1. Who we are and what you are agreeing to

AVITO is an online marketplace for the Maldives, operated by AVITO, a sole proprietorship registered in the Republic of Maldives (“AVITO”, “we”, “us”). You can reach us at support@avito.mv.

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) apply to everyone who uses the AVITO website and app at avitomaldives.com (the “Platform”). By creating an account, browsing as a guest, posting a request, sending a quote, listing a service or product, or paying for a job through the Platform, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. Agreement given this way is binding under the Electronic Transactions Act (Law No. 2/2022).

If you use AVITO on behalf of a business, you confirm that you are authorised to bind that business, and “you” includes the business.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Platform.

2. What AVITO is — and is not

AVITO connects customers who need a service or product (“Customers”) with businesses that provide them (“Businesses”). Customers describe what they need; AVITO matches the request to Businesses that offer the relevant service in the relevant area; Businesses send quotes or offers; the Customer chooses one; the work or purchase becomes a job or order tracked on the Platform.

AVITO is a venue. Every contract for a service or product is between the Customer and the Business. AVITO is not a party to that contract, does not perform the work, does not sell the products, and does not employ or represent any Business.

AVITO does not hold your money. Payments are made by bank transfer directly from the Customer to the Business’s own bank account. AVITO records the payment, reviews the transfer confirmation and marks it as confirmed so both sides can rely on it — but the money never passes through AVITO.

AVITO verifies Businesses that apply for verification by checking the documents they submit. A verified badge means the documents were checked; it is not a guarantee of the quality, timing or safety of any work.

3. Accounts

You sign in with your Maldivian mobile number and a one-time code sent by SMS. There are no passwords. The code expires after five minutes; three wrong attempts pause sign-in for ten minutes; codes can be re-sent three times per attempt, 45 seconds apart.

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account.

One person, one account. Keep your number and device secure: anything done through your account is treated as done by you. Tell us at once if you believe someone else has access.

Give us accurate details and keep them current. We may suspend or close accounts created with false information.

You can browse the Platform as a guest. Posting a request, quoting, buying, paying and messaging need an account.

You may close your account at any time from the app or by writing to support@avito.mv. Records of completed transactions are kept as described in the Privacy Policy.

4. For Customers

Requests. Describe what you need honestly and in enough detail for a Business to quote. A request is an invitation for quotes, not an order. You may post as a draft, edit, or close a request.

Quotes and offers. A quote is the Business’s price and terms for the work described. Accepting a quote creates a job (for services) or an order (for products) between you and that Business, on the terms in the quote. Read the quote, including any advance and payment terms, before accepting.

Paying. Pay by bank transfer to the account shown in the app, which belongs to the Business, and upload your transfer confirmation. Pay only to the account shown on the Platform for that job. AVITO or the Business reviews the transfer and marks it confirmed; until then the payment shows as submitted. Never pay outside the Platform for a job arranged on it — we cannot help with payments we cannot see.

Completion. When the Business marks a job complete, or marks an order as delivered, you have 72 hours to confirm or report a problem. If you do neither, the job or order closes automatically. Report problems within that window.

Reviews. You may review a Business only after a job with that Business has completed. Reviews must be honest, about your own experience, and free of personal attacks. We may remove reviews that break these Terms.

Cancellations and refunds. A job can be cancelled before it starts. Where a payment has already been confirmed for a cancelled job, the Business refunds it to you through the refund flow on the Platform and you confirm receipt. Refunds for defective or undelivered products are the Business’s responsibility under the Consumer Protection Act (Law No. 12/2020); AVITO will help you take it up with the Business.

5. For Businesses

Eligibility. You must be a business or sole proprietor lawfully operating in the Maldives and hold every registration, licence and permit your trade requires. You are responsible for your own taxes, including GST where it applies, and for giving Customers a receipt when the law requires one.

Verification. To become verified you submit the documents AVITO asks for, such as your business registration. AVITO may approve, ask for more, or decline. AVITO may re-check or withdraw verification at any time. Submitted documents are handled as described in the Privacy Policy.

Listings. Choose your services from AVITO’s catalogue, set your service areas, and describe what you offer accurately. Product listings must be truthful about price, condition, availability and delivery. You may only list what you are legally allowed to sell and able to supply.

Quotes. A quote is an offer you must honour if it is accepted within its validity period, at the price and on the terms you stated. Do not quote on work you cannot do.

Doing the work. You are solely responsible for the quality, timing, safety and legality of your work and products, for your staff and subcontractors, and for delivery. Complete jobs as quoted and mark them complete only when they are.

Getting paid. Customers pay by bank transfer to the payment account you register on the Platform, which must be in your business’s name or your own name as its owner, and which AVITO may review before it is used. Confirm payments you receive promptly and honestly. Refund cancelled or undelivered work through the Platform.

Contacting Customers. Use Customer details only to carry out the job or order they arranged with you. Do not add them to marketing lists or contact them for unrelated purposes.

Plans and quoting allowance. The Starter plan includes seven free quotes; when they are used, quoting needs a paid plan. Current plans are Professional (MVR 490 per month, 50 quotes) and Business (MVR 1,290 per month, unlimited quotes and SMS alerts for matching requests). Plan fees are paid by bank transfer and confirmed by AVITO; a plan change takes effect when confirmed. We may change plan prices and inclusions with at least 30 days’ notice in the app; the change applies from your next billing period.

Reviews of your business are the Customer’s opinion. You may reply through the Platform; you may not offer anything in exchange for a review or pressure a Customer to change one.

6. Promotions, including AVITO First 100

From time to time AVITO may run promotions. Each promotion is described on the Platform and is subject to these Terms and its own rules.

AVITO First 100 rewards MVR 250 to each of the first 100 Businesses that fully join AVITO while the promotion is live: register, complete verification, list at least one service, add at least one product, and be approved. A slot is taken only when every step is complete, in the order Businesses complete them, and the count is kept by AVITO’s systems. One reward per Business, paid by bank transfer to the Business’s registered payment account after AVITO confirms the Business is genuine and its listings are real. AVITO may withhold or recover a reward obtained through duplicate accounts, placeholder listings or other abuse, and may end or suspend the promotion at any time; Businesses that already qualified keep their reward.

7. Content and conduct

You keep ownership of what you post — descriptions, photos, messages, reviews. You give AVITO a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, display and share that content on the Platform and in AVITO’s own communications about the Platform, for as long as it is on the Platform.

You are responsible for what you post. It must be yours to post, accurate, and lawful.

Do not use AVITO to: offer or seek anything illegal in the Maldives; post misleading listings, fake requests, fake reviews or fake quotes; harass, threaten or discriminate; collect other users’ details or send them unsolicited messages; circumvent the Platform to avoid its records or fees; upload malicious code or attempt to access other accounts or AVITO’s systems; or impersonate any person or business.

Prohibited listings include weapons, illegal drugs, alcohol and pork products, tobacco to minors, counterfeit or stolen goods, endangered wildlife and their products, adult content, and anything else prohibited by Maldivian law.

8. Moderation, suspension and termination

Users can report requests, reviews and businesses. AVITO reviews reports and may edit, hide or remove content, warn, suspend or close accounts, and withdraw verification, at its discretion and without liability, where it reasonably believes these Terms or the law have been broken.

A suspended Business cannot quote; its active jobs and messages keep working so that Customers are not left stranded.

AVITO may end or change the Platform, or any part of it, with reasonable notice where practical. Completed transactions and the records of them are not affected.

9. Your rights as a consumer

Nothing in these Terms removes rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act (Law No. 12/2020) or any other law of the Maldives that cannot be excluded by agreement. Businesses must supply goods and services of acceptable quality that match their description, and must repair, replace or refund defective goods as the law requires.

If a Business does not resolve a problem, you may complain to the Consumer Ombudsman’s Office of the Maldives. AVITO will provide the records it holds about the transaction when lawfully asked.

10. What AVITO is responsible for — and what it is not

AVITO is responsible for running the Platform with reasonable care and skill and for the things these Terms say AVITO does.

The Platform is provided as it is. AVITO does not guarantee that it will be uninterrupted or error-free, that any request will receive quotes, or that any Business will win work.

AVITO is not responsible for the acts or omissions of Customers or Businesses, for the quality, safety, timing or legality of any service or product, for payments made outside the Platform, or for the accuracy of content posted by users.

To the extent the law allows, AVITO is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, business, goodwill or data. AVITO’s total liability to you for any matter arising from the Platform is limited to the fees you paid AVITO in the twelve months before the claim, or MVR 5,000, whichever is greater. This limit does not apply to liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or anything else that cannot be limited under Maldivian law.

11. Your responsibility to AVITO

You will compensate AVITO and its owner for losses, costs and claims that arise from your breach of these Terms, your content, or your work or products, including claims by other users and by authorities.

12. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. For material changes we will give at least 14 days’ notice in the app or by SMS to your registered number before they take effect. Continuing to use the Platform after that date means you accept the new Terms. The date at the top of this page is the date the current version took effect.

13. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Maldives. Disputes between you and AVITO that we cannot resolve together within 30 days may be brought before the courts of the Maldives.

Contact support@avito.mv first — most problems are solved there.

14. General

If any part of these Terms is found invalid, the rest continues to apply. AVITO’s failure to enforce a term is not a waiver. You may not transfer your account or these Terms to anyone else. AVITO may transfer its rights and obligations to a successor that continues to operate the Platform.

Contact: AVITO, Malé, Republic of Maldives · support@avito.mv.