1. About these terms
These terms govern use of spatialist.io and every project, proposal, milestone and payment arranged through Spatialist. “Spatialist”, “we” and “us” mean the Spatialist operating entity identified in the project order or invoice. Until full company identification is published before payment activation, enquiries may be sent to office@spatialist.studio.
By creating or accepting a project, a client and professional each agree to these terms, the project scope, the milestone schedule and the Privacy Statement. Mandatory consumer rights under applicable EU and national law always prevail.
2. Spatialist’s role
Spatialist operates a marketplace that helps clients find independent architects, designers, photographers and filmmakers, agree project terms and manage protected milestone payments. Professionals remain independently responsible for their services, professional licences, insurance, tax obligations, deliverables and compliance with applicable building, planning and professional rules.
Payment processing, identity verification and payouts are provided by Stripe and its regulated affiliates. Spatialist’s milestone flow is not a bank account, savings product, fiduciary trust or regulated escrow service. Funds are processed and held within Stripe’s payment infrastructure until the applicable release instruction.
3. Accounts and professional verification
Users must provide accurate, current information and protect access to their account. Professionals must complete Stripe Connect onboarding and any identity, business, bank account or tax verification required before receiving funds. We may request evidence of qualifications, registrations, insurance or authority to provide a service.
Users must be at least 18 and legally capable of entering contracts. An organisation’s representative confirms that they have authority to bind that organisation.
4. Project formation
A project becomes binding only when both parties accept the same scope, professional identity, price, currency, deliverables, milestone amounts and dates. Changes to a funded milestone require both parties’ recorded agreement. Unfunded milestones may be replaced or reordered by mutual agreement.
The professional must disclose whether they act as a trader or private individual and provide the business information required by EU marketplace rules. Spatialist may refuse or remove a project that is unlawful, unsafe, misleading or outside the professional’s verified competence.
5. Fees and taxes
The client pays the agreed milestone amount plus a 3% client service fee. Spatialist deducts a 10% professional service fee from the milestone amount before transfer to the professional. The checkout displays the total price before payment. Stripe processing, Connect and payout costs are borne by Spatialist unless the checkout expressly states otherwise.
Fees are calculated on the milestone amount, rounded to the smallest currency unit. Each party remains responsible for its own VAT, income tax and other tax obligations. Invoices and tax information will reflect the legally applicable merchant and supply structure.
6. Funding milestones
Only one milestone should normally be active at a time. The professional should not begin an active milestone until Spatialist confirms that it is funded. Funding authorises Stripe to charge the client’s selected payment method. A funded milestone must relate to a clear deliverable and should ordinarily be completed and released within 90 days.
A payment may be declined, delayed or reversed for fraud prevention, sanctions compliance, authentication, chargeback risk or another requirement imposed by Stripe, a bank, card network or law.
7. Submission, review and release
The professional starts the review period by formally submitting the milestone through Spatialist and identifying the delivered work. The client then has seven calendar days to:
- approve the milestone and release payment;
- request specific, reasonable changes within the agreed scope; or
- open a dispute with reasons and supporting information.
If the client takes none of these actions by the displayed deadline, the milestone is treated as accepted and payment is automatically released. A valid change request pauses release. A new seven-day period begins when revised work is formally resubmitted. Spatialist records submissions, decisions and release events in an audit log.
8. Disputes
Opening a dispute before release pauses transfer. Both parties must cooperate, preserve relevant messages and provide requested evidence. Spatialist may facilitate a good-faith, non-binding resolution, including release, partial release, revision, cancellation or refund. Unless law requires otherwise, Spatialist is not an arbitrator and cannot finally determine complex professional negligence, intellectual-property or construction claims.
Chargebacks are not a substitute for the project dispute process. A user who submits a dishonest or abusive chargeback may be responsible for resulting costs. Nothing limits a consumer’s mandatory right to contact a competent authority, alternative dispute-resolution body or court.
9. Cancellation, refunds and EU withdrawal rights
An unfunded milestone may be cancelled by agreement. A funded milestone may be refunded before work begins or otherwise as agreed, required by law, or resolved through a dispute. Payment processing fees already incurred may be non-refundable where law permits.
An EU consumer may have a 14-day right to withdraw from a distance service contract. If the consumer expressly asks for work to begin during that period, they may owe a proportionate amount for work performed. The right may be lost after full performance where the consumer gave the legally required prior consent and acknowledgement. The checkout and project acceptance flow must collect any required request and acknowledgement separately.
10. Deliverables and intellectual property
Ownership and licence terms must be stated in the project. Unless the project says otherwise, the professional retains pre-existing methods, tools and portfolio materials; rights in bespoke final deliverables transfer or are licensed only after full payment. Third-party materials remain subject to their own licences. Moral rights and statutory professional obligations are unaffected where they cannot be waived.
11. Acceptable use
Users must not use Spatialist for fraud, money laundering, sanctions evasion, unlawful services, deceptive listings, harassment, malware, infringement, payment-card testing or transactions unrelated to a genuine project. Users must not bypass Spatialist payments to avoid agreed fees for relationships introduced through the platform.
12. Consumer and professional responsibilities
Clients must provide accurate briefs, site information, decisions and access reasonably needed for the work. Professionals must perform with the care and skill required by the agreement and applicable law, communicate material risks and meet agreed professional standards. Neither party may treat conceptual material as construction-ready unless the project expressly says so.
13. Platform availability and changes
We use reasonable care to keep Spatialist available and secure but do not promise uninterrupted operation. Maintenance, security events, payment-provider outages or legal requirements may temporarily affect a feature. Material changes to fees or milestone rules apply only after notice and do not retroactively alter an already funded milestone unless required by law.
14. Liability
Nothing excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or mandatory consumer rights. Subject to that rule, Spatialist is not responsible for the professional’s independent advice, designs, site work, regulatory approvals or deliverables.
For business users, Spatialist’s aggregate liability arising from a project is limited to the Spatialist service fees paid for that project during the preceding 12 months. Neither party is liable to the other for indirect or unforeseeable loss, except where prohibited by law.
15. Suspension and termination
We may restrict an account or payment when reasonably necessary to investigate fraud, protect users, satisfy Stripe requirements or comply with law. Termination does not cancel accrued payment, confidentiality, tax, intellectual-property or dispute obligations. We will provide access to required records where reasonably possible and legally permitted.
16. Governing law
These terms are governed by Romanian law, without depriving an EU consumer of mandatory protections available in their country of residence. Courts with jurisdiction under applicable EU and national law may hear disputes. Business users agree to the competent courts of Bucharest unless the project agreement provides a lawful alternative.
17. Notices
Operational notices may be delivered in the platform or to the account email. Legal notices to Spatialist may be sent to office@spatialist.studio. Users must keep their contact details current.
18. Launch-readiness notice
Before live payments are enabled, Spatialist must insert its registered legal name, registered office, company-registration number, VAT number where applicable, and consumer-contact details; confirm the merchant-of-record and invoicing model with Romanian counsel and Stripe; and approve a final consumer withdrawal flow. This version is a production-oriented draft, not a substitute for jurisdiction-specific legal advice.