Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using blockandpin.com (the "Service"), operated by Block & Pin LLC ("Block & Pin," "we," "us," or "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

2. Description of Service

Block & Pin provides Chicago property intelligence reports that compile publicly available data from government sources including the City of Chicago Open Data Portal, Cook County public records, and other official data APIs. Reports include information such as zoning classification, permit history, building violations, enforcement cases, deed records, ward information, and nearby places.

3. Credits & Payments

Credit System — The Service operates on a prepaid credit system. You purchase report credits in packs (1, 3, or 5 credits). Each property report consumes one credit.

Credit Delivery — Credits are added to your account automatically after successful payment, typically within seconds. Credits are tied to the email address used during checkout.

Credit Expiration — During the current beta period, purchased credits do not expire. We reserve the right to implement expiration policies in the future, with reasonable advance notice.

Pricing — All prices are listed in US dollars and are subject to change. Current beta pricing is promotional and will increase at general availability. Pricing changes do not affect credits already purchased.

Payment Processing — Payments are processed by our third-party payment processor (Maverick Payments). We do not store your credit card information on our servers.

4. Refund Policy

Automatic Refunds — If a report fails to generate due to a geocoding error (address not found) or a server error, your credit is automatically refunded to your account balance.

Discretionary Refunds — If you experience an issue with a report (missing data, incorrect address match, or other quality concerns), contact us at info@blockandpin.com with your email address and the property address. We will review the issue and may issue a credit refund at our discretion.

No Cash Refunds — Refunds are issued as credits to your account balance, not as cash refunds to your payment method. If you believe you are entitled to a monetary refund, contact us and we will evaluate on a case-by-case basis.

Successfully Generated Reports — Credits consumed by successfully generated reports are generally non-refundable, as the data retrieval and processing cost is incurred at generation time.

5. Data Accuracy & Disclaimer

Block & Pin aggregates data from publicly available government sources. While we strive to present this data accurately, we make no warranty or guarantee regarding:

Completeness — Government databases may contain gaps, delays, or omissions. A report may not include every record that exists for a property.

Accuracy — Data is sourced from third-party government APIs. We present it as-is and do not independently verify every data point. Errors in source data will appear in our reports.

Currency — Government databases update on their own schedules. There may be a delay between when a permit is issued, a violation is filed, or a deed is recorded and when it appears in our report.

Geocoding Precision — Address geocoding may place the lookup point slightly offset from the actual property, which can occasionally affect spatial queries (e.g., moratorium lookups for rear-of-lot addresses).

6. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to:

Use the Service to harass, stalk, or invade the privacy of any individual.

Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, other accounts, or any systems or networks connected to the Service.

Use automated tools (bots, scrapers, or scripts) to access the Service, generate reports in bulk, or extract data without our prior written consent.

Resell, redistribute, or commercially republish reports or report data without our prior written consent.

Use the Service in any way that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Service or interfere with any other party's use of the Service.

Misrepresent Block & Pin reports as official government documents, legal opinions, or professional assessments.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Service, without refund, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms.

7. Intellectual Property

Our Content — The design, layout, code, branding, and non-public-data content of blockandpin.com are the property of Block & Pin LLC and are protected by copyright and trademark law. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reverse-engineer any part of the Service without our written consent.

Government Data — The underlying property data in reports is sourced from publicly available government records and is not owned by Block & Pin. Our reports represent our specific compilation, formatting, and presentation of that data.

Your Use of Reports — You may use reports you've purchased for your own personal or internal business research purposes. You may share individual reports with your clients, partners, or advisors in the normal course of a real estate transaction or due diligence process.

8. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW:

Block & Pin, its officers, directors, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of goodwill, business interruption, or any other intangible losses, arising out of or in connection with your use of (or inability to use) the Service — even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or related to the Service shall not exceed the total amount you have paid to Block & Pin in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

You acknowledge that the Service provides publicly available government data for research purposes, and that any reliance on report data for investment, legal, or business decisions is at your own risk.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Block & Pin LLC, its officers, directors, employees, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising out of or in connection with:

Your use of the Service.

Your violation of these Terms.

Your violation of any applicable law or regulation.

Any decisions you make based on information contained in Block & Pin reports.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free of viruses or other harmful components. We do not warrant that the data in reports will be accurate, complete, or current.

11. Service Availability & Modifications

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service (or any part of it) at any time, with or without notice. We are not liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service.

During the beta period, features, pricing, data sources, and report contents may change as we improve the product.

We may perform scheduled or unscheduled maintenance that temporarily makes the Service unavailable. We will make reasonable efforts to provide advance notice of planned maintenance.

12. Third-Party Links & Services

Reports may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., City of Chicago portals, Cook County Clerk, Illinois Secretary of State). These links are provided for convenience. We do not control, endorse, or assume responsibility for the content or practices of any third-party websites.

13. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any legal action or proceeding arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

14. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

15. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Block & Pin LLC regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us: