Terms of Service

Last updated: April 2026

These terms govern your use of the WG-Lotse Chrome extension and any associated backend services (together, "the Service"). By installing or using WG-Lotse you agree to these terms.

1. Who we are

WG-Lotse is operated by Michiel Van de Vyver, c/o IP-Management #8874, Ludwig-Erhard-Str. 18, 20459 Hamburg, Germany (Impressum). Contact: wglotse@gmail.com.

2. What WG-Lotse is

WG-Lotse is a Chrome browser extension that helps users evaluate shared apartment (WG) listings on WG-Gesucht.de and Kleinanzeigen.de. It provides local fit scoring, red flag detection, a district map, and — for paid tiers — AI-assisted features including personalised message drafting and about-me translation.

WG-Lotse is a decision-support tool. It does not submit applications, send messages, or take any action on your behalf. All final decisions and communications are yours.

Access to AI features is granted via magic link: you enter your email, receive a single-use login link (valid 15 minutes), and clicking it creates your account and logs you in. No password is created or stored.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to use WG-Lotse. By using the Service you confirm that you meet this requirement. The Service is directed at individuals searching for accommodation in Germany and is not intended for commercial use (e.g. landlords, letting agents, or automated scraping).

4. Free tier

The extension is free to install and includes 5 fit scans at no cost. Red flag detection, district map, and basic message templates are always free with no time limit. No account is required for free features. We reserve the right to adjust the scope of free features with reasonable notice.

5. Paid tiers

5.1 Available tiers

Paid access to AI features is available as a day pass (24 hours), week pass (7 days), month (30 days), or annual (365 days). Current prices are shown on the pricing page.

5.2 What "all AI features" includes

Unlimited fit scoring — score as many listings as you like beyond the 5 free scans
About-me auto-translation — translate your intro into natural German, cached locally

5.3 Expiry — no auto-renewal

All passes — day, week, month, and annual — expire at the end of their purchased period and do not auto-renew. No further charge is made after expiry. No cancellation is required.

5.4 Refunds

We offer refunds for unused paid passes within 14 days of purchase if the AI features did not function as described. To request a refund, email wglotse@gmail.com with your order details. Refunds are not available for passes where the AI features were successfully used.

Statutory rights under German and EU consumer law are unaffected by this policy.

6. Acceptable use

You agree to use WG-Lotse only for its intended purpose — helping you personally evaluate WG listings and draft applications. You must not:

Use the Service for commercial purposes, including on behalf of landlords, letting agents, or competitors
Automate or script requests to the backend API
Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the extension's source code beyond what is permitted by applicable law
Share, resell, or transfer paid access to other users
Attempt to circumvent usage limits or access AI features without a valid paid tier
Use the Service in a way that violates the terms of service of WG-Gesucht or Kleinanzeigen

7. Account security

Accounts are created automatically the first time you verify your email via a magic login link. We do not store passwords. You are responsible for protecting access to your email account, as it is the sole means of authentication. You may not share magic links or grant others access to your account. Notify us immediately at wglotse@gmail.com if you become aware of unauthorised access.

8. Accuracy of output

WG-Lotse's scoring and analysis are provided for informational purposes only. Fit scores, red flag warnings, and AI-generated text may contain errors or omissions. We make no warranty that the output is accurate, complete, or suitable for any particular purpose. You are solely responsible for reviewing all content before using it.

AI-generated message drafts are starting points — always review and edit before sending. WG-Lotse is not responsible for any consequences arising from messages you choose to send.

8a. Website analytics

The WG-Lotse marketing website uses Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymised visitor statistics, solely to understand how visitors use the site. Analytics are only loaded after you explicitly accept the cookie consent banner. No advertising or retargeting takes place. See our Privacy Policy — Analytics section for full details.

9. Third-party platforms

WG-Lotse operates on WG-Gesucht.de and Kleinanzeigen.de. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or responsible for those platforms. Changes to those websites may affect the functionality of the extension. We are not liable for any disruption caused by changes on third-party platforms.

WG-Lotse does not independently access, crawl, or scrape any third-party platform. It processes only content that you, the user, have already loaded in your browser by navigating to a page. The extension does not make its own requests to WG-Gesucht or Kleinanzeigen, does not aggregate data across listings, and does not store or export listing content.

You are solely responsible for reviewing and complying with the terms of service of WG-Gesucht.de, Kleinanzeigen.de, and any other platform you use in conjunction with WG-Lotse.

10. Intellectual property

The WG-Lotse extension, its design, and all associated content are owned by Michiel Van de Vyver. Installing the extension grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes in accordance with these terms.

11. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, WG-Lotse is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We are not liable for:

Decisions you make based on the extension's output
Loss of data, missed applications, or any indirect or consequential loss
Interruptions to the Service, including due to changes on third-party platforms

This limitation does not apply to liability for intentional misconduct (Vorsatz) or gross negligence (grobe Fahrlässigkeit), nor to claims under mandatory consumer protection law.

12. Changes to the Service and these terms

We may update these terms and the Service at any time. Material changes to paid-tier terms will be communicated by email (if you have an account) or via in-extension notice at least 14 days before taking effect. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

13. Termination

You may stop using the Service and delete the extension at any time. We may suspend or terminate access for users who violate these terms, without refund for the current paid period.

14. Account deletion and data erasure

To delete your account, email wglotse@gmail.com. We will delete all personal data associated with your account (email address, usage history, cached preferences) within 30 days of your request. The sole exception is an anonymised one-way hash of your email, which may be retained to prevent re-registration abuse. You may request a copy of your data before deletion.

15. Governing law and jurisdiction

These terms are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). For disputes with consumers, mandatory provisions of the consumer's country of residence apply where required by EU law. The courts of Hamburg, Germany have non-exclusive jurisdiction.

16. Contact

Questions about these terms:
wglotse@gmail.com