Participation Agreement for the HBSC

The majority of the information and discussions of the HBSC are transparent. However, at times participants may be privy to confidential information and participant contact details.

Please confirm your agreement below to help ensure that confidential information and contact details are shared securely and that participants respect each other’s confidentiality and privacy.

All that is required is a commitment to:

  • Abide by the Chatham House Rule during meetings; and

  • Ensure that any shared participant contact information is not used for personal benefit or shared outside participating organisations without the prior consent of the owner of that information.

Chatham House Rule

HBSC meetings and online discussions operate under the Chatham House Rule.

Participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of speakers or other participants may be revealed without their express permission.

This principle encourages open, candid, and constructive discussion on complex or sensitive matters by removing the concern of public attribution.

Confidential Information

Confidential Information includes written and oral information and materials disclosed or provided by the HBSC and the Home Moving Representative Group (HMRG), whether provided before or after the date of this Agreement and regardless of how it is provided.

Confidential Information also includes any participant contact details shared during the operation of the HBSC.

Confidential Information Does Not Include

  • Information generally known in the industry or already in the public domain

  • Information that becomes publicly available through no wrongful act of an HBSC/HMRG participant

  • Information independently created by a participant without direct or indirect use of Confidential Information

  • Information rightfully obtained from a third party who has the legal right to disclose it

Misuse of Information

Participants acknowledge that if they are found to share, process, or use Confidential Information and/or personal data for purposes unrelated to HBSC participation, they may forfeit participation within the Home Buying and Selling Council.

Consent to Share Contact Details

The Participant consents to the sharing of their contact details within the HBSC network for the purposes of participation and collaboration in HBSC activities.

 

 

Additional Operational Terms for Online Community Access

Access to the HBSC online Community platform is provided to support professional collaboration aligned with HBSC’s objectives.

By requesting access to the online Community, participants acknowledge the following:

Purpose

The online Community exists to support discussion, collaboration, and reform-related work. It is not intended for commercial promotion, recruitment, or competitive positioning.

Responsible Use

Participants must not:

  • Share confidential or commercially sensitive third-party information without consent.

  • Submit content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, or that infringes intellectual property, confidentiality, or privacy rights.

  • Upload copyrighted material without permission.

  • Use the platform for unsolicited marketing or promotion.

  • Share screenshots, recordings, or extracts externally.

All discussions within the online Community remain subject to Chatham House principles where applicable.

Competition Law Reminder

Participants must not use HBSC meetings or the online Community to discuss pricing, fees, margins, future pricing intentions, or other commercially sensitive competitive matters.

If discussions move into areas that may raise competition concerns, participants should steer the discussion away from such topics.

Media and Public Communications

Participation in HBSC does not imply endorsement by HBSC of any organisation, product, or public position.

Participants must not:

  • Represent themselves as speaking on behalf of HBSC unless authorised

  • Use HBSC branding externally without permission

  • Publicly attribute discussions or comments from the Community

Platform Integrity

Participants must not:

  • Access or attempt to access another person’s account without permission

  • Impersonate another individual or organisation

  • Circumvent platform security or access restrictions

  • Use automated tools or software to scrape or extract content

  • Place unreasonable technical strain on the platform

Access is provided to professional participants aged 18 or over.

Access and Moderation

HBSC may moderate content and, where necessary to protect the integrity and purpose of the Community, take appropriate steps, including restricting access.

Access to the online Community is conditional upon adherence to these operational terms.

February 23rd 2026

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