Terms and Conditions

1.1Marketplace Facilitator: CarHound is an online vehicle classified and advertising directory connecting independent vehicle buyers, private sellers and verified commercial dealerships across Sri Lanka.

1.2No Direct Sale: CarHound is not an auto dealership, vehicle importer, broker or financial institution. We do not own, inspect, hold title to, buy or sell any vehicle listed on the Platform.

1.3Independent Contracting: Any agreement, vehicle purchase, inspection, payment or ownership transfer negotiated through the Platform, our chat, WhatsApp, phone calls or any other contact is solely between the Buyer and the Seller. CarHound is not a party to that contract.

1.4Electronic Agreement: These Terms are an electronic agreement under the Electronic Transactions Act, No. 19 of 2006. By ticking the box when you register, or by using the Platform, you accept them just as if you had signed them.

2.1Account Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years of age to register an account or post a listing on CarHound. A person registering for a business confirms that they are authorised to act for it.

2.2SMS Mobile Verification: To maintain seller authenticity and combat fraud, posting a listing requires confirming a valid Sri Lankan mobile number (+94 format) with a one-time code sent by SMS. Never share this code with anyone — CarHound staff will never ask for it.

2.3Account Security: You are responsible for keeping your login details confidential and are liable for all activity, messages and listings published from your account. Tell us at once at support@carhoundlk.com if you think someone else has used it.

2.4Accurate Details: The name, email address and phone numbers on your account must be your own and kept up to date.

2.5Deleting Your Account: You can delete your account at any time from My account → Delete my account. This permanently removes your profile, ads, photos, saved vehicles, alerts, reviews and chats, as explained in our Privacy Policy. Paid services that are already live are not refunded because of a deletion (see section 4.3).

3.1Accuracy of Listings: All listings must present accurate, non-misleading information about the vehicle’s condition, mileage, year of manufacture and registration, fuel type, engine capacity, registration (CR) book status and ownership history. You must own the vehicle or be authorised by its owner to sell it.

3.2Pricing & Currency (LKR)

• All prices must be the full asking price in Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR). Prices may also be written in the usual local way, such as Lakhs or Millions.
• Bait pricing, down-payment or lease-instalment amounts shown as if they were the full price, and other deceptive pricing are strictly prohibited.

3.3Sri Lankan Vehicle Tags: Tags such as Permit / Duty-Free, Bank Lease Available, First Owner, Original CR Book and Urgent Sale must be true and backed by valid documents, which you must be able to show a buyer on request.

3.4Prohibited Content: You must not list stolen vehicles, vehicles with forged, altered or missing documents, tampered odometers, counterfeit parts, or anything that breaks Sri Lankan law. You must not post other people’s personal information, offensive material, or photos you do not have the right to use.

3.5Review & Moderation: Every listing, and every change to a listing, is checked by our team before it goes live. CarHound may reject, edit (for example to fix a category or remove contact details from photos), hide or delete any listing, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe it breaks these Terms.

3.6Listing Duration: A listing stays live for 30 days. We email you before it ends and you can renew it from My ads. Please mark a vehicle as sold as soon as it is sold.

3.7Photos & Privacy: Photos must show the actual vehicle being sold. We recommend hiding the number plate using the “Hide plate” tool when you upload photos.

4.1Verified Dealer Accounts: Commercial sales outlets, dealerships and importers who apply for a Verified Dealer account must hold a valid business registration in Sri Lanka and provide proof of it on request. We may remove the Verified badge if the details are false or expire.

4.2Paid Placements: Where we offer paid services — such as banner placements, featured or boosted ads, budget-card highlights or dealer subscriptions — they are subject to availability, the price and period shown when you buy, and payment being received.

4.3Refund Policy: Fees for paid listings, banner placements, subscriptions and verification are non-refundable once the service has gone live, except where we fail to provide the service you paid for, or where Sri Lankan law — including the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, No. 9 of 2003 — gives you a right to a refund. Nothing in these Terms limits those legal rights.

5.1Estimates Only: CarHound may show a leasing calculator, estimated monthly payments, a fair price meter or a market estimate. These are automatic estimates for guidance only — they are not an offer, a valuation or financial advice.

5.2No Guarantee of Approval: CarHound does not issue loans or leases or guarantee approval. Rates, down payments, fees and terms are set solely by licensed banks and finance companies after their own credit assessment. Always get a written quote from the lender.

6.1Chat: CarHound provides an in-app chat (including photos and voice messages) and links to call or WhatsApp a seller.

6.2Communication Conduct: You must not send spam, scams, requests for advance payments or deposits, abusive or threatening language, or unsolicited advertising. You can block anyone in the chat. We may review reported chats and suspend accounts that misuse them.

6.3Email & Phone Notifications: If a message stays unread, we may email you about it (at most once every few hours per chat), and you can turn on notifications on your phone or computer. We send account messages such as listing approvals, expiry reminders and verification codes.

6.4Stay Safe: Never pay a deposit before seeing the vehicle and its documents in person. CarHound will never ask you to pay a seller through us.

7.1CarHound Assets: The CarHound name, logo, “Cyber-Hound” visual assets, software, databases and page designs belong to D T M Holdings (Pvt) Ltd and are protected by the Intellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003. You may not copy, scrape or reuse them without our written permission.

7.2Your Content: You keep ownership of the photos and text you upload. You confirm you have the right to use them, and you give CarHound a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to show, resize, add the CarHound watermark to and promote that content on the Platform and on our social media and marketing while the listing is live and for a reasonable time after it ends.

8.1“As-Is” Service: The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We do not promise it will always be available or error-free, or that any listing is accurate.

8.2Inspection Responsibility: Buyers are strongly advised to inspect the vehicle in person, have it checked by a mechanic, and verify the registration book, revenue licence, chassis and engine numbers with the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) before paying any money.

8.3Limitation of Liability: To the fullest extent permitted by Sri Lankan law, CarHound is not liable for any loss, vehicle defect, fraudulent transaction or dispute between buyers, sellers, dealers or lenders, or for any indirect or consequential loss. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law, such as for our own fraud or gross negligence.

8.4Indemnity: You agree to compensate CarHound for any claim, loss or cost (including reasonable legal fees) that arises because you broke these Terms or the law, or because of content you posted.

9.1Amendments: We may update these Terms. We will change the “Last updated” date and, for important changes, tell registered users by email or on the site before they apply. Continuing to use the Platform after the changes take effect means you accept them.

9.2Suspension & Termination: We may suspend or permanently close any user or dealership account that breaks these Terms or behaves deceptively, and remove its listings. You may stop using the Platform and delete your account at any time.

9.3Reporting Problems: Use “Report this ad” on any listing, or contact us, to report fraud or content that breaks these Terms. We may share information with the Sri Lanka Police or other authorities where the law requires it or to prevent fraud.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with the Platform is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

If any part of these Terms is found invalid, the rest stays in force. If there is any difference between a translation and the English version, the English version applies.

For legal enquiries, listing disputes or dealership verification support:

• Email: support@carhoundlk.com
• Website: carhoundlk.com/contact