Terms of service

1. Parties

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between:

• FIFO Solutions (Pty) Ltd (Registration No. 2026/071559/07), a private company registered in the Republic of South Africa, with its registered address at 25 Bethel Gardens, 22 Church St, Durbanville, Western Cape, 7550 ("FIFO", "we", "us", "our"); and
• the Subscriber ("you", "your", "the Firm"), being the law firm or conveyancing practice that subscribes to FIFO Law.

By subscribing to FIFO Law, the Firm confirms that it has read, understood and agrees to be bound by these Terms.

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2. The Service

2.1 What FIFO Law is

FIFO Law is a hosted web and mobile application that gives conveyancing firms property cost calculators in their own brand, with related tools ("the Service").

2.2 What the Service includes

1. a web app in the Firm's brand, at a subdomain of law.fifo.systems;
2. calculators for transfer costs, bond costs and related property figures, using the Firm's own fees and disbursements and the published rate tables;
3. cost estimates as PDFs in the Firm's brand;
4. a WhatsApp contact button;
5. rate table updates as set out in clause 7;
6. a firm dashboard where the Firm's people sign in to manage what their tier includes;
7. a short snippet to show the calculators on the Firm's own website, at no extra charge;
8. technical support as set out in clause 6;
9. depending on the tier: an Android app, and an app for iPhone and iPad, in the Firm's name;
10. on the Plus tier: a document library (clause 12), notifications to app users when the Firm adds a document, and online applications (clause 13).

2.3 Updates

FIFO improves the Service from time to time. It won't remove a function listed in clause 2.2 from the Firm's tier during a period the Firm has paid for.

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3. Subscription and payment

3.1 Subscription period

Subscriptions are billed annually from the date of activation. Each subscription period is 12 (twelve) months. A subscription renews automatically for further 12-month periods unless either party gives at least 30 (thirty) days' written notice before the renewal date.

3.2 Fees

The annual subscription fee depends on the tier:

3.3 Payment terms

Fees are payable in full within 14 (fourteen) days of invoice. FIFO may suspend the Service if payment is not received within 30 (thirty) days of invoice, and may end the subscription if payment is outstanding for 60 (sixty) days or more (clause 14.2).

3.4 Price lock

The subscription fee is fixed for the first 2 (two) years from the date of activation. No price increase applies during this period.

3.5 Annual escalation

From the third year onwards, the fee is adjusted each year on the anniversary of the start date by the annual percentage change in the All Items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Areas, as most recently published by Statistics South Africa (release P0141) at the date of adjustment, plus 3 (three) percentage points ("CPI + 3%").

3.6 VAT

All fees exclude VAT. FIFO is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is charged. If FIFO registers for VAT, it will add VAT at the prevailing rate from then on, and will tell the Firm in writing first.

3.7 Refunds

1. 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If the Firm is not satisfied with the Service for any reason, it may cancel within 30 (thirty) days of activation by written notice to riaan@fifo.systems. FIFO will refund the subscription fee in full within 14 (fourteen) business days of receiving the notice, and will then switch the Service off as set out in clause 14.4. This guarantee applies to the first subscription period only, not to renewals.
2. Material failure refund. If FIFO fails to provide the Service for 30 (thirty) or more consecutive days, excluding force majeure (clause 15.8), the Firm may end the subscription by written notice and receive a pro-rata refund for the unused part of the current period, from the date it ends to the end of that period. FIFO will pay it within 14 (fourteen) business days of the notice.
3. No other refunds. Except as set out in clauses 3.7(a), 3.7(b) and 17.7, fees are not refundable. No pro-rata refund is given for an unused part of a period, including when the Firm cancels early.

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4. Set-up and activation

4.1 Set-up

FIFO sets up the Firm's web app with its name, logo and colours, and then sends the Firm a link to complete its details, including:

1. contact details;
2. website address;
3. fees, disbursements and other preferences.

4.2 Address

The web app is hosted at an address in the format [firmname].law.fifo.systems.

4.3 Activation

FIFO activates the Service within 2 (two) business days of receiving payment. Full customisation depends on the Firm completing its details.

4.4 Before payment

FIFO may switch on the web app before payment, so that the Firm can see it and set it up. FIFO submits the Firm's apps to the App Store and Google Play only after payment has been received in full.

4.5 Subdomain

FIFO may refuse or change a subdomain that is misleading or offensive, or that infringes anyone's rights.

4.6 Mobile apps

Where the Firm's tier includes apps, FIFO publishes them in the Firm's name through FIFO's own Apple and Google developer accounts. Publication depends on Apple's and Google's review, which FIFO doesn't control. FIFO submits the apps promptly after activation, but can't promise a publication date. The app stores' own terms also apply to the apps.

Text and settings changes reach installed apps the next time they open with a connection. Some changes, such as a new logo or a new feature, need a new version of the app, which FIFO publishes and the stores review again.

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5. Service availability

5.1 Uptime target

FIFO uses commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Service available, with a target uptime of 99% per calendar month, measured at the hosting infrastructure level.

5.2 Exclusions

The uptime target excludes:

1. scheduled maintenance, for which FIFO gives at least 24 hours' notice where practicable;
2. downtime caused by factors outside FIFO's reasonable control, including outages at third-party services, force majeure and attacks on the Service;
3. downtime caused by the Firm's own actions or equipment.

5.3 No guarantee

FIFO does not guarantee that the Service will run without interruption or errors.

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6. Support

6.1 Channels and hours

FIFO provides technical support by email (riaan@fifo.systems) and WhatsApp (082 525 4011), Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 South African time, excluding South African public holidays.

6.2 Acknowledgement

FIFO acknowledges support requests within 1 (one) business day.

6.3 Critical issues

FIFO addresses critical issues (the Service entirely unavailable) on a best-efforts basis, with a target response time of 4 (four) business hours. The Service Level Agreement sets out the rest.

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7. Rate table updates

7.1 Updates within 5 business days

FIFO updates the default South African rate tables within 5 (five) business days after amended figures are published: transfer duty by SARS, Deeds Office fees in the Government Gazette, and the conveyancing fee guideline by the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA). Where new figures apply from a later date, FIFO schedules them to apply from that date.

7.2 The Firm's own fees

A Firm that uses its own fee table or fee brackets keeps them: FIFO doesn't change them. When the LSSA guideline changes, FIFO emails such a Firm to ask it to check its own figures.

7.3 Outside South Africa

For a Firm outside South Africa, FIFO and the Firm agree the rate sources in writing.

7.4 The Firm's settings

The Firm is responsible for checking its own fees, disbursements and other settings, and tells FIFO about anything that looks wrong.

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8. Estimates, not advice

8.1 The calculators give estimates

The calculators use published rate tables, the Firm's settings and standard formulas. Their results are estimates, not a substitute for checking.

8.2 Not advice

The Service is not legal, financial or tax advice. The Firm checks all figures before it gives them to clients or relies on them.

8.3 Reasonable care

FIFO takes reasonable care with the figures, but does not warrant that the results will be free of errors at all times.

8.4 The Firm acknowledges

1. that a transaction may involve costs that a standard calculator doesn't capture;
2. that rates may change between the date of a cost estimate and the date of registration;
3. that the Firm alone is responsible for the cost estimates it gives its clients.

8.5 Forms and wording

The questions and wording of the online application forms, and FIFO's default privacy notices for them, are a starting point. The Firm decides whether they suit its practice, and tells FIFO what to change.

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9. Limitation of liability

9.1 Limits

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law:

1. FIFO's total liability is limited to the subscription fees the Firm paid in the 12 (twelve) months immediately before the claim;
2. FIFO is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, including loss of profits, revenue, clients, data or reputation;
3. FIFO is not liable for loss arising from reliance on calculator results, including cost estimates that turn out too high or too low;
4. FIFO is not liable for loss arising from content the Firm uploads under clause 12, including claims of intellectual property infringement, defamation, breach of privacy, or a breach of any law or regulation;
5. FIFO is not liable for what the Firm does, or fails to do, with an online application, including an application it doesn't follow up, or one that doesn't reach it because a receiving address the Firm gave is wrong.

9.2 What is not limited

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under South African law, including liability for fraud or gross negligence.

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10. Intellectual property

10.1 FIFO's property

The Service, including all software, code, design and documentation, is the intellectual property of FIFO Solutions (Pty) Ltd. The Firm receives a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use it for the duration of the subscription.

10.2 The Firm's property

The Firm keeps all rights in its name, logo, branding, texts and documents. FIFO uses them only to provide the Service. As between FIFO and the Firm, the online applications the Firm receives belong to the Firm.

10.3 No resale

The Firm may not sublicense, resell or otherwise make the Service available to third parties.

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11. Data protection

11.1 The privacy notice

FIFO's privacy notice explains what personal information FIFO Law handles, where it is kept and for how long.

11.2 The Firm's information

FIFO is the responsible party for the Firm's own information: its details, settings, staff sign-in accounts and billing. FIFO uses it only to provide the Service.

11.3 Calculators

The figures people type into the calculators stay on their device or in their browser. They are not stored by FIFO, and not sent to FIFO or to the Firm. Cost estimate PDFs are made on the device.

11.4 Online applications

Online applications carry personal information, including ID numbers, financial answers, details of children and, where the client chooses, health and religious information. The Firm is the responsible party for it. FIFO processes it only as the Firm's operator, under the schedule in clause 17.

11.5 When the subscription ends

Clause 14.4 sets out what FIFO deletes, and when.

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12. Document library (Plus)

12.1 Applicability

This clause applies to Firms whose tier includes the document library, and to the documents and other files they upload and publish through it ("Uploaded Content").

12.2 Hosting only

FIFO provides the document library as a hosting service. FIFO does not review, approve, edit or endorse Uploaded Content. The Firm alone is responsible for choosing it, and for its content, correctness and legality.

12.3 Acceptable use

The Firm warrants that all Uploaded Content:

1. is owned by the Firm, or the Firm has all the rights, licences and consents needed to upload, publish and distribute it;
2. does not infringe anyone's intellectual property rights, including copyright, trade marks or trade secrets;
3. is not defamatory, fraudulent, misleading, obscene, threatening or otherwise unlawful under South African law;
4. relates directly to the Firm's practice and the services it offers its clients;
5. contains no malware or other harmful code;
6. meets all applicable law, including POPIA, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002, and the rules and Code of Conduct of the Legal Practice Council.

12.4 No personal information in the library

Library documents are public. The Firm must not upload documents that contain the personal information of identifiable people. In particular, the Firm must not upload:

1. completed FICA forms or clients' identity documents;
2. documents containing anyone's identity number, passport number or financial account details;
3. correspondence, affidavits or any other documents with a client's personal information.

Uploaded Content must be blank templates, general practice resources, guides and similar material that don't identify any person. If the Firm uploads personal information in breach of this clause, the Firm is the responsible party for it and alone bears the obligations POPIA places on it.

This rule is about the library. Online applications are different: they are built to carry personal information, and clause 13 and the schedule in clause 17 govern them.

12.5 Indemnity

The Firm indemnifies FIFO, its directors, employees, contractors and agents against all claims, demands, damages, losses, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal costs on the attorney-and-own-client scale) arising from:

1. any Uploaded Content, including claims that it is wrong, misleading, defamatory or unlawful;
2. any breach by the Firm of clause 12.3;
3. any claim that Uploaded Content infringes someone's intellectual property, privacy or other rights;
4. any breach of POPIA, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act or other law arising from Uploaded Content;
5. any investigation, complaint or enforcement action by the Information Regulator, the Legal Practice Council or another authority arising from Uploaded Content.

This indemnity continues after the subscription ends.

12.6 FIFO's rights

FIFO may:

1. remove or disable any Uploaded Content that FIFO reasonably believes breaks these Terms, the law or anyone's rights;
2. suspend the document library for the Firm while it investigates a possible breach;
3. end the subscription under clause 14.2 if the Firm repeatedly or materially breaches this clause 12;
4. give Uploaded Content to law enforcement, the Information Regulator or another competent authority where the law, a court order or a regulatory directive requires it.

FIFO will try to tell the Firm before, or promptly after, acting under this clause, unless the law prevents it or notice would compromise an investigation.

12.7 No liability for Uploaded Content

Without limiting clause 9, FIFO is not liable for:

1. the content, correctness, legality, reliability or completeness of Uploaded Content;
2. any loss suffered by the Firm, its clients or anyone else from Uploaded Content;
3. removing, disabling or changing Uploaded Content under clause 12.6;
4. loss or corruption of Uploaded Content, whatever the cause;
5. any penalty, fine or sanction imposed on the Firm in connection with Uploaded Content.

12.8 Storage limits

FIFO may set reasonable limits on the types, sizes and total volume of files. FIFO makes uploaded files smaller before publishing them.

12.9 Backup and retention

The Firm keeps its own copies of all Uploaded Content. FIFO does not guarantee to preserve Uploaded Content beyond the standard redundancy of its hosting. When the subscription ends, Uploaded Content is deleted as set out in clause 14.4.

12.10 Notifications

When the Firm adds a document, its apps can notify users who allow notifications. The Firm can choose not to notify for each upload. Delivery depends on Apple, Google and each user's phone, so FIFO can't promise that every notification arrives.

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13. Online applications

13.1 What they are

Online applications are forms in the Firm's apps and web app through which the Firm's clients can ask the Firm for a service. Today they cover an antenuptial contract, a will and bridging finance. An application is a request for the Firm to contact the client. It is not a contract and the client signs nothing in it: the Firm takes the instruction itself and collects whatever is still missing.

13.2 Availability

Online applications are part of the Plus tier. FIFO may also make them available on another tier by written agreement. FIFO switches each form on or off for the Firm.

13.3 Antenuptial contracts need a notary

An antenuptial contract is notarial work. FIFO switches on the antenuptial contract form only once the Firm has named the admitted notary it employs who will attend to these matters (clause 17.11(c)).

13.4 The Firm's price and wording

The Firm may set the price and introduction shown on a form. The Firm is responsible for them, and for how it advertises its services.

13.5 No referrals

An application goes only to the Firm whose app or web app it was sent from. FIFO does not find clients for the Firm, does not list or recommend firms, and does not pass an application to any other firm or person.

13.6 FIFO charges only the Firm

FIFO's charge for online applications is part of the Firm's subscription fee. There is no fee per application. FIFO takes no payment from the Firm's clients and no share of the Firm's fees. Any payment for the Firm's services is between the client and the Firm.

13.7 Delivery

FIFO emails each sent application to the receiving address the Firm sets, and shows it on the firm dashboard. The Firm keeps its receiving addresses current, and downloads what it needs from an application before FIFO deletes it (clause 17.10).

13.8 Personal information

Online applications carry personal information. The Firm is the responsible party, and FIFO processes it as the Firm's operator under the schedule in clause 17.

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14. Cancellation and termination

14.1 Cancellation by the Firm

The Firm may cancel by giving at least 30 (thirty) days' written notice before the renewal date to riaan@fifo.systems. The subscription stays active until the end of the current period. No refund is given for the rest of the period.

14.2 Termination by FIFO for cause

FIFO may end the subscription if:

1. the Firm breaches these Terms and FIFO gives written notice of the breach. If the Firm doesn't remedy it within 14 (fourteen) days of the notice, FIFO may end the subscription immediately by further written notice;
2. payment is outstanding for 60 (sixty) days or more;
3. the Firm uses the Service in a way that is unlawful, fraudulent or harmful to FIFO, the Firm's clients or other subscribers.

14.3 Termination by FIFO for convenience

FIFO may end the subscription at the end of the current period by giving at least 60 (sixty) days' written notice. The Firm is not charged for any period after that.

14.4 What happens when the subscription ends

When the subscription ends for any reason:

1. the Firm's web app is switched off and FIFO removes its apps from the App Store and Google Play;
2. the online application forms stop taking applications;
3. within 30 (thirty) days, FIFO deletes the Firm's configuration, its Uploaded Content, its dashboard team and sign-in records, and any applications it still holds (most will already have been deleted after 90 days). The Firm should download what it needs before the subscription ends;
4. FIFO keeps its own invoices and payment records for as long as the law requires;
5. there is no calculator data to delete, because none is stored (clause 11.3).

14.5 If FIFO stops trading

If FIFO stops trading, or can no longer provide the Service:

1. FIFO will give the Firm as much written notice as it can, and at least 60 (sixty) days where possible;
2. FIFO will give the Firm a copy of its content and settings, and of any applications FIFO still holds for it, in a usable format;
3. at the Firm's choice, FIFO will either remove the Firm's apps from the App Store and Google Play, or help transfer them to the Firm's own Apple and Google developer accounts where the stores allow it. A transferred app keeps working as it is for its calculators and cost estimates, but receives no further updates, rate changes or online applications from FIFO. FIFO grants the Firm a licence to keep offering that last version of its apps for as long as it wishes, without support;
4. FIFO will then delete the Firm's information as set out in clause 14.4;

14.6 Survival

Clauses 8 (Estimates, not advice), 9 (Limitation of liability), 10 (Intellectual property), 11 (Data protection), 12 (Document library, including the indemnity in clause 12.5), 14.4, 14.5, 15 (General) and 17 (until FIFO has deleted the application information) survive the end of the subscription.

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15. General

15.1 Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

15.2 Disputes

The parties first try to resolve any dispute about these Terms by discussing it in good faith within 14 (fourteen) business days of written notice of the dispute. If that fails, either party may refer the dispute to mediation by a mediator both agree on. If mediation does not resolve it within 30 (thirty) days of referral, either party may go to court.

15.3 Jurisdiction

Disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Western Cape.

15.4 Entire agreement

These Terms, together with the privacy notice and the Service Level Agreement, are the entire agreement. No amendment to these Terms is effective unless it is in writing and signed by both parties. FIFO may update the privacy notice and the Service Level Agreement under the procedures set out in them, provided that the Firm gets at least 30 (thirty) days' written notice of material changes.

15.5 Severability

If a provision is invalid, the rest of these Terms still applies.

15.6 Assignment

The Firm may not assign these Terms without FIFO's written consent.

15.7 Notices

All notices must be in writing and sent to the email addresses the parties use for subscription correspondence.

15.8 Force majeure

Neither party is liable for failures caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

15.9 Earlier versions

A subscription agreed under an earlier version stays on that version until the Firm agrees to this one in writing. The earlier versions are kept here:

• Terms of Service of 19 August 2026

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16. Contact

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17. Schedule: POPIA operator terms

This schedule applies to the personal information in online applications that FIFO processes for the Firm ("Application Information"). In it, "POPIA" means the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013.

17.1 Roles

The Firm is the responsible party for Application Information. FIFO is the Firm's operator. FIFO processes Application Information to receive applications for the Firm, deliver them to it, show them on the firm dashboard, and delete them on the timetable in clause 17.10.

17.2 Instructions

FIFO processes Application Information only with the Firm's knowledge and authorisation (POPIA section 20(a)), on the Firm's documented instructions. These Terms, the Firm's settings in the Service and the Firm's written requests are those instructions. FIFO will tell the Firm if it believes an instruction breaks the law. FIFO does not use Application Information for its own purposes, does not sell it, and does not market to the Firm's clients.

17.3 Confidentiality

FIFO treats Application Information as confidential and does not disclose it unless the law requires it or it is needed to perform these Terms (POPIA section 20(b)). Everyone at FIFO with access is bound by confidentiality. FIFO looks at an application only to support the Firm when it asks, to keep the Service secure, or when the law requires it.

17.4 Security measures

FIFO maintains appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect Application Information (POPIA sections 19 and 21(1)), including:

1. database rules that let no one read applications, or the links to them, directly: only FIFO's server code can, after checking the link;
2. application links that are long random codes, and download links for uploaded documents that work for one hour;
3. firm dashboard sign-in in which each person uses a link sent to their own email address and their own PIN, with PINs, sign-in links and sessions stored only as hashes, sessions that end after 12 hours, and sign-in locked after repeated wrong PINs;
4. roles set by the Firm's partners, so that staff see applications only if a partner allows it;
5. limits on how often public forms can be used, and a check against automated abuse on web forms;
6. encryption in transit (HTTPS) and at rest;
7. a record of which of the Firm's people opened each application;
8. deletion on the timetable in clause 17.10.

17.5 Security compromises

FIFO will notify the Firm immediately where there are reasonable grounds to believe that Application Information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person (POPIA section 21(2)). FIFO will tell the Firm what it knows, take reasonable steps to contain the compromise, and help the Firm make the notifications that POPIA section 22 requires of it.

17.6 Sub-operators

The Firm authorises FIFO to use these service providers for Application Information, each bound by written terms that protect it at least as well as this schedule:

1. Google (Google Cloud and Firebase): storage and processing, in Johannesburg except as set out in clause 17.8;
2. Brevo: sending emails, including applications to the Firm and copies to applicants, in the European Union;
3. Cloudflare: checking that a web form is used by a person (Turnstile). It sees technical browser signals and the IP address, not the answers.

The privacy notice lists FIFO's other providers, which don't receive Application Information.

17.7 Changes to sub-operators

FIFO will give the Firm at least 30 (thirty) days' written notice before adding or replacing a service provider that processes Application Information. If the Firm objects on reasonable grounds and the parties can't resolve the objection, the Firm may end the subscription by written notice before the change takes effect, and FIFO will refund the unused part of the current subscription period.

17.8 Cross-border transfers

Application Information is stored in Johannesburg (Google Cloud africa-south1). The Firm authorises FIFO to process it outside South Africa as described in section 9 of the privacy notice: emails through Brevo in the European Union; requests from apps built before 1 October 2026 through FIFO's server code in Google's US region; and the nightly deletion job, which runs in Google's US region. FIFO relies on POPIA section 72(1)(a), because each provider is bound by written terms giving protection substantially similar to POPIA's, and on section 72(1)(c), because the transfer is needed to do what the applicant asked the Firm to do.

17.9 Help with requests

FIFO will help the Firm, at no extra charge, to respond to applicants' requests for access, correction, deletion and objection, and to requests from the Information Regulator. If an applicant asks FIFO directly, FIFO will tell the Firm promptly and act on the Firm's instructions, for example to delete an application sooner.

17.10 Retention and deletion

The Firm instructs FIFO to delete:

1. a sent application, with its uploads and summary, 90 (ninety) days after it was sent;
2. an application that is never sent, 7 (seven) days after its link stops working;
3. all Application Information it still holds, within 30 (thirty) days after the subscription ends.

Deletion runs automatically every night. Emails already delivered to the Firm and to applicants are outside FIFO's control. Brevo keeps its own sending records for a limited time.

17.11 The Firm's duties

The Firm:

1. makes sure the privacy notice shown on each form, which names the Firm as responsible party, is correct for its practice, and tells FIFO what to change;
2. has a lawful basis for collecting and using the information the forms ask for;
3. before offering antenuptial contract applications, employs an admitted notary, as rule 9.11.2 of the Legal Practice Council's Code of Conduct requires, and gives FIFO that notary's name;
4. downloads what it needs from each application before it is deleted, and keeps its own records as the law requires, including the identity records it must keep for at least five years under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act;
5. states its fees to its clients in a way that doesn't mislead, including what the price shown on a form does and doesn't cover, such as Deeds Office fees and disbursements;
6. keeps its receiving addresses current, and makes sure each of its people uses their own sign-in and keeps their PIN to themselves;
7. responds to its clients' requests about their information and to the Information Regulator, and tells FIFO promptly about any compromise it learns of;
8. decides what to do with each application. FIFO gives no legal advice to the Firm or its clients.

17.12 Information for audit

On reasonable written request, and normally no more than once a year (or after a security compromise), FIFO will give the Firm the information it needs to show that FIFO keeps to this schedule: a description of the security measures, the current list of service providers, and the documents those providers publish about their own safeguards.

17.13 Order of precedence

If this schedule conflicts with any other part of these Terms on the processing of Application Information, this schedule applies.

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