Terms of Use

1. Who we are

1.1 Gaurdius is a platform operated by Paragraph Software Limited (company number 16767863), registered in England and Wales, with registered office at Building 2, Guildford Business Park, Guildford, England, GU2 8XG. In these Terms, "Gaurdius", "we", "us" and "our" mean Paragraph Software Limited trading as Gaurdius.

1.2 You can contact us at support@gaurdius.com.

1.3 These Terms govern your access to and use of the Gaurdius website, platform, accounts, and related services made available to Clients and website users (together, the "Platform").

2. Acceptance and scope

2.1 By accessing or using the Platform, creating an account, submitting an enquiry, booking services, or otherwise interacting with the Platform, you agree to these Terms.

2.2 If you use the Platform on behalf of a company, family office, hotel, concierge, or other organisation, you confirm that you have authority to bind that organisation to these Terms to the extent applicable.

2.3 If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

3. Definitions

3.1 "Client" means a person or organisation using the Platform to search for, enquire about, or book services from a Supplier.

3.2 "Supplier" means an independent person or business that offers close protection or related security services through or with the assistance of the Platform.

3.3 "Booking Catalogs or services" means choosing the service, the availability, the price and making the payment to secure the booking.

3.4 "Supplier Contract" means the contract for services entered into directly between a Client and a Supplier with encrypted emails where the client and supplier can communicate.

3.5 "Content" means text, images, documents, messages, profile information, and other material uploaded to or made available through the Platform.

4. Nature of the Platform

4.1 Gaurdius operates an online platform that introduces Clients to independent Suppliers of close protection and related security services.

4.2 Gaurdius does not itself provide the security services listed by Suppliers and is not the employer, principal, or service provider for those engagements.

4.3 Unless we expressly say otherwise in writing, Gaurdius is not a party to any Supplier Contract between you and a Supplier.

4.4 Gaurdius may provide tools for messaging, enquiries, record-keeping, and workflow management, but those tools do not change who is responsible for the services.

5. Eligibility, accounts, and security

5.1 You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into binding agreements to use the Platform for bookings or contractual enquiries.

5.2 You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating an account, submitting enquiries or booking services.

5.3 You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for all activity carried out through your account unless caused by our failure to use reasonable security measures.

5.4 You must notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access to your account or misuse of the Platform.

6. Using the Platform

6.1 You must use the Platform lawfully, honestly, and in accordance with these Terms and our Acceptable Use Policy.

6.2 You must not use the Platform to harass, threaten, stalk, mislead, exploit, or otherwise abuse Suppliers, other users, or third parties.

6.3 You must not submit false requests or bookings, false emergency claims, unlawful instructions, or requests that would require a Supplier to act unlawfully or unsafely.

6.4 Gaurdius is not an emergency service. If there is an immediate threat or emergency, call 999 or the relevant emergency authority rather than relying on the Platform.

7. Supplier listings and information

7.1 Supplier profiles, listings, service descriptions, availability information, and pricing are provided by or on behalf of the Supplier unless we state otherwise.

7.2 Gaurdius will ask Suppliers for onboarding information such as business details, identity information, licence information, and insurance information before allowing access to the Platform or publication of a listing.

7.3 Any onboarding review or listing check carried out by Gaurdius is for platform risk management only and does not amount to a guarantee, recommendation, certification, or warranty as to the Supplier, its personnel, or its services.

7.4 You remain responsible for deciding whether a Supplier is suitable for your needs and for reviewing the Supplier's own contract terms before proceeding.

8. Enquiries, Booking Requests, and Supplier Contracts

8.1 A booking or message sent through the Platform is a request for information or services only. It is not itself a contract with Gaurdius for security services. Suppliers must send the client a contract once the booking is confirmed by the encrypted email.

8.2 A Supplier can cancel the booking they have received from the client before 24h of the service start date.

8.3 The Supplier must provide the client with a contract that has its own terms, service scope, pricing, cancellation and refund position, and any other information that the client requires about the service.

8.4 Any Supplier Contract is made directly between the client and the Supplier. The Supplier is solely responsible for the service, price, timing, personnel, licensing, insurance, cancellation terms, refund position, and performance under that contract.

8.5 Gaurdius may store records of Booking Requests, emails, and booking status information for support, security, and record-keeping purposes.

8.6 We may suspend or terminate supplier access to the Platform, or restrict particular functions, if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, misused the Platform, created a legal or security risk, or provided false information.

9. Pricing, payments, and platform fees

9.1 Suppliers set their own prices; the payment is processed by Stripe through the platform.

9.2 Gaurdius charges Suppliers a commission margin on every booking, 3% for Companies and Sole traders without a premium subscription plan, and 1.5% for Companies and sole traders with the Premium subscription plan.

9.3 Gaurdius charges the Supplier subscription fee if they choose the premium plan, cancellation fee if the Supplier cancels the client booking, and there are charges from Stripe due to cancellations and refunds; the charges will be invoiced within 30 days. That does not make Gaurdius the provider of the Supplier's services.

9.4 If Gaurdius ever charges you a fee directly, such as a refund charge, that fee will be disclosed clearly with proof before you are asked to pay it.

10. Cancellations, refunds, and complaints

10.1 Cancellations, refunds, credits, and other remedies relating to the Supplier's services are governed primarily by the Supplier Contract and applicable law.

10.2 If you have a complaint about the Supplier's services, you should first raise it with the Supplier using the contact details and complaint route set out in the Supplier Contract and related booking communications, then raise it to support@gaurdius.com in case the complaint or the inquiry is not resolved.

10.3 Gaurdius may, at its discretion, help by sharing the relevant platform records, forwarding communications, or reviewing whether a Supplier has breached its Platform obligations.

10.4 Gaurdius does not determine the Supplier's contractual liability to you and does not guarantee any refund or complaint outcome unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing for a separate platform fee or managed payment flow.

10.5 If your complaint concerns the Platform itself rather than the Supplier's services, please contact support@gaurdius.com.

11. Content and intellectual property

11.1 Gaurdius and its licensors own all intellectual property rights in the Platform, our branding, our software, and our original content, excluding third-party materials and user-owned content.

11.2 You retain ownership of content you upload, but you grant Gaurdius a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, reproduce, use, and display that content to operate, secure, improve, and support the Platform.

11.3 You must not copy, scrape, reverse engineer, interfere with, or misuse the Platform except to the extent the law does not allow that restriction.

12. Platform availability and changes

12.1 We aim to keep the Platform available and secure, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted availability, immediate response times, or error-free operation.

12.2 We may suspend, restrict, update, or change parts of the Platform for security, maintenance, legal, or operational reasons.

12.3 We may update these Terms from time to time. The updated version will apply from the date stated on the Platform or otherwise notified to you.

13. Suspension and termination

13.1 We may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform, or restrict particular functions, if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, misused the Platform, created a legal or security risk, or provided false information.

13.2 You may stop using the Platform at any time and may ask us to close your account, subject to any legal record-keeping obligations and any ongoing Supplier Contract you have entered into directly with a Supplier.

13.3 Suspension or termination of your Platform access does not automatically end any separate Supplier Contract between you and a Supplier.

14. Liability

14.1 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any rights you have under consumer law.

14.2 Subject to clause 14.1, Gaurdius is responsible for losses you suffer as a foreseeable result of our breach of these Terms or our failure to use reasonable care and skill in providing the Platform.

14.3 Subject to clause 14.1, Gaurdius is not responsible for losses arising from: (a) the acts or omissions of a Supplier or another user; (b) the quality, legality, safety, suitability, availability, or performance of a Supplier's services; (c) the contents of a Supplier Contract, quote, invoice, or off-platform communication issued by a Supplier; or (d) your decision to enter into or not enter into a Supplier Contract.

14.4 If you are using the Platform for personal and domestic use, we only provide the Platform for personal and domestic use. We are not liable to you for business losses, including loss of profit, revenue, goodwill, opportunity, or business interruption.

14.5 If you use the Platform for business purposes, then, subject to clause 14.1, our total liability to you for all claims arising out of or in connection with the Platform will not exceed the greater of: (a) one hundred pounds sterling (GBP 100); and (b) the total amount you paid directly to Gaurdius in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim.

15. Privacy and data protection

15.1 We process personal data as described in our Privacy Notice.

15.2 Suppliers are generally separate controllers for the personal data they process for their own contracts, legal obligations, communications, and service delivery. That means a Supplier's own privacy practices may also apply once you engage with that Supplier.

16. General

16.1 These Terms do not create any employment, agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between you and Gaurdius.

16.2 If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest will continue in force.

16.3 No person other than you and Gaurdius has any right to enforce these Terms, except where the law says otherwise.

16.4 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction, except that consumers living in Scotland or Northern Ireland may also have rights to bring claims in their home jurisdiction.