Terms of Service

Effective date: October 23, 2026
Last updated: October 23, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and Michael Uhr, an individual doing business as LateKey ("LateKey," "we," "us" or "our") and govern your use of the LateKey website, the LateKey iOS app and our related services (the "Services"). They apply to travelers who book stays ("Travelers") and to lodging operators who list stays ("Hosts").

Please read Section 17 carefully. It requires most disputes to be resolved by individual binding arbitration and waives your right to a jury trial and to bring or join a class action. You can opt out within 30 days as explained there.

By creating an account, joining the waitlist, listing a property or booking a stay, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy.

1. What LateKey is (and isn't)

LateKey is an online marketplace that lets identity-verified business travelers book professionally managed apartments, aparthotels and other lodging for tonight or any night up to 7 days out. We launch in New York City, with Miami, Chicago, Boston, Washington, DC and Austin planned.

LateKey is not a Host, hotel operator, landlord, real estate broker, travel agent or insurer. We don't own, operate, manage or control any listing. Each Host is solely responsible for its property, its listing and the stay. A booking creates a contract directly between the Traveler and the Host; LateKey is not a party to it. We facilitate payments as a limited payment collection agent for Hosts (see Section 5).

2. Eligibility and accounts

• You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract.
• The Services are for business travel. Travelers must provide a name, company, work email and phone number that are accurate and their own.
• Verification is required. Before a first booking, each Traveler must complete government-ID and live-selfie verification through our identity verification partner and then be manually approved by our team. Approval is at our discretion, and we may decline or revoke approval at any time, including if the information you gave doesn't match your ID. We may ask you to re-verify.
• Hosts must be professional operators (for example, aparthotels, serviced-apartment operators or legally registered hosts) and must sign a direct host agreement with us (the "Host Agreement"). If the Host Agreement conflicts with these Terms, the Host Agreement controls for that Host.
• One account per person. Keep your login secure. You are responsible for all activity on your account, and you may not transfer it or let anyone else book or stay under your name unless we allow it.

3. Fees

Launch waiver: During our launch period, we are waiving the Host fee, so Hosts pay no Host fee and no listing fee. We will notify Hosts in advance before any Host fee starts to apply, and it will apply only to bookings made after that date.

All fees are shown before you confirm a booking. Prices are in US dollars. [Occupancy and other taxes: describe who calculates, collects and remits them in each city.] We may change our fees with notice; changes don't affect bookings already confirmed.

4. Bookings and the non-refundable policy

• Bookings can be made for check-in tonight through 7 days out, subject to availability. A booking is confirmed when you receive a confirmation in the app.
• All bookings are non-refundable. Once a booking is confirmed, you will not receive a refund of the nightly rate, the service fee or any other amount if you cancel, change your plans, arrive late, check out early or don't show up, except as required by law or as stated in Section 6 (Host cancellations) or Section 7 (problems with a stay). Please check your dates and the listing details before you book.
• Changes to a confirmed booking are at the Host's discretion and are not guaranteed.

5. Payments

• Payments are processed by Stripe, and Host payouts are made through Stripe Connect. By using the Services you also agree to Stripe's applicable terms, including the Stripe Connected Account Agreement for Hosts. We don't store full card numbers.
• When a Traveler pays LateKey, the payment is treated as received by the Host. Hosts appoint LateKey as their limited payment collection agent for this purpose.
• Host payouts are sent [timing, e.g., X days after check-in] to the Host's Stripe Connect account, minus the host fee and any amounts owed to us. Hosts must complete Stripe's onboarding and verification to get paid.
• You authorize us and Stripe to charge your payment method for bookings, fees, the damage deposit hold and any amounts owed under Section 8.

6. Host cancellations

Hosts must honor every confirmed booking. If a Host cancels, or a stay can't go ahead because the unit is unavailable, unsafe or materially different from the listing:

• the Traveler receives a full refund of the amounts paid for the affected nights, including the service fee;
• we may, at our discretion, help the Traveler rebook a comparable stay, and may charge the Host for reasonable rebooking costs [as set out in the Host Agreement];
• the Host may be penalized, including cancellation fees [amount, per the Host Agreement], a blocked calendar for the cancelled dates, lower placement in search, and suspension or removal from LateKey for repeated cancellations.

7. Problems during a stay

If something is wrong with your stay (for example, you can't get in, or a listed amenity is missing), contact the Host and micuhr@gmail.com right away, and no later than [24 hours] after you discover the issue, with photos where possible. We'll review the issue and may, at our discretion, help find a solution, which may include rebooking or a partial or full refund. These remedies don't limit any rights you have under the law.

8. Damage deposit

• For each booking, we place a damage deposit hold of [amount or how it is set, e.g., per listing] on the Traveler's payment card through Stripe. It is an authorization hold, not a charge.
• If no claim is submitted, the hold is automatically released 24 hours after checkout. Your card issuer may take additional time to show the release.
• A Host who finds damage beyond normal wear and tear, missing items, or excess cleaning caused by a violation of house rules must submit a claim with evidence (such as photos, invoices or estimates) within 24 hours after checkout. We'll notify the Traveler, give the Traveler a chance to respond, and decide the claim in good faith. If we approve the claim, we may capture up to the amount of the hold.
• Travelers are responsible for damage they or their guests cause, even if it exceeds the hold. We may charge the payment method on file for approved amounts over the hold, after notice.

9. House rules and Traveler responsibilities

Travelers must:

• follow the listing's house rules, building rules, and check-in and checkout times;
• use the unit only for lodging during the booked stay, with no more guests than allowed;
• not host parties or events, smoke where prohibited, or bring pets unless the listing allows them;
• treat the unit, building, neighbors and staff with respect, and leave the unit in reasonable condition;
• report damage or problems promptly.

10. Host responsibilities and legal compliance (including NYC Local Law 18)

Hosts are solely responsible for complying with all laws, regulations, building rules, leases, HOA or co-op rules and contracts that apply to their listings, including licensing, registration, zoning, fire and safety codes, accessibility, anti-discrimination laws and taxes. In particular:

• New York City: under NYC Local Law 18, stays of fewer than 30 nights in most private homes require the host to be registered with the City and meet its conditions. LateKey only lists inventory that can legally take the stay being booked: hotel-licensed properties (including aparthotels), short-term rentals legally registered with the City, or stays of 30 or more nights where the law requires it. Hosts must give us accurate registration, licensing or exemption information, keep it current, tell us right away if their status changes, and only make units bookable for stays they can legally offer.
• Hosts must comply with similar rules in every other city where they list.
• Hosts must give accurate listing information (photos, amenities, location and availability), keep calendars current, provide the unit as described, clean and safe, and honor confirmed bookings.
• Hosts must provide the amenities we require for listings ([WiFi, a dedicated workspace, self check-in, a kitchen, a washer and air conditioning], as set out in the Host Agreement).
• Hosts must maintain appropriate insurance for their property and operations [as set out in the Host Agreement].
• Hosts must not discriminate against Travelers on any basis prohibited by law.
• We may review, request documents for, decline, suspend or remove any listing at any time, including to comply with law or a government request, and we may share information with authorities as the law requires. Our review does not make us responsible for a Host's compliance.

11. Prohibited conduct

You may not:

• give false information, impersonate anyone, use someone else's ID, or try to get around verification;
• book on behalf of someone who hasn't been verified, or let unverified people stay in place of the verified Traveler [unless allowed by the listing];
• use a unit for any illegal purpose, commercial filming or events without the Host's written permission, or sublet or resell a stay;
• arrange or pay for a stay found on LateKey outside the Services to avoid fees;
• harass, threaten or discriminate against anyone;
• scrape, copy, reverse-engineer, overload or interfere with the Services, or access them by automated means without our permission;
• post or send content that is unlawful, misleading, infringing or abusive;
• use the Services in violation of any law or these Terms.

12. Content and intellectual property

The Services, including the LateKey name, logo, software and content, belong to LateKey or its licensors. We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Services for their intended purpose. Hosts keep ownership of their listing content and grant us a worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, display and adapt it to operate and promote the Services. Hosts represent they have the rights to the content they provide.

13. Third-party services

The Services use third-party providers, including our identity verification partner, Stripe, Google Maps and others listed in our Privacy Policy. Their services are subject to their own terms, and we are not responsible for them.

14. Disclaimers

The Services are provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. Identity verification reduces risk but does not guarantee the identity, conduct or intentions of any user. We don't guarantee the condition, safety, legality or quality of any listing, or that the Services will be uninterrupted or error-free.

15. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, LateKey and its affiliates, officers, employees and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue, data or goodwill, or for personal injury or property damage arising from a stay or from interactions with other users, even if advised of the possibility. Our total liability for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services is limited to the greater of (a) the fees you paid to LateKey (or, for Hosts, the host fees we received from you) in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim, and (b) $100. Some jurisdictions don't allow certain limitations, so some of these may not apply to you.

16. Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless LateKey and its affiliates, officers, employees and agents from any claims, losses, damages, fines, penalties and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your breach of these Terms or the law, your use of the Services, your stay or listing, or, for Hosts, your failure to comply with Section 10.

17. Dispute resolution: arbitration and class action waiver

• Informal resolution first. Before filing a claim, you agree to email micuhr@gmail.com with a description of the dispute and give us 30 days to try to resolve it.
• Binding arbitration. Except as stated below, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services will be resolved by final and binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules (for Travelers) or Commercial Arbitration Rules (for Hosts). The arbitration will take place in New York County, New York, or by video or written submissions, unless we agree otherwise. The Federal Arbitration Act governs this section. [Fee allocation: confirm with counsel.]
• Exceptions. Either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court, and either party may seek injunctive relief in court for misuse of intellectual property.
• Class action and jury trial waiver. You and LateKey each agree to bring claims only in an individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective or representative proceeding. You and LateKey waive the right to a jury trial. If this class waiver is found unenforceable for a claim, that claim will proceed in court, not arbitration.
• Opt-out. You can opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing micuhr@gmail.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, with your name, account email and a clear statement that you are opting out.

18. Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, except that the Federal Arbitration Act governs Section 17. Any claim not subject to arbitration will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in New York County, New York, and you and LateKey consent to their jurisdiction.

19. Suspension and termination

You may close your account at any time in the app or by emailing micuhr@gmail.com. We may suspend or terminate your account, cancel bookings, or remove listings at any time if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or the law, created risk for other users or LateKey, or failed or refused verification. If we cancel a Traveler's confirmed booking for reasons that aren't the Traveler's fault, the Traveler will receive a refund. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including fees owed, the damage deposit, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity, and dispute resolution) survive.

20. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We'll post the new version with a new "Last updated" date and, for material changes, notify you by email or in the app before they take effect. Continuing to use the Services after the changes take effect means you accept them. Changes don't apply to disputes that arose before they took effect, and we won't change Section 17 in a way that affects a pending dispute without your agreement.

21. General

These Terms, the Privacy Policy and (for Hosts) the Host Agreement are the entire agreement between you and LateKey about the Services. If any provision is unenforceable, the rest stays in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision isn't a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets. Notices to you may be sent by email or in the app.

22. Contact

Michael Uhr, an individual doing business as LateKey
[Mailing address]
Support and privacy: micuhr@gmail.com