Terms of Service

Engawa (“Engawa,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website at engawahomes.com and the related discovery and concierge services (together, the “Service”). The Service helps people outside Japan research, shortlist, and — if they choose — pursue the purchase of Japanese real estate.

Engawa is not a licensed real-estate broker. We aggregate listings and information and, when you engage our concierge, refer you to independent, licensed local agents (takken-gyosha). We do not act as your agent, negotiate on your behalf, hold client funds, or prepare or execute contracts.

By accessing or using the Service you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”) and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you have authority to bind that organisation.

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date above and, for material changes, take reasonable steps to notify you. Changes take effect when posted. Your continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the revised Terms.

Listings, hazard bands, transit times, yield estimates, translations, and other data on Engawa are sourced from third parties and public records and are provided on a best-effort, “as is” basis. We do not warrant that any of it is accurate, current, complete, or legally reliable, and translations may contain errors.

Nothing on the Service is legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Yield and cost figures are illustrative estimates, not guarantees of return. Always verify any property, its condition, its legal status, and any figure independently — and with qualified professionals — before making a decision.

Some features require an account. Engawa uses passwordless sign-in: we email a single-use link to the address you provide. You are responsible for keeping access to that email account secure and for activity that occurs under your account. Let us know promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission.

You agree not to share access to your account with any third party.

Engawa offers an optional paid discovery subscription (billed monthly or annually) that unlocks additional features. Payments are processed by Stripe; by subscribing you also agree to Stripe’s terms. Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing period until you cancel.

• You can cancel at any time from your membership page. Cancellation stops future renewals; access continues until the end of the period you have already paid for.
• Except where required by law, fees already charged are non-refundable and we do not pro-rate partial periods.
• We may change plan pricing or features on a going-forward basis. We will give reasonable notice before a change affects a renewal.

Our concierge is an optional service offered for a flat fee that does not scale with the price of any property. When you engage it, we help you organise your search and connect you with independent, licensed local agents who handle viewings, negotiation, contracts, and closing.

Those agents and any other professionals (inspectors, judicial scriveners, lenders, and so on) are independent third parties. Engawa is not responsible for their acts, omissions, advice, or the outcome of any transaction. Any purchase agreement is between you and the seller through your licensed agent, not with Engawa. Specific concierge scope, fees, and terms are set out when you engage the service.

You agree not to:

• interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Service or its systems;
• scrape, harvest, or bulk-copy listings or other content except as expressly permitted;
• infringe the intellectual-property or privacy rights of Engawa or any third party;
• misrepresent your identity or use the Service for any unlawful, fraudulent, or harmful purpose;
• upload malware or otherwise compromise the integrity or security of the Service.

The Service — including its design, text, graphics, and software, but excluding third-party listing content — is owned by Engawa or its licensors and protected by applicable law. We grant you a limited, personal, non-transferable licence to use the Service for its intended purpose. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

The Service may link to or rely on third-party websites and providers (for example, listing sources, mapping and hazard data, payment processing, and email delivery). We do not control and are not responsible for their content, practices, or availability. Your use of them is governed by their own terms.

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Engawa and its founders, employees, and partners will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or opportunity, arising out of or relating to your use of the Service. Where liability cannot be excluded, our total liability is limited to the amount you paid us for the Service in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim.

You agree to indemnify and hold Engawa harmless from any claims, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your misuse of the Service or your breach of these Terms.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms or misused the Service, or where we are required to do so by law. You may stop using the Service at any time; the sections that by their nature should survive termination (including disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnity) will continue to apply.

These Terms are governed by the laws of France, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and the courts of France have jurisdiction over any dispute — except where mandatory consumer-protection laws in your country of residence give you the right to bring proceedings, or require a different governing law, in your home courts. Nothing here limits any statutory rights you have as a consumer.

Questions about these Terms? Email hello@engawahomes.com.