements of any applicable legislation. We will promptly amend any errors or omissions that are brought to our attention.

Aerial

Clarifies the availability of aerial drone photo shoot and videography services and the circumstances under which we may be obligated to cancel a shoot.

Requirements for Safe, Legal, and Beautiful Aerial Photo/Videography

We employ a licensed commercial UAV pilot, who complies with all standards and regulations set out by Transport Canada. Limits and restrictions are applied to where, when, and how UAV’s are flown for commercial use. We will not accept aerial work that our licensed pilot and spotter, or the governing authorities, do not approve. Clients whose flight requests are not approved will be informed in a timely fashion. A flight that is not approved is non-negotiable. We stand behind the rulings of our pilot, spotter, and the appropriate governing authorities.

The UAV can not be flown within 30 horizontal metres of public roads, passers-by, or neighbouring property. In cases where neighbouring property is the only barrier to acceptable flight, We will provide a waiver to clients, who must deliver signed, dated copies of the waiver (for all applicable properties) to us no later than 12:00pm of the business day prior to the scheduled flight. In these cases, use of the waiver is non-negotiable and must be the responsibility of the client.

For safety reasons, the UAV is not flown if there is any form of precipitation. Should this cause a shoot cancellation, a new flight plan will be filed and the shoot will be rescheduled at the soonest possible opportunity.

Booking Requirements

Should the Environment Canada weather forecast show a likely chance of precipitation over 8 of the next 10 business days, we reserve the right to refuse to schedule a shoot. In these cases, we will wait for an acceptable weather forecast before making a booking. These conditions are wholly at the discretion of our booking agents and UAV team.

On Site

We understand that a flying drone is exciting! However, for safety, liability, and quality reasons, no individuals unconnected with direct piloting of the UAV may be near the shoot area. In these situations our team will direct any nearby spectators to a safe location. In cases where spectators are noncompliant, we reserve the right to cancel the shoot and bill a cancellation fee. There are to be no minors in the flight area.

Sign Post Installation

Establishes reasonable parameters around acceptable installation, maintenance, and responsibility for return of vinyl sign posts and client-provided signs.

Sign Post Availability, Condition, and Installation

Please note that we do not rent sign posts to be installed by anyone other than our technicians. Thank you for understanding.

We ask that client sign boards are either stored at our office or dropped off at the subject property prior to the installation date. We are able to hang signs between 24” and 36” wide and tall. We are unable to create custom or wooden sign solutions.

We make every effort to install clean, undamaged posts with functioning topper clips. Sign posts are used outdoors and may become dirty after installation, and we will not be responsible for returning to the site to wipe posts down.

During times of high listing volume we may contact clients whose listings have expired or sold to notify them that the post will be removed. This ensures availability for your future installations.

We make every effort to install sign posts in visible, safe locations. We reserve the right to refuse post installation in locations where bylaws, community agreements or safe use of sidewalks prevent sign installation. Some surfaces can not be used for post installations or are unsafe to access, and we leave feasibility of installation to the discretion of our field technicians.

Please notify us of any in-ground sprinkler systems, gas lines, or other installations that are not readily visible.

Sign Post Maintenance

Realfoto will return to the post site to perform reasonable maintenance. We reserve the right to remove a post if it is repeatedly knocked over or vandalized. Realfoto Media Inc. will not be liable for vandalism or damage of client owned sign boards.

Client Responsibility for Sign Post Condition and Return

If a sign post is lost, destroyed, damaged, or otherwise rendered inaccessible for retrieval, the client will be charged a $100 Post Replacement Fee. This fee is charged at our discretion.

Sign post rental is for a single installation address. If a sign is moved to another location it may be considered inaccessible and the client will be subject to a $100 Post Replacement Fee.

Copyright

This website and its content is copyright of Realfoto Media Inc. 2023. All rights reserved.

Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents of this website, in any form, is prohibited other than the following:

• Printing or downloading to a local hard disk extracts for personal and non-commercial use.
• Copying content to individual third parties for personal and non-commercial use, only where the website is acknowledged as the source of the materials copied.

Users may not, without the expressed, written consent of Realfoto Media Inc., distribute or commercially exploit any content found on this website; nor may it be transmitted or stored in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system.