Terms & Conditions

In short: Lost Items Community is a free board where neighbours help each other get lost things back. Post honestly, check before you hand anything over, meet somewhere public and never pay to get an item back. We provide the board, and you're responsible for what you post and for the meetups you arrange.

Using Lost Items Community

These terms apply to this website, the app at app.lostitemscommunity.com, and the iPhone and Android apps once they're released. By creating an account or using the app, you agree to them. If you don't agree, please don't use the service.

You need to be at least 13 to use Lost Items Community. If you're under 18, check with a parent or guardian first, and bring an adult to any meetup.

Your account

• Use your real email address and keep your password to yourself.
• One person, one account. Don't sign up as someone else.
• You're responsible for what happens on your account. If you think someone else has got into it, tell us through Help and support.

What you can post

Posts are for real items that you've lost or found. When you post:

• Describe the item honestly, and pin roughly where you lost or found it.
• Keep back one or two details only the owner would know, so you can check a claim in chat.
• Don't share other people's personal details, such as the name, address or card numbers from a wallet you found.
• Delete your post once it's sorted, so people stop looking.

Don't post:

• False claims, or attempts to claim something that isn't yours.
• Requests for money, rewards or gift cards in exchange for returning an item.
• Adverts, spam or anything for sale.
• Anything illegal, threatening, hateful or sexual, or anything that harasses another person.
• Weapons, drugs or other items it would be illegal to hand over. Take those to the police instead.

The same rules apply to messages, forum threads and replies.

Meetups and handovers

Lost Items Community puts people in touch, but we aren't there when you meet and we can't check who people are. Before any handover, the app asks you to accept the safe meetup rules:

• Check before you hand over. Ask the claimant to describe something only the owner would know.
• Meet in a busy public place, in daylight if you can, and bring someone with you. Never invite a stranger to your home.
• Never send money upfront. Nobody should ask you to pay to get your item back.
• Flag anything suspicious so a moderator can review it.

You decide whether to meet someone and whether to hand an item over, and you do so at your own risk. If you're not comfortable, you can always hand a found item in to the police or a local lost property office instead.

Found items and the law

In some places, the law says what a finder has to do with valuable items, cash or official documents like passports. Posting on Lost Items Community doesn't replace that. If you're not sure, check with your local police.

Moderation

Anyone can flag a post or forum thread. A moderator reviews each flag and decides whether to keep the content or remove it. Flagged posts are hidden from the registry while they're reviewed.

We can remove content or suspend an account that breaks these terms or the safe meetup rules, or that puts other people at risk. When we remove one of your posts, we'll tell you in the app. If you think we got it wrong, contact us through Help and support.

Your content

What you post stays yours. By posting it, you let us store it and show it in the app and on our services so other people can find it, for as long as it's up. You can delete your own posts at any time. Only post photos and text you have the right to share.

It's free

Posting, searching and messaging are free. The app has room for clearly labelled sponsored placements, which may appear in future. If we ever introduce something you'd have to pay for, we'll say so clearly before you're charged anything.

No guarantees

We do our best to keep the app working and the community safe, but we can't promise that you'll get your item back, that every post is accurate, or that the app will always be available or free of mistakes. The service is provided as it is.

As far as the law allows, we aren't responsible for losses that come from items going missing, from meetups or handovers between members, or from what other people post. Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have by law that can't be taken away.

Leaving

You can stop using Lost Items Community at any time. To have your account deleted, ask through Help and support in the app. Our Privacy Policy explains what happens to your information.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as the app changes. When we do, we'll update this page and the date at the top, and tell you in the app if the change is significant. If you keep using the app after that, the new terms apply.

Contact

Questions about these terms? Open Help and support in the app at app.lostitemscommunity.com and a person on our team will reply.