Terms of use
Please read these terms before using Risk Before Buy. Effective from January 1, 2024.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using Risk Before Buy ("the Platform", "we", "us", "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform. These terms apply to all users, including visitors, registered users, and purchasers of paid reports.
2. Description of Service
Risk Before Buy is an independent educational tool that aggregates publicly available federal data — including FEMA National Risk Index, NOAA Storm Events, USGS Seismic Hazard Maps, USDA Wildfire Hazard Potential, and EPA Environmental Quality data — to provide climate and natural hazard context for US addresses. The Platform is operated by Open Data Collective.
3. Educational Use Only
All content on this Platform, including risk scores, hazard summaries, insurance premium estimates, and buy/negotiate/walk-away signals, is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on this Platform constitutes professional insurance advice, financial advice, legal counsel, or real estate guidance. You should consult licensed professionals before making any real estate transaction.
4. Paid Reports
Paid reports are delivered electronically via email after purchase. Reports are generated on demand using the federal datasets described in our Methodology page. We target delivery within 5 minutes of confirmed payment. Report content reflects data as of the most recent quarterly refresh date, which is disclosed in the report itself.
5. Refund Policy
We offer a 100% refund within 7 days of purchase, no questions asked. To request a refund, email hello@riskbeforebuy.com with your order details. Refunds are processed to the original payment method within 5–10 business days.
6. Data Accuracy and Limitations
Risk scores are derived from federal datasets that are updated on varying schedules. FEMA NRI scores are county-level aggregates and may not reflect parcel-specific conditions. We make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of data on this Platform. Known limitations are disclosed in full on our Methodology page.
7. Prohibited Uses
You may not use this Platform to: (a) scrape or bulk-harvest data for commercial redistribution without a B2B API agreement; (b) misrepresent risk scores in real estate transactions or marketing materials; (c) interfere with the Platform's technical infrastructure; (d) impersonate another person or entity. Violation of these terms may result in account termination and legal action.
8. Intellectual Property
The editorial content, scoring methodology, and Platform interface are owned by Open Data Collective. Underlying federal datasets remain in the public domain. You may cite individual scores or summaries with attribution to Risk Before Buy and the relevant federal source. Reproduction of full reports or editorial content for commercial purposes requires written permission.
9. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Risk Before Buy and Open Data Collective shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Platform or reliance on any information provided. Your sole remedy for dissatisfaction with the Platform is to discontinue use or request a refund as described above.
10. Changes to Terms
We may update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be announced on the Platform. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. The current version of these Terms was last updated in 2024.