Version 2026-07-21 · Effective July 21, 2026
Middleman is a marketplace that connects you with independent home-service professionals (“Contractors”) for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and similar work. Middleman is not a contractor and does not perform, supervise, or guarantee the work itself. Contractors on the platform are independent businesses — not employees or agents of Middleman.
Every contractor applies to join Middleman and is reviewed before they can take jobs. We verify submitted credentials (trade licenses, business registrations, insurance, certifications) and, where authorized, obtain background checks through third-party providers. Badges like “Verified” and “Background checked” reflect these reviews at the time they were performed. Vetting reduces risk but is not a guarantee of quality or safety, and you should always use your own judgment.
Posting a job requires a flat $50 diagnostic fee, paid through the app. This pays for the contractor’s trip and on-site assessment — it is not a deposit and is not deducted from the quoted job price. If you decline the quote, the $50 converts to a diagnostic credit good for one second opinion: you may re-open the job once, and a different Middleman contractor can assess it at no additional diagnostic fee. The second contractor is shown that the job is a second opinion, your stated decline reason, and the first contractor’s written diagnosis (never the first contractor’s prices). The fee remains with the first contractor for the completed diagnosis; if you dispute the original diagnosis and Middleman determines the second assessment showed it was wrong, the fee is reallocated to the replacing contractor instead. No additional refund is owed in either case — the fee bought a diagnosis, and a correct one was ultimately delivered. After a second opinion, declining again ends the matching for that job: you may accept the standing quote or cancel. The fee is non-refundable once a contractor has arrived and performed the assessment, except as provided in Section 6.
After the diagnostic, your contractor sends a firm quote through the app: labor + parts + a 5% escrow/safety fee. Nothing proceeds without your acceptance. When you accept, the full amount is charged and held in escrow by our third-party payment processor (currently Stripe); Middleman directs when those funds are released — the contractor is not paid until the release conditions in Section 5 are met. All payments must go through the platform; paying a contractor directly outside the app removes every protection described here.
When the contractor marks the job complete, you review the work and approve it in the app. Escrowed funds are then held for a further 5 business days — an extended review window — before they are released to the contractor. You may open a dispute at any time during that window. If you neither approve nor dispute, funds may be released automatically after a reasonable review window.
If something is wrong, open a dispute in the app — before approving completion, or during the 5-business-day review window after approval while your payment is still in escrow. Escrowed funds stay frozen while Middleman reviews evidence from both sides. Middleman may release funds to the contractor, refund you in full or in part, and that decision is final as between platform participants. You keep any independent legal rights you may have against the contractor. Once funds have been released to the contractor, the workmanship warranty in Section 7 applies instead.
Approved work is covered by a 30-day workmanship warranty, measured from the day you approve the job in the app. If the work fails or stops working within that window, file a warranty claim in the app with a description and photos. Your contractor gets the first chance to make it right: they have 7 days to offer a return visit at no charge to you. If they decline, do not respond within 7 days, miss the offered visit, or the repair does not hold, you may escalate the claim to Middleman. Middleman will review the claim, the contractor’s repair record, and the original completion proof, and may arrange a further repair, refund the job payment in full or in part (funded by the contractor), or deny the claim — that decision is final as between platform participants. The warranty covers the workmanship of the original job only; it does not cover unrelated problems, damage caused by you or third parties after completion, misuse, or ordinary wear. A claim filed within the 30-day window remains valid even if its review extends past the window.
Provide accurate information about the job and the property, ensure safe access for the contractor, and communicate through the app so there is a record. You must be the property owner or authorized to order the work.
The contractor — not Middleman — is responsible for the quality, safety, and legality of the work performed, including any damage or injury arising from it. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Middleman’s total liability for any claim related to a job is limited to the amounts you paid through the platform for that job.
Middleman may update these Terms. We will notify you in the app, and continuing to use Middleman after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
Middleman · Questions? Contact us at elijahmiller0127@gmail.com or through the app.
Middleman operates a marketplace that connects independent home-service professionals (“Contractors”) with customers who need work done. By creating a contractor account, submitting an application, or accepting jobs through the platform, you agree to these Terms.
You are an independent contractor. You are NOT an employee, agent, partner, or joint venturer of Middleman, and nothing in these Terms creates an employment relationship. You control how you perform your work, supply your own tools, vehicle, and materials, set your own availability, and are free to work for other platforms or clients. You are solely responsible for your own income taxes, self-employment taxes, business licenses, permits, and insurance. Middleman does not withhold taxes or provide employee benefits of any kind.
While you work for yourself, jobs sourced through Middleman must meet Middleman platform standards: (a) arrive within the time window you accept; (b) communicate with customers through the app; (c) perform work to applicable code and professional trade standards; (d) hold — and keep current — every license, registration, and insurance policy required for your trade in your service area; (e) treat customers and their property with respect; and (f) never solicit or accept payment for a Middleman-sourced job outside the platform. Middleman may suspend or remove contractors who fall below these standards.
Access to the jobs feed requires an approved application. You must submit accurate information about your experience, business entity (e.g., LLC), trade licenses, insurance, and certifications, and keep it current. You authorize Middleman to verify your credentials and, where permitted by law, to obtain a background check through a third-party consumer reporting agency. Misrepresenting credentials is grounds for immediate removal.
Diagnostic visits: the customer pays a flat $50 diagnostic fee through the platform. The fee is held by the platform’s third-party payment processor and paid to you with your job payout, provided your diagnosis stands. It is NOT deducted from the quote. Second opinions: if the customer declines your quote, they may re-open the job once as a clearly badged second-opinion job. The replacing contractor is shown the decline reason and your written diagnosis (never your prices) and receives NO diagnostic fee on that job — this is disclosed on the job card before they accept, and their earnings are the job itself. Your $50 remains yours for the completed diagnosis and is paid out when the re-opened job concludes, unless the customer disputes the original diagnosis and Middleman determines the second assessment showed it was materially wrong — in that case you forfeit the diagnostic fee and it is paid to the replacing contractor, including by clawback from future payouts if it was already paid to you. Quoted jobs: you set your own labor and parts pricing in the quote you send through the app. When a customer accepts a quote, the full amount (labor + parts + the customer’s 5% escrow/safety fee) is held in escrow by the platform’s third-party payment processor (currently Stripe); Middleman directs when it is released. Your payout is labor + parts minus a 7% platform referral fee, released to your connected payout account 5 business days after the customer approves the completed work — the customer’s extended review window. Fee rates in effect at the time a quote is sent apply to that job. If a customer opens a dispute before funds release, escrowed funds are frozen until Middleman resolves the dispute per Section 7. Payouts are subject to warranty clawbacks per Section 8.
You are solely responsible for the quality, safety, and legality of the work you perform, including any warranties you offer, damage you cause, and injuries arising from your work. You agree to indemnify and hold Middleman harmless from claims arising out of your work, your negligence, or your violation of law or these Terms. Middleman is not a general contractor and does not supervise, direct, or control your work.
Customers may dispute a job any time before escrow is released — including during the 5-business-day window after they approve the work. Disputed funds stay in escrow while Middleman reviews evidence from both sides (photos, messages, the quote, and the job timeline). Middleman may release funds to you, refund the customer, or split the amount, and that decision is final as between platform participants. You retain any independent legal rights you may have against the customer.
Work you complete through Middleman carries a 30-day workmanship warranty, measured from the customer’s approval of the job. If the customer files a warranty claim in that window, you get first right to repair: you have 7 days to offer a return visit at no charge to the customer, and you record the completed repair in the app with a summary and photos. Claims you decline, ignore past the 7-day window, no-show, or fail to fix may be escalated to Middleman for review. If Middleman determines the work failed and refunds the customer in full or in part, the refund is at your expense: Middleman may reverse the related payout transfer (your connected payout account balance may go negative), and any amount that cannot be recovered by reversal is deducted from your future payouts until repaid. Your current warranty balance and each deduction are shown in the app. Middleman may instead, at its sole discretion, fund a refund itself as a goodwill gesture, in which case nothing is charged to you. Warranty decisions are final as between platform participants; repeated warranty failures affect your standing on the platform. The warranty covers the workmanship of the original job only — not unrelated problems, damage caused by the customer or third parties after completion, misuse, or ordinary wear.
Either party may end this relationship at any time. Middleman may suspend or terminate your account for standards violations, credential lapses, fraud, off-platform circumvention, or conduct that endangers customers. Completed, undisputed work is always paid out, even if the account is terminated afterward — subject to any outstanding warranty balance under Section 8.
Middleman may update these Terms. We will notify you in the app, and continuing to accept jobs after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. Material changes to the fee structure will be announced at least 14 days in advance.
Middleman · Questions? Contact us at elijahmiller0127@gmail.com or through the app.