Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using The Canadian Housing Atlas ("Atlas" or the "Software"), provided by Common Sense Economics Inc., doing business as Common Sense Economics ("we", "us", or the "Provider"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not access or use the Software.

2. License Grant

Subject to your compliance with these Terms and payment of applicable fees, the Provider grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Software for the duration of your subscription. This license is for your internal business use only. You may not sublicense, distribute, or make the Software available to any third party not covered by your subscription plan. You may not share your account credentials with, or otherwise provide access to, any person who is not covered by your subscription plan, and you are responsible for all use of the Software that occurs under your account.

3. Subscription Plans & Billing

Paid subscriptions are available with monthly or annual billing, in Canadian Dollars (CAD). Fees are charged at the beginning of each billing period. Monthly subscriptions renew each month; annual subscriptions renew each year. All subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled before the end of the current billing period. You may manage your subscription, update payment methods, or cancel through the billing portal accessible from your dashboard.

Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No partial refunds are provided for unused time within a billing period. Upon cancellation, you retain access to the Software until the end of the period for which you have already paid.

Refund policy. Monthly subscriptions are non-refundable: you may cancel at any time and retain access through the end of your paid month. Annual subscriptions may be refunded in full if you request a refund within fifteen (15) days of the initial purchase, provided your use of the Software during that period has been limited to ordinary evaluation (excessive data access or export activity may void refund eligibility). Refund requests should be sent to stephen@commonsenseeconomics.ca.

Seat limits apply to multi-seat plans as specified in the plan description. The Provider reserves the right to adjust pricing for future renewal periods with at least 90 days written notice prior to the applicable renewal date.

4. Intellectual Property & Data Ownership

The Software, including its design, code, data visualizations, curated datasets, analytical methodologies, and documentation, is and shall remain the intellectual property of Common Sense Economics Inc. This agreement constitutes a license for use only and is in no way a transfer of ownership rights. You shall not merge, decompile, reverse-engineer, or alter the Software in any way. Source code shall not be disclosed to any party not covered by your subscription.

The Provider has expended substantial time, effort, skill, and resources in selecting, arranging, coordinating, and presenting the data within the Software. The selection, arrangement, and presentation of data within the Software (each a “Compilation”) constitutes an original work of authorship in which the Provider holds valid copyright, independent of and in addition to any copyright that may subsist in the individual data elements. You acknowledge that the value of the Software derives substantially from these Compilations and not merely from the underlying data viewed in isolation. Nothing in these Terms shall be construed as a transfer or licence of any intellectual property rights in the Compilations beyond the limited licence expressly granted herein.

All datasets made available through the Software, including but not limited to development charge rate compilations, housing market aggregations, and derived analytics, are proprietary to Common Sense Economics Inc. or used under license from third-party sources. You may not resell, redistribute, or create derivative datasets from data obtained through the Software. You may not use data from the Software to train machine learning or artificial intelligence models without prior written authorization; for clarity, using AI tools to analyze or interpret data, and building internal statistical, econometric, or forecasting models from data within the scope of your licence, is permitted. Exported data and charts may be used only for your internal business purposes or, where your plan expressly permits, for white-label client deliverables.

You shall not re-arrange, re-organize, re-sort, or re-present data from the Software in any manner that misrepresents or obscures a Compilation, or that creates or purports to create a new compilation based on the data. You shall safeguard all Software and Compilations (including any downloaded or exported copies) from infringement, misappropriation, theft, misuse, or unauthorized access. All downloaded or exported content remains the property of the Provider, and you must retain all intellectual property notices on any copies.

Automated scraping, systematic downloading, or programmatic access to the Software or its data beyond the features provided by your subscription plan is strictly prohibited. You may not use the Software, the Compilations, or the data for benchmarking or competitive analysis of the Software, or to develop, train, or improve any product or service that competes with the Software.

5. Data & Third-Party Sources

The Software incorporates data from third-party sources including Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Statistics Canada, the Bank of Canada, and municipal and other governmental bodies (including municipal by-laws and open-data records). The Provider does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, currency, or reliability of any such third-party data. Any use of or reliance on such data is at your own risk. The Provider's obligation to deliver data updates is expressly conditioned upon the ongoing availability of such sources.

Data, charts, and analytics provided through the Software are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, legal, or professional advice. You should not make investment, lending, or policy decisions based solely on information obtained from the Software. The Provider disclaims all liability for decisions made in reliance on data presented through the Software.

Source attribution. The Software is a value-added product that incorporates and adapts data from public sources. The specific product name and reference date for each presentation are shown alongside the data within the Software and on exported files. The following standing attributions apply:

Adapted from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. This does not constitute an endorsement by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation of this product.

Adapted from Statistics Canada. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

Adapted from Bank of Canada. This does not constitute an endorsement by the Bank of Canada of this product. The underlying Bank of Canada content is also available free of charge at bankofcanada.ca.

6. Warranty Disclaimer

The Software is provided "as is" with no guarantee as to performance, stability, or ongoing reliability. The Provider makes no guarantee that the Software will be uninterrupted or free of error. The Software is prone to bugs and flaws within acceptable margins as determined by common industry standards. The Provider makes no guarantee that the Software will be suitable for your specific requirements.

7. Limitation of Liability

Neither party shall be liable for any incidental, consequential, or indirect damages, including but not limited to lost or damaged data, revenue loss, or financial loss. The Provider's total aggregate liability under these Terms shall not exceed the lesser of (a) the total fees paid by you in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or (b) one thousand Canadian dollars (CAD $1,000).

8. Claims Limitation & Dispute Resolution

Any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Software must be filed within one (1) year after the cause of action accrues, or such claim is permanently barred.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted on an individual basis only, and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action.

9. Termination

You may cancel your subscription at any time through the billing portal. Access continues until the end of your current billing period. The Provider may terminate your access immediately if you breach any of these terms. Upon termination, your right to access the Software ceases and you shall destroy any downloaded materials or exports.

10. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of British Columbia, Canada. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved in the courts of British Columbia.

11. Changes to Terms

The Provider reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email or notice within the Software at least 30 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Software after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

12. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

13. Quebec Residents

If you are a resident of Quebec, certain provisions of these Terms may be subject to additional or different rights under Quebec's Consumer Protection Act and Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector. Where these Terms conflict with mandatory provisions of Quebec law, the applicable Quebec statutory provisions shall prevail.