Terms of Service

Last updated: 19 March 2026

1. About LookBefore

LookBefore ("we", "us", "our") is a web-based research tool that helps property buyers, renters, and investors in New South Wales (NSW), Australia understand nearby development applications (DAs). The service is operated from Australia.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using LookBefore, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use the service.

3. Not Professional Advice

LookBefore provides general information only. It is not professional planning advice, legal advice, property valuation, or financial advice. The information presented should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with a qualified town planner, solicitor, surveyor, or other professional.

You should always conduct your own due diligence and seek independent professional advice before making any property decisions, including purchasing, renting, investing in, or objecting to development applications.

4. AI-Generated Analysis

LookBefore uses artificial intelligence (Claude, developed by Anthropic) to analyse development application data and council planning documents. AI-generated content may contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. Specifically:

  • Risk assessments, impact ratings, and recommendations are AI-generated estimates, not definitive conclusions.
  • Document summaries may not capture all relevant details from council submissions.
  • DA status information is sourced from the NSW Planning Portal and council tracking systems, which may not reflect the most current state of an application.
  • We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information provided.

5. Data Sources and Accuracy

Information displayed on LookBefore is sourced from publicly available data including the NSW Planning Portal, local council DA tracking systems, and geocoding services. We do not control these data sources and cannot guarantee their accuracy or availability. Data may be delayed, incomplete, or contain errors originating from the source systems.

6. User Accounts

Some features require a free account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account. You must provide accurate information when registering and must not create accounts for fraudulent purposes or to abuse the service.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Use automated tools to scrape, crawl, or extract data from the service at scale.
  • Attempt to circumvent rate limits, authentication, or access controls.
  • Use the service for any unlawful purpose.
  • Interfere with the operation of the service or its underlying infrastructure.
  • Redistribute or commercially resell data obtained from LookBefore without permission.

8. Usage Limits

Premium analysis features are subject to daily usage limits per account. We reserve the right to modify these limits, introduce pricing, or restrict access to features at any time.

9. Intellectual Property

The LookBefore platform, including its design, code, and branding, is our intellectual property. Council documents and planning data accessed through the service remain the property of the relevant issuing authorities.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Australian law, including the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010):

  • The service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.
  • We are not liable for any loss, damage, cost, or expense (including loss of profits, loss of opportunity, or consequential loss) arising from your use of or reliance on information provided by LookBefore.
  • We are not liable for any decisions you make based on AI-generated analysis or data sourced from third-party systems.
  • Nothing in these terms excludes or limits any consumer guarantees that cannot be excluded under Australian Consumer Law.

11. Service Availability

We do not guarantee uninterrupted access to the service. We may suspend, modify, or discontinue features at any time without notice. External data sources (NSW Planning Portal, council systems) may be temporarily unavailable, which will affect the service.

12. Changes to Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of the service after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. Material changes will be communicated via the website.

13. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. Any disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales.

14. Contact

If you have questions about these terms, please contact us via the details on our website.