Payments, Cancellation & Refunds

1. Understand who you are paying

Before making any payment connected with a property discovered through HORE, identify the legal person or business receiving the money.

The payment recipient may be:

• a property developer or promoter;
• a property owner or seller;
• a landlord;
• a Realtor or broker;
• a bank or other lender;
• a government or statutory authority;
• a payment-service provider; or
• HORE itself for a service expressly sold by HORE.

Different recipients can have different contracts, cancellation conditions and refund obligations.

2. Property payments are normally not HORE payments

Unless HORE expressly identifies itself as the merchant, seller or recipient of a particular payment before you authorise it, amounts paid directly to a developer, promoter, seller, landlord, Realtor, lender or another third party are not payments held by HORE.

This can include booking amounts, token money, application fees, deposits, sale consideration, rent, security deposits, brokerage, maintenance charges, taxes and other property-related amounts.

HORE's involvement in introducing or connecting the parties does not, by itself, make HORE the recipient or custodian of those funds.

3. Booking amount and token money

Before transferring any booking or token amount:

• verify the identity of the payment recipient;
• verify that the recipient is authorised to receive payment for the relevant property;
• verify applicable RERA registration where required;
• confirm the exact property, unit, project and phase to which the payment relates;
• obtain written payment terms;
• understand whether the amount is refundable, adjustable or non-refundable;
• understand the events in which cancellation charges may apply;
• verify the beneficiary bank-account name;
• obtain an official receipt; and
• independently review important documentation before making a substantial payment.

4. RERA and advance payments

Where the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 applies to a transaction, promoters are subject to statutory requirements concerning advance or application payments and agreements for sale.

In particular, the Act restricts a promoter from accepting more than the statutory threshold of the cost of the apartment, plot or building as advance or application fee without first entering into the agreement for sale required by applicable law.

Customers should independently confirm the current legal requirements and the applicable project registration before making substantial payments.

5. Developer and promoter payments

Payments made to a developer or promoter are governed by the applicable booking form, application form, allotment terms, agreement for sale, RERA requirements and other applicable law.

A developer's cancellation or refund policy may depend on matters such as:

• the stage of booking;
• whether an allotment has been made;
• whether an agreement has been executed;
• the reason for cancellation;
• contractual deductions;
• statutory rights;
• construction or possession status; and
• the developer's legally valid written terms.

Confirm those terms directly with the authorised developer or promoter before paying.

6. Seller and owner payments

For resale or owner-listed properties, amounts may be paid directly between the buyer and property owner or another authorised recipient.

HORE does not guarantee refund of an amount transferred directly to a property owner merely because the property was discovered through HORE.

Customers should use a properly drafted written agreement that specifies:

• the amount being paid;
• the purpose of the payment;
• whether it is refundable;
• the cancellation conditions;
• the payment schedule;
• the consequences of title defects;
• the completion deadline; and
• the consequences of default by either party.

7. Realtor or brokerage payments

Any brokerage, advisory, facilitation or other fee charged by a Realtor should be separately disclosed and agreed between the customer and the relevant Realtor where applicable.

A Realtor's fee is not automatically a HORE fee merely because the Realtor was discovered or connected through HORE.

Before paying brokerage, confirm:

• who is charging the fee;
• the amount or percentage;
• when the fee becomes payable;
• whether tax is included;
• what service the fee covers; and
• the applicable cancellation or refund terms.

8. Changing your Realtor

Using HORE's change-Realtor functionality does not automatically cancel, reverse or refund a separate payment that you independently agreed to make to a Realtor.

Any existing brokerage or service-fee dispute remains subject to the actual agreement, applicable law and the circumstances in which the fee was charged.

HORE may assist with platform-side records or complaints where appropriate, but changing an assigned Realtor through HORE should not be interpreted as a legal determination of who is entitled to money.

9. Site visits

Scheduling or completing a site visit through HORE does not itself create an obligation to purchase a property or pay a booking amount.

If a third party attempts to charge a separate site-visit, transportation or other service fee, confirm the amount and applicable terms before accepting or paying for that service.

10. HORE-paid customer services

HORE may introduce optional paid customer services in the future.

Where HORE itself charges a customer, the checkout or payment page should identify:

• the service being purchased;
• the amount payable;
• applicable taxes or charges;
• the merchant or payment recipient;
• whether the service is recurring or one-time;
• when the service begins;
• the cancellation conditions;
• the refund eligibility rules; and
• any transaction-specific terms that apply before payment is authorised.

Transaction-specific terms shown before checkout form part of the terms applicable to that purchase.

11. When a HORE-paid service may be non-refundable

A HORE-paid service may be described as non-refundable where that condition is lawful, clearly disclosed before payment and appropriate to the nature of the service.

For example, different treatment may apply where:

• a digital or professional service has already been fully provided;
• work has already been performed specifically at the customer's request;
• a clearly disclosed one-time service has already been consumed; or
• another valid transaction-specific non-refundable condition applies.

A non-refundable term does not override a refund, remedy or consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

12. When HORE may provide a refund

Where HORE is the actual merchant or recipient, refund eligibility may include circumstances such as:

• a duplicate payment;
• payment successfully collected for a service that HORE cannot provide;
• an amount collected in error and confirmed through HORE's payment records;
• cancellation during an expressly provided refundable period;
• a refund required under applicable law or transaction-specific terms; or
• another situation expressly approved under HORE's applicable customer-payment terms.

HORE may require reasonable information to verify the payment before approving a refund.

13. Failed payments

A payment may sometimes fail at HORE, the payment gateway, UPI provider, card network or bank even though your banking application initially shows a debit.

Do not immediately make repeated payments without checking the transaction status.

Where HORE is the merchant, HORE may check its payment-provider records to determine whether the transaction was:

• successful;
• failed;
• pending;
• reversed;
• refunded; or
• not received by HORE.

14. Automatic reversals

A failed banking, UPI, card or payment-gateway transaction may be automatically reversed by the relevant financial institution or payment system.

The time required for a reversal can depend on the payment method, issuing bank, acquiring bank, payment gateway and applicable payment system rules.

A bank debit is therefore not always evidence that HORE successfully received the payment.

15. Duplicate payments

If HORE is the merchant and you believe the same HORE service was accidentally charged more than once, submit the transaction identifiers and payment details through HORE's support or grievance channel.

HORE may compare the transactions with its payment-provider records before determining whether a duplicate amount should be reversed or refunded.

16. Refund destination

Where HORE issues a refund, the refund should ordinarily be returned through the original payment method or another lawful method reasonably required by the payment system.

HORE may decline a request to send a refund to an unrelated bank account, UPI ID or third party where doing so creates fraud, compliance or ownership concerns.

17. Refund processing time

An approved refund may not appear instantly.

After HORE initiates an eligible refund, the final credit timeline can depend on the payment gateway, payment network, bank, card issuer, UPI provider or other financial institution involved.

Where a transaction-specific timeframe is shown at the time of refund, that information should be used together with applicable payment-system requirements.

18. Cancellation does not always mean refund

Cancelling a request, property enquiry, Realtor connection, site visit, seller-property workflow or another HORE action does not automatically create a right to receive money from HORE.

Refund eligibility depends first on whether HORE actually received the relevant payment and then on the applicable transaction terms and law.

19. Property cancellation

Cancelling a property booking or transaction with a developer, promoter, owner or seller is separate from cancelling an enquiry on HORE.

The amount refundable following a property cancellation may depend on the applicable agreement, RERA or other law, the stage of the transaction and the party responsible for the cancellation.

HORE cannot promise a refund of money held by another party.

20. Taxes, stamp duty and government payments

Payments such as stamp duty, registration charges, government fees or taxes may be subject to separate statutory refund procedures.

HORE does not control a government authority's refund procedure merely because HORE helped you discover the underlying property.

Obtain professional advice where a transaction has been cancelled after government charges have already been paid.

21. Home loans and lender charges

Loan-processing fees, valuation charges, legal-review fees, foreclosure charges, interest, insurance and other lender-related payments are governed by the relevant lender's agreement and applicable financial regulations.

HORE does not decide whether a bank or lender will approve, cancel or refund such charges unless HORE is expressly the provider of the relevant paid service.

22. Unauthorised payments

Speed of reporting can affect rights and liability under applicable banking and payment rules.

If the transaction claims to relate to HORE, also report it to HORE so that available platform or payment records can be reviewed.

23. Never share OTPs or payment credentials

Do not disclose:

• banking OTPs;
• UPI PINs;
• ATM or card PINs;
• internet-banking passwords;
• CVV details when not required in an authorised checkout;
• screen-sharing access; or
• remote-control access to your device.

A genuine property enquiry does not require you to disclose your UPI PIN or internet-banking password to a Realtor, developer, seller or HORE support representative.

24. Suspicious payment requests

Exercise additional caution if someone:

• demands an immediate transfer to secure a property;
• asks you to send money to an unrelated personal account;
• sends new bank details only through WhatsApp, SMS or informal chat;
• asks you to scan an unknown QR code to receive a refund;
• asks for a UPI PIN or OTP in order to process a refund;
• refuses to provide an official receipt;
• claims that a payment is "HORE guaranteed" without a corresponding official HORE checkout or written confirmation;
• promises an unrealistic discount only if money is transferred immediately; or
• asks you to hide the payment from the developer, owner or another authorised party.

25. HORE does not guarantee third-party payment instructions

HORE does not guarantee the authenticity of a bank account, UPI ID, QR code, payment link or other payment instruction merely because it was sent by a person who has a HORE profile.

Always independently confirm important payment instructions using a trusted and authorised contact channel.

26. Payment receipts

Keep copies of relevant:

• payment receipts;
• transaction IDs;
• bank statements;
• booking forms;
• cost sheets;
• agreements;
• invoices;
• refund confirmations; and
• important written communications.

These records can be important if a payment or cancellation dispute arises.

27. Chargebacks and payment disputes

A bank, card issuer or payment provider may provide its own dispute or chargeback process.

Eligibility for such a process is determined by the relevant financial institution and payment-network rules, not by HORE alone.

If a chargeback concerns a genuine HORE-paid service, HORE may provide relevant transaction and service records to the authorised payment provider when reasonably necessary to investigate the dispute.

28. Refund fraud

HORE may refuse, pause or investigate a refund request where there are reasonable indications of:

• duplicate refund claims;
• manipulated transaction records;
• account takeover;
• payment fraud;
• abuse of a promotional offer;
• false claims concerning service delivery; or
• another security or fraud concern.

This does not remove a customer's valid statutory rights.

29. Promotional credits, coupons and offers

If HORE introduces coupons, credits, discounts or promotional benefits, separate conditions may apply to their use, expiry, cancellation and restoration after refund.

Promotional value may be treated differently from money actually paid by the customer where permitted by applicable law and clearly disclosed terms.

30. Third-party payment gateways

Where HORE offers online payment for a HORE service, payment processing may be performed by an authorised third-party payment gateway or financial institution.

The provider may process payment information under its own legal and regulatory obligations.

HORE should avoid directly storing sensitive payment credentials such as UPI PINs, card PINs or internet-banking passwords.

31. Payment records and privacy

HORE may retain transaction identifiers, merchant references, amount, payment status, refund status, timestamps and related records where necessary for accounting, customer support, fraud prevention, reconciliation, dispute resolution and legal compliance.

More information about HORE's handling of personal data is available in the Privacy Policy.

32. Seller-property cancellation

Cancelling a property submitted through HORE's Sell Property workflow normally affects the platform-side seller request.

It does not automatically reverse a separate agreement or payment made outside HORE between the owner, Realtor, buyer or another party.

If a property transaction has progressed beyond the HORE workflow, review the relevant written transaction documents before assuming that cancellation through HORE cancels the underlying legal transaction.

33. Refund requests concerning third-party payments

If HORE did not receive the money, HORE may not be technically able to issue the refund.

HORE may, where appropriate, provide available platform records or direct you to the relevant developer, seller, Realtor, bank or payment provider.

Any assistance by HORE does not automatically mean that HORE accepts liability for the underlying third-party payment.

34. Statutory consumer rights

Nothing in this Policy is intended to exclude, waive or restrict any consumer, RERA, banking, contractual or other legal right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Where applicable law provides a customer with a refund, compensation, cancellation right or another remedy, that statutory right prevails over an inconsistent contractual term to the extent required by law.

35. HORE payment complaints

If your concern relates to a payment where HORE was the merchant or payment recipient, contact HORE with:

• your registered mobile number;
• the transaction date;
• the amount;
• the transaction or payment ID;
• the HORE service involved; and
• a short description of the issue.

Do not send HORE your banking password, UPI PIN, card PIN or OTP.

Contact: grievance@hore.in

36. Complaints about a developer, seller or Realtor payment

If the disputed money was paid directly to a developer, seller, Realtor or another third party, first identify and notify the actual recipient through an appropriate written channel.

Depending on the circumstances, additional remedies may be available through the relevant RERA authority, consumer dispute redressal system, bank/payment provider, police/cybercrime mechanism, court or another competent authority.

HORE may review conduct occurring through the HORE platform under its own policies independently of the financial dispute.

37. Relationship with other HORE policies

This Payments, Cancellation & Refunds Policy should be read together with HORE's Terms & Conditions, Real Estate & Verification Disclaimer and Privacy Policy.

A transaction-specific checkout term may supplement this Policy for a particular HORE-paid service.

38. Contact HORE

For a HORE payment, cancellation, refund or suspicious payment issue, contact:

grievance@hore.in

Where available, you may also use HORE's customer-support or grievance process.