Acceptable Use Policy

Why this exists

James Square is a small community, and this website is one of the few places where all of it meets. This policy sets out plainly what is expected, so that moderation decisions are predictable rather than arbitrary. It applies to the message board, votes, feedback, bookings and any email sent through the site.

What we expect

• Treat other residents with courtesy, including when you disagree strongly with them.
• Criticise decisions, proposals and work — not people’s character.
• Post accurately. If you are passing on something you heard, say so.
• Keep discussion relevant to the building and the community.
• Respect the privacy of your neighbours, including their flat numbers, contact details and personal circumstances.

What is not allowed

Do not use the site to:

• Harass, bully, threaten or intimidate anyone, or encourage others to do so.
• Post content that is abusive, discriminatory, defamatory, obscene or unlawful.
• Publish another person’s personal information — their contact details, flat number, tenancy or ownership status, financial position, health or family circumstances — without their agreement.
• Post photographs or recordings of identifiable people, or of the inside of anyone’s home, without their agreement.
• Impersonate another resident, the committee, the factor or any official body.
• Advertise, sell or promote a business, or send unsolicited marketing to residents.
• Make repeated or vexatious complaints about the same matter after it has been answered.
• Discuss ongoing legal proceedings or insurance claims in a way that could prejudice them.

Bookings

• Book only slots you intend to use, and cancel promptly if your plans change.
• Do not book on someone else’s behalf using your account in order to get around fair-use limits.
• Do not make repeated bookings across accounts, or hold the same peak slot every day, to the exclusion of others.
• Follow the pool, gym and sauna safety rules, including supervision requirements for children.

Voting

• One vote per household, cast by an eligible owner.
• Do not attempt to vote more than once, or to vote on behalf of another owner without authority.
• Do not pressure or mislead other owners about how to vote.

Security and technical use

Do not:

• Attempt to access another resident’s account, or any area you have not been given access to.
• Share the Owners or Committee access codes outside those groups.
• Probe, scan or test the site’s security without written permission, or attempt to bypass its controls.
• Extract data from the site in bulk, whether by automated scraping or by hand.
• Upload or link to malicious files, or attempt to interfere with the site’s availability.

Genuine security research is welcome if you tell us first. Report anything you find to privacy@james-square.com and give us a fair chance to fix it. We will not pursue anyone who reports a real problem in good faith and does not exploit it.

Reporting something

Every post, comment and reply has a “Report” option. Use it if you see something that breaches this policy. Reports go only to site administrators, and the person you report is not told who reported them.

If a matter is urgent or concerns your safety, contact the emergency services first, then let the committee know.

How we respond

Depending on what has happened, we may:

• Leave the content up and take no action, if it does not actually breach this policy.
• Ask the author to edit or remove it themselves.
• Remove or hide the content, and tell the author why.
• Temporarily restrict an account’s ability to post or book.
• Suspend or close an account, in serious or repeated cases.
• Report the matter to the factor, the police or another authority where there is a risk to safety or a possible crime.

Moderation actions are recorded in an internal audit log. If you think a decision about your content or account was wrong, email privacy@james-square.com and ask for it to be reviewed by the committee.

Related documents

This policy sits alongside the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Data Retention Policy.