Terms of Service

These terms are an agreement between you and Banao (“Banao”, “we”, “us”), based in Islamabad, Pakistan. They apply whenever you use the website at banao.com.pk or the Banao dashboard. By creating an account or using the service you agree to them, and to our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Refund & Cancellation Policy.

You must be at least 18 and able to enter a binding contract. If you use Banao for a company, you confirm you may accept these terms for it.

Banao is a managed construction platform. Clients bring a plot or project; a Banao agent prepares the bid document or BOQ; verified architects, contractors and solar installers bid for the work; and Banao holds the client’s payments in escrow and releases them as work is approved. Banao also offers construction consultancy (site inspections and reports for builds with the client’s own builder) and solar site assessments. A property marketplace for real estate consultants is launching later.

For a solar request, a client can have a Banao inspector assess the site, or film it and submit their own measurements. Installers and Banao prepare records and quotes from the measurements a client submits, so the client is responsible for their accuracy and for any re-quoting, extra cost or delay that wrong measurements cause.

Architects, contractors, solar installers and real estate consultants are independent businesses, not Banao employees or agents, and are responsible for their own work, advice, licences and conduct. Banao reviews them before they can bid, but does not guarantee their work.

• Give accurate information and keep it up to date.
• You’re responsible for everything done through your account. Keep your password safe, and only let a device skip sign-in codes or switch accounts without a password if you don’t share it.
• Professional accounts must pass Banao’s review before they can bid, and must keep their details, licences and service areas accurate.
• Tell us straight away through the Support page if you think your account has been misused.

Posting a project is free. Banao charges for the services you choose, such as bid documents and BOQs (priced on your covered area), consultancy plans, solar site visits and posted documents, and takes a commission on awarded work. Your exact amount is always shown before you pay. Our services are described on the Fees page, which also has a calculator that shows the total for the covered area or system size you enter. A calculator total is today’s price, and it is confirmed when you start the purchase.

• Escrow and commission. When a client accepts a bid, they fund the agreed amount into escrow (in full, by installments or milestone by milestone, where offered), together with Banao’s commission. Escrow is released to the professional as each milestone is submitted, reviewed and approved by the client, less Banao’s commission on the professional’s side.
• Bid documents. Architects and contractors buy a project’s bid document to download it, at the price shown on it. Submitting a bid is free.
• Monthly fees. Architects, contractors, solar installers and real estate consultants pay a monthly fee to keep bidding or keep listings live. If it is overdue past the grace period, bidding or listings are paused until it is paid.
• Consultancy plans. A plan is a one-time fee for the project, split across the build’s phases. Each phase is paid before it starts, and its site visit is booked once the payment is confirmed. Visits beyond the plan’s included visits are added at the price shown.
• How you pay. By bank transfer to Banao’s account or by PSID. A payment counts once Banao confirms it has arrived. Professionals withdraw their earnings to their own bank account after review.

Banao service fees already agreed or paid remain the price for that purchase. Project and BOQ totals shown or submitted reflect current item rates and quantities. Changes in rates or actual quantities can increase or decrease the overall project price; any adjustment must be documented and agreed before payment. Refunds are covered by our Refund & Cancellation Policy.

Banao gives you contract templates, receipts, certificates, notices and checklists, in English and Urdu, to download, print and keep for your own protection at each stage of a build, a solar installation or a property deal. They are plain-language templates, not legal advice. Banao is not a party to any agreement you sign with another person using them, and does not promise they suit your situation, are complete, or can be enforced in every case.

• Read every line, change what does not fit your deal, and have a lawyer check anything large or important before you sign.
• Stamp duty, registration, tax and tenancy rules differ by province and change over time; check the ones that apply to you.
• What you type into a document stays in your browser. Printed and downloaded copies belong to you.
• Using a template does not change these terms. For work awarded through Banao, payments, milestones and escrow still follow these terms, and a template is not a way to arrange or pay for the same work outside the platform.

The templates are on the Contracts page and, once you are signed in, under Safety documents in your dashboard.

Escrow only protects work that is agreed and paid for through Banao. You agree not to use Banao to find a client or professional and then arrange the same work, or its payments, outside the platform. Contact details are automatically removed from messages and proposals to help with this. Breaking this rule can lead to warnings, suspension and the loss of Banao’s protection for that work.

Video meetings with Banao take place on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams under those services’ own terms. Your Banao agent may record a meeting for the project record; you’ll be told when a meeting is recorded, and by staying in it you agree to the recording.

You agree not to:

• Post false, misleading or fraudulent information, documents, listings, bids or reviews.
• Upload content you don’t have the right to share, or that is unlawful, abusive or harmful.
• Harass other users or Banao staff, or try to access accounts, data or systems that aren’t yours.
• Copy, scrape or resell the platform or its content, or interfere with its security or normal operation.
• Use Banao for anything unlawful, including money laundering or tax evasion.

You keep ownership of the documents, drawings, photos and other content you upload. You give Banao permission to store, process and show that content to the people involved in your project and to our staff, only as needed to run the service. Bid documents and BOQs prepared by Banao may be used by the client and the bidders for that project only. The Banao name, logo, website and software belong to Banao.

If you break these terms, Banao may issue a warning, remove content, or suspend or close your account. Professionals can dispute a warning through their dashboard. You can deactivate your account at any time, and delete it once any unfinished work and funds in escrow are settled.

If something goes wrong on a project, report it from your dashboard. Your Banao agent reviews disputes, normally within 24 hours, and works with both sides on a fair outcome based on the agreed bid, milestones and evidence. Funds still in escrow stay there until the dispute is resolved. Banao’s decision on releasing escrow is final for escrow purposes, but doesn’t stop either side from using their legal rights against the other.

These rules apply to every project awarded through Banao, and are summarised in plain words on the Escrow page.

• The contractor answers for the work. Construction defects are the contractor’s legal responsibility under the contract you award. Banao does not build, and it does not guarantee the contractor’s work in place of the contractor.
• Banao’s part is the evidence. Your agent and the inspection reports record what was built and when. If a defect is found, that record is what you and the contractor rely on, and what Banao uses to decide any dispute about escrow.
• A defects period in the contract. Each award contract states a defects-liability period after handover. During it, the contractor must put right defects you report in writing.
• Contractor insurance. Contractors are required to carry insurance for site accidents and damage to third parties, and the contract names who is covered. Ask your agent for the certificate before you award.
• Structural warranty. The contract sets a structural warranty period for the work, so the contractor stays answerable for the structure after you have moved in.
• What Banao provides itself. Banao does not itself insure your build. Its protection is the escrow, the inspections and the written record. Any cover beyond that is the contractor’s, and is stated in your contract.

We work hard to keep Banao accurate and available, but the service is provided as it is and as available. Inspections, reports, BOQs and estimates are prepared with care but are not a guarantee of the work or its cost.

To the extent the law allows, Banao is not liable for indirect or consequential losses, or for the work, advice or conduct of independent professionals (defects are the contractor’s responsibility, as set out above). Banao’s total liability to you for any claim is limited to the fees you paid Banao for the service the claim is about, plus any of your funds Banao still holds in escrow. Nothing in these terms limits any right you have under the law that cannot be limited.

You agree to cover Banao’s losses caused by your breach of these terms or your misuse of the service. Neither of us is responsible for delays caused by events outside our reasonable control.

We may update these terms as the service changes, and will tell you about significant changes by email or in your dashboard before they take effect. Continuing to use Banao afterwards means you accept the updated terms.

These terms are governed by the laws of Pakistan, and the courts at Islamabad have jurisdiction over any dispute about them. If any part of these terms can’t be enforced, the rest still applies. These terms, with the policies they refer to, are the whole agreement between you and Banao about using the service.

Questions about these terms? Reach us through the Support page, the support chat in your dashboard, or: