Terms of Service

1. About the Service

ReferenceSentinel is a professional reference checking platform operated by SentinelHQ Limited (SentinelHQ Limited, company registration number 17242389, registered in England and Wales) ("we", "us", "our"). The platform enables recruitment organisations ("you", "the Organisation") to collect employment references from nominated referees on behalf of candidates.

By creating an account and using ReferenceSentinel, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, you must not use the platform.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and authorised to act on behalf of your organisation to create an account. By registering, you represent that all information you provide is accurate and that you have the legal authority to bind the organisation to these terms.

3. Credits and Pricing

Access to certain features requires credits. One credit entitles you to open a reference check for one candidate, including up to five referee requests. Credits are purchased in advance at the prices displayed at the time of purchase and are subject to change with reasonable notice.

Credits do not expire and carry forward indefinitely unless otherwise stated at the time of purchase. Credits have no cash value and are non-transferable between organisations.

4. No-Response Guarantee and Refunds

If a candidate or referee fails to respond within the deadline set for a reference request, and the request cannot be completed as a result, the credit consumed for that candidate will be returned to your account automatically. This is our no-response guarantee.

Outside of the no-response guarantee, credits are non-refundable once consumed. If you believe a credit has been incorrectly deducted, contact us at hello@sentinelhq.co.uk within 14 days and we will investigate.

We do not offer refunds on purchased credit bundles except where required by applicable consumer protection law.

5. User Responsibilities

You agree to:

• Use the platform only for lawful employment reference checking purposes.
• Obtain any consents required under applicable data protection law before submitting candidate or referee personal data to the platform.
• Keep your account credentials confidential and notify us immediately of any unauthorised access.
• Not use the platform to send unsolicited communications, harass individuals, or misrepresent your identity or organisation.
• Not attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or interfere with the platform or its infrastructure.
• Ensure that any reference requests sent to referees are accurate, relevant, and proportionate to the employment decision being made.

6. Data Responsibilities

You are the data controller for the personal data of candidates and referees you submit to the platform. We act as your data processor. You are responsible for ensuring you have a lawful basis for processing that data and for complying with all applicable data protection legislation, including UK GDPR.

Our obligations as your data processor are set out in our Privacy Policy.

7. Data Retention

Candidate and referee data, including submitted reference responses, is retained for a period of three years from the date of submission, after which it is permanently deleted unless you request earlier deletion. You may request deletion of individual records at any time via the platform or by contacting us.

Transaction and billing records are retained for seven years in accordance with UK financial record-keeping requirements.

8. Intellectual Property

All software, content, and materials on the platform are the intellectual property of SentinelHQ Limited or its licensors. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use the platform for its intended purpose. You retain ownership of any content you upload.

9. Service Availability

We aim to provide continuous availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We reserve the right to perform maintenance, apply updates, or suspend the service temporarily. We will endeavour to provide advance notice of planned downtime where practicable.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SentinelHQ Limited shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the platform, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, or business interruption.

Our total aggregate liability to you in respect of any claims arising under or in connection with these terms shall not exceed the total amount paid by you to us in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

11. Termination

Either party may terminate the relationship at any time. You may close your account by contacting us. We may suspend or terminate your access immediately if you breach these terms or if we are required to do so by law. On termination, any unused credits will be forfeited unless we elect otherwise at our sole discretion.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or by displaying a notice within the platform. Continued use of the platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

13. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from or in connection with these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

14. Contact

If you have any questions about these terms, please contact us at hello@sentinelhq.co.uk.