Terms and Conditions of Use

1. Purpose

These Terms and Conditions of Use (hereinafter the “Terms”) are intended to define the rules and conditions under which Loutou (hereinafter “Loutou”) makes its item rental platform available to users through the Loutou website and mobile application (hereinafter the “Platform”).

By accessing the Platform and using its services, each User acknowledges that they have read these Terms and agree to comply with them in full. If a User does not accept all or part of these Terms, they must refrain from using the Platform.

2. Definitions

• Loutou: means CONNIT SRL, a company incorporated under Belgian law (company number 0797.295.755), with registered office at Avenue Reine Astrid 49, 1780 Wemmel, Belgium.
• Platform: means all digital interfaces (website and mobile application) made available by Loutou.
• User: means any adult natural person or legal entity accessing the Platform, with or without an account.
• Owner: means any User holding a Loutou account who offers one or more Items for rent through the Platform.
• Renter: means any User holding a Loutou account who submits a booking request for an Item offered by an Owner.
• Item: means any movable property lawfully held by an Owner and offered for rent on the Platform.
• Listing: means the descriptive page for an Item published by an Owner on the Platform, including characteristics, price, availability, and cancellation terms.
• Booking: means the transaction initiated by a Renter to rent an Item for a defined period, after acceptance by the Owner.
• Loutou Commission: means the service fees charged by Loutou to the Renter and the Owner in exchange for access to the Platform’s services.
• LoutouCover: means the internal mediation and support service offered by Loutou to assist users in the event of a dispute. LoutouCover is not insurance in the legal sense.
• Stripe: means the third-party payment provider used by Loutou to securely process transactions.

3. Access to the Platform

Browsing the Platform and viewing Listings are available to any visitor without prior account creation.

However, any action involving interaction with the Platform, including booking an Item, publishing a Listing, accessing messaging, or posting a review, requires creating a personal account and verifying the User’s identity.

Loutou does not guarantee uninterrupted availability of the Platform. Temporary interruptions may occur for maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond Loutou’s control. Loutou cannot be held liable for such interruptions.

4. Account creation and identity verification

Creating an account is reserved for adult natural persons (18 years and older) or duly authorized representatives of legal entities. By creating an account, the User declares on their honor that they meet these conditions.

The User undertakes to provide accurate, complete, and up-to-date information upon registration and to keep it updated throughout use of the Platform. Any inaccurate information remains the sole responsibility of the User.

To ensure security and trust within the Loutou community, identity verification (KYC, Know Your Customer) is a prerequisite for full use of the services. The User must provide the requested supporting documents. Without validated verification, access to certain features may be restricted or suspended.

The User is solely responsible for keeping their login credentials confidential. They must immediately alert Loutou in the event of unauthorized access to their account. Loutou cannot be held liable for any action performed from a User account following a breach of this obligation.

Only one account is allowed per natural person. Creating multiple accounts is prohibited and may result in the immediate suspension of all related accounts.

5. How the service works and matching users

Loutou acts as a technical intermediary connecting Owners and Renters. Loutou is neither the owner of the Items offered on the Platform nor a party to the rental agreement concluded between Users.

The rental agreement is concluded directly between the Owner and the Renter when the Owner accepts the Booking. Loutou facilitates the conclusion of this agreement without being responsible for the obligations arising between the parties.

The Platform provides tools designed to facilitate and secure exchanges: integrated messaging, a digital item condition at handover and return, recorded by the Owner and checked by the Renter, a review and rating system, and the LoutouCover mediation service.

6. Listings

Any Owner may publish a Listing on the Platform provided they have a verified account.

The Listing must faithfully and completely describe the Item offered for rent: condition, included accessories, any usage restrictions, availability, and daily price.

The following Items are strictly prohibited on the Platform (non-exhaustive list): weapons and ammunition, illicit substances, prescription medicines, live animals, counterfeit goods, unlabeled dangerous products, and stolen or unlawfully obtained property. Loutou reserves the right to remove any Listing that does not comply with these requirements without prior notice.

The Owner guarantees that they are the lawful owner of the Item or duly authorized to sublet it, and that renting out the Item complies with applicable Belgian law, including the terms of their personal insurance policy where applicable.

6.1. Ranking of listings

In accordance with Article VI.45/1, 3° of the Belgian Code of Economic Law, Loutou informs Users of the main parameters determining the ranking of Listings presented in response to a search, and of their relative importance.

The default ranking, labelled “Recommended”, relies on the following parameters, in decreasing order of importance:

• Relevance to the search: where a text search is performed, Listings are ranked by how well they match the terms entered (title, description, category, synonyms), then by publication date.
• Display rotation: absent a text search, available Listings are presented in an order that varies from one session to the next, so that the same Listings are not durably favoured.
• Publication date: failing that, the most recent Listings appear first.

Users may at any time replace this ranking with an explicit sort by price (ascending or descending) or average rating, and narrow the results using the filters provided.

Loutou offers no paid placement: no Owner can obtain a better position in exchange for direct or indirect payment. Neither the Owner's professional or private status nor the commission rate applied to them plays any part in the ranking.

7. Bookings

The Renter initiates a Booking request by selecting the desired dates in the Listing calendar. The request is sent to the Owner together with a payment authorization on the Renter’s card, without an actual charge at this stage.

The Owner has 24 hours from receipt of the request to accept or refuse it. After this period with no response, the request is automatically canceled and the payment authorization is released. No fee is charged to the Renter.

The Booking is confirmed when the Owner accepts the request. Payment is then captured from the Renter’s payment method.

A confirmed Booking may be canceled before the start of the rental period in accordance with Article 10 below. Once the rental period has started (“ongoing” status), no cancellation is possible via the Platform.

If the selected dates are no longer available when payment is confirmed (availability conflict), the Booking is automatically refused and the payment authorization is canceled.

8. Payments

All payments made on the Platform are processed via Stripe, an approved payment provider. Users’ bank details are never stored by Loutou and are handled exclusively by Stripe in accordance with PCI-DSS security standards. By using the payment service, you agree that your payments are processed by Stripe under the Stripe Services Agreement.

When requesting a Booking, the Renter authorizes a charge on their card for the total rental amount (Item price and Loutou commission, VAT included). This authorization is only a card hold and does not constitute an effective charge.

The effective charge occurs only when the Owner accepts the Booking. If the request is refused, expires, or is canceled before acceptance, the authorization is released free of charge.

The payout of the rental amount to the Owner, less the applicable Loutou commission, is initiated 7 days after the end of the rental, provided the Owner has entered a valid IBAN and completed the required verifications to receive payouts. The time it then takes for the funds to reach their bank account depends on the payment provider and the Owner's bank.

Off-platform transactions are strictly prohibited. Any direct payment arrangement between Users intended to bypass Loutou’s payment system may result in immediate suspension of the accounts involved and deprives the parties of all protection offered by the Platform.

9. Service fees

In exchange for access to the Platform’s services, Loutou charges a service commission to both the Renter and the Owner:

• the Owner pays a commission of 15% VAT included of the rental price, deducted from the amount paid out to the Owner;
• the Renter pays a commission of 10% VAT included of the rental price, plus a fixed fee of €1 VAT included per Booking, paid together with the rental price upon acceptance.

A different rate may be agreed with a Professional Owner (article 22).

The details of the applicable fees, the rates in force, and the corresponding VAT are displayed transparently on the payment page before any Booking confirmation. All commissions are subject to Belgian VAT at the current rate, collected and remitted by Loutou in accordance with applicable regulations, except where those regulations provide for the VAT to be self-assessed by a business customer (reverse charge).

For each Booking, the Renter and the Owner have a receipt in their Loutou account. Where their account is a professional account, Loutou also issues them a monthly summary invoice for its commissions: to the Owner for Bookings completed during the month (article 22.4), and to the Renter for Bookings accepted during the month, whose commission the Renter paid upon acceptance. In accordance with Belgian rules on electronic invoicing between taxable persons, these invoices are issued in structured electronic form; the holder of a professional account must be able to receive them through that channel and keep their company details up to date. Any refund of a commission already invoiced gives rise to a credit note.

Loutou reserves the right to modify the applicable rates and fees. Any change will be notified to Users with reasonable prior notice and will only apply to Bookings made after the effective date of the new pricing.

10. Cancellation and refund

A Booking may be canceled as long as the rental has not started. Once the rental has started, no cancellation is possible via the Platform.

10.1 Cancellation by the Renter

The Renter's refund depends on the cancellation terms chosen by the Owner on the Listing. They are displayed before any Booking and fixed on the Booking when it is requested: a later change to the Listing does not apply to Bookings already requested.

• Flexible: full refund (100%) if the cancellation takes place at least 24 hours before the rental starts; no refund after that.
• Moderate: full refund (100%) if the cancellation takes place at least 5 days before the rental starts; no refund after that.
• Strict: 50% refund, whenever the cancellation takes place.
• Custom (professional Owners): refund according to the tiers set by the Owner and displayed on the Listing, each stating a deadline before the rental starts and the percentage refunded; that percentage cannot increase closer to the start.

The percentage applies to the total amount charged, service fees included. Deadlines are counted up to the rental start date stated on the Booking.

10.2 Cancellation before acceptance

If the Renter cancels a request that is still pending, or if the Owner refuses it, the payment authorization is released free of charge.

10.3 Cancellation by the Owner

If the Owner cancels a Booking they had already accepted, the Renter is fully refunded (100%) of the total amount charged.

Any refund is triggered automatically and reaches the Renter within 2 to 5 business days, depending on their bank.

11. Item condition and rental process

The item condition describes the Item when it is handed over to the Renter and when it is returned to the Owner. It protects both parties. In this article, dates and times are in Belgian time.

• Start and end of the rental: the rental starts on the first day at 0:00 and ends on the last day at midnight.
• Item condition at handover: the Owner records it from their account when handing over the Item. This can be done on the first day of the rental or the next day, until midnight, but never after the end of the rental or after the item condition at return. It includes a checklist, at least two photos and, where relevant, remarks.
• Item condition at return: the Owner records it in the same way when the Item is returned, no later than midnight on the day after the last day. If the Item is returned before the last day, it can be recorded as soon as the item condition at handover is recorded or the period to record it has ended. The item condition at return ends the rental.
• Check by the Renter: each recorded item condition is sent to the Renter by e-mail and in the messaging. From their account, the Renter confirms it or reports a disagreement, with a description and at least one photo, until midnight on the day after the condition was recorded. Without an answer within this period, the item condition is considered confirmed.

A confirmed item condition, whether by the Renter or for lack of an answer within the period, is evidence of the condition of the Item, unless proven otherwise.

If the Item does not match the Listing at handover, the Renter may refuse to take it. They then contact Loutou support immediately.

A reported disagreement opens a claim handled under article 15. The payout to the Owner is suspended until Loutou's decision.

Item condition photos and data are kept by Loutou and may serve as evidence in the event of a dispute.

12. User obligations

12.1 Obligations common to all Users

Every User undertakes to:

• use the Platform in accordance with these Terms and applicable Belgian law;
• not use the Platform for fraudulent, unlawful, or public-order-offending purposes;
• not publish misleading, defamatory, insulting, or rights-infringing content;
• not attempt to circumvent the Platform’s payment or verification systems;
• respect other Users and maintain courteous behavior in all communications.

12.2 Obligations specific to the Owner

• Publish Listings that are faithful, accurate, and up to date regarding the Item’s condition and characteristics;
• Make the Item available on the agreed date and time in the condition described in the Listing;
• Ensure that the Item is in good working order, clean, and complete with its accessories before each rental;
• Provide a valid IBAN to receive payments;
• Respect the Platform's cancellation terms;
• Ensure that renting out the Item complies with applicable laws and regulations and, where relevant, the terms of any insurance policy.

12.3 Obligations specific to the Renter

• Use the rented Item in accordance with its intended purpose and the Owner’s instructions;
• Take care of the Item and return it in the condition in which it was handed over, normal wear and tear excepted;
• Respect the agreed rental duration and return the Item at the scheduled date and time;
• Immediately report any damage, loss, or malfunction occurring during the rental via the Platform;
• Be present or represented at the handover and return of the Item; the Owner records the item condition and the Renter checks it, within the periods set out in article 11.

13. Liability

13.1 Loutou’s liability

Loutou acts as a technical intermediary and cannot be held responsible for Users’ actions or omissions, the condition of the Items, the compliance of Listings, or damage occurring during a rental.

Loutou does not guarantee the solvency, real identity, or reliability of Users beyond the checks performed as part of its KYC procedures. Loutou’s liability is limited to the amount of commissions actually received by Loutou for the transaction concerned.

Under no circumstances shall Loutou be held liable for indirect damage, loss of income, commercial losses, or other intangible damage resulting from the use of, or inability to use, the Platform.

13.2 Users’ liability

Each User is personally responsible for all actions performed from their account. The Owner is responsible for the accuracy of the information published in their Listings. The Renter is responsible for how they use the rented Item and for any damage they may cause.

Users acknowledge that Loutou cannot control the quality, safety, or legality of the Items offered, nor the Owners’ ability to rent them out.

14. Coverage and LoutouCover Guarantee

The LoutouCover service is not insurance. It is a mediation and support service intended to assist Users in the event of a dispute or disagreement relating to a rental.

In accordance with Articles 12 and 13, the Renter is liable for any damage, loss, or theft affecting the Item throughout the rental period. In the event of established damage, compensation for the Owner is sought first from the responsible User, following the mediation provided for in Article 15.

For high-value Items, the Owner’s own insurance constitutes the primary protection; the LoutouCover Guarantee applies only on a subsidiary and capped basis. Only a Professional Owner may request a security deposit, under the conditions of article 22.10.

As a commercial gesture, and in the absence of a dedicated insurance policy, Loutou may grant a financial contribution (the “LoutouCover Guarantee”) where compensation cannot be recovered from the responsible User. This contribution is strictly subject to the following cumulative conditions:

• the mediation provided for in Article 15 has been completed and the User’s responsibility has been established by Loutou;
• the Owner provides the original invoice or purchase receipt for the Item, evidencing both ownership and value; failing such proof, no compensation will be paid;
• the amount of the contribution is limited to 40% of the declared value of the Item, up to a maximum of €200 per booking;
• the contribution may under no circumstances exceed the amount of the damage actually established;
• the contribution is left to Loutou’s discretion and constitutes neither an automatic right nor a guarantee of full compensation.

The following are notably excluded from this contribution: normal wear and tear, indirect or intangible damage (loss of income, etc.), Items not returned after a proper return by the Renter, and damage resulting from use not in accordance with the Owner’s instructions.

Each Owner is responsible for checking whether their home or multi-risk insurance policy covers renting their property to third parties and, where relevant, taking out suitable insurance for the portion not covered by the LoutouCover Guarantee.

15. Disputes and mediation

In the event of disagreement between an Owner and a Renter relating to a rental (damage, non-compliance of the Item, delayed return, etc.), the parties are invited to try to resolve the dispute amicably via the Platform’s integrated messaging.

If the parties do not reach an agreement, either party may open a formal claim via the claim tool available in the booking area. Only one claim per Booking is allowed.

To be admissible, any claim for damage, loss, or theft must be supported by a complete item condition at handover and return, recorded by the Owner and confirmed by the Renter (expressly, or without an answer within the period set out in article 11) or subject to a disagreement reported within that period. In the absence of either item condition, Loutou is unable to establish responsibility and the claim is inadmissible. Likewise, any compensation request must be accompanied by the original invoice or purchase receipt for the Item; failing this, no compensation can be validated.

The LoutouCover team reviews each claim impartially by analyzing all elements provided by both parties: exchanged messages, handover and return item condition photos and the Renter’s answers, Listing description, and any relevant supporting documents. Loutou issues a final decision that both parties agree to accept by using the Platform.

Loutou’s decisions regarding disputes are issued within 1 to 7 business days from receipt of all information necessary to review the case.

Sums charged to the responsible User following mediation constitute a certain and due debt. In the absence of payment and after an unanswered formal notice (mise en demeure), Loutou reserves the right to recover these sums by any lawful means, including through a debt collection agency or legal action. Where Loutou has compensated the Owner, Loutou is automatically subrogated to the Owner’s rights against the responsible User, up to the amounts paid. Any collection costs are borne by the defaulting User, within the limits provided by applicable law.

Using LoutouCover is without prejudice to any User’s right to bring legal action before the competent courts in accordance with Article 20 below.

16. Reviews and ratings

At the end of each completed rental, the Owner and the Renter may evaluate each other via the Platform’s review system. Reviews must be objective, based on real experience, and respectful.

Any review that infringes these Terms (insulting content, defamation, false testimony, etc.) may be reported to Loutou, which reserves the right to remove it after review.

Loutou does not modify reviews without legitimate reason and does not guarantee their completeness or accuracy.

17. Intellectual property

All elements making up the Platform (logo, design, texts, source code, database, etc.) are the exclusive property of Loutou or are used under a license granted to Loutou. Any unauthorized reproduction, representation, or exploitation is strictly prohibited.

By publishing content on the Platform (photos, descriptions, reviews), the User grants Loutou a worldwide, non-exclusive, free license, for the legal duration of the rights concerned, to use, reproduce, and display this content as part of the functioning of the Platform, including for communication purposes.

The User guarantees that they hold all rights necessary over the content they publish and that such content does not infringe third-party rights.

18. Personal data

The processing of Users’ personal data is governed by Loutou’s Privacy Policy, available here. By accepting these Terms, the User acknowledges having read that policy.

Loutou processes Users’ personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and applicable Belgian privacy law.

19. Account suspension and termination

Loutou reserves the right to suspend or terminate, without notice or compensation, the account of any User in the event of:

• breach of these Terms;
• providing inaccurate or fraudulent information during registration or identity verification;
• fraudulent, abusive, or harmful behavior towards other Users or Loutou;
• using the Platform for unlawful purposes;
• non-payment of sums due to Loutou or other Users following a decision issued by LoutouCover;
• abuse of the claims system or attempt to manipulate the review system.

A User whose account is suspended may request reconsideration of the decision by contacting Loutou at contact@loutou.com within 1 to 7 business days after suspension notice.

A User may also close their account at any time from their profile settings. Closing the account does not end obligations arising from ongoing transactions.

20. Changes to the Terms

Loutou reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time. Users will be informed of any substantial change by email and/or by notification on the Platform with reasonable notice.

The new Terms come into force on the date indicated upon publication. Continued use of the Platform after that date constitutes acceptance of the amended Terms. If a User does not accept the new Terms, they must stop using the Platform and close their account.

21. Governing law and competent jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by Belgian law. In the event of a dispute relating to the interpretation or performance of these Terms, the parties undertake to seek an amicable solution before any legal proceedings.

Failing amicable resolution within 30 days from written notice of the dispute, the competent courts in the district of Loutou’s registered office shall have exclusive jurisdiction to resolve any disagreement.

Belgian consumers also have the right to submit complaints to the European Online Dispute Resolution platform, available at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

22. Provisions applicable to professional owners

This article applies to any Owner who declares that they act in the course of their commercial, craft, professional or industrial activity (the "Professional Owner"), whether self-employed or a legal entity. It supplements these Terms and prevails over them in the event of any conflict.

22.1 Declaration and company details

The Professional Owner must declare their status when registering or from their profile, and provide their company name, legal form, company number (CBE), VAT number where applicable and registered address. They warrant the accuracy of that information and must inform Loutou without delay of any change or of the cessation of their activity. Loutou may verify that information, in particular against the Belgian Crossroads Bank for Enterprises and the VIES system, and may suspend the publication of Listings while the information is incomplete or manifestly inaccurate.

22.2 Information to Renters

Listings published by a Professional Owner state that they are a professional and display their identification details. Where the Owner is not a professional, the Renter is informed that consumer rights arising from European Union law do not apply to the rental contract concluded with them.

22.3 Specific obligations of the Professional Owner

• comply, towards consumer Renters, with consumer protection rules, in particular pre-contractual information and the indication of prices inclusive of all taxes;
• include in their prices the value added tax for which they are liable;
• issue the commercial and tax documents due to their Renters;
• hold insurance cover suited to renting out their Items to third parties and evidence it upon request;
• warrant that the Items offered comply with the applicable legal safety requirements.

22.4 Commission and invoicing

Loutou's commission is due under the conditions of article 9. Loutou issues to the Professional Owner a monthly summary invoice for its commissions, listing each Booking concerned. In accordance with Belgian rules on electronic invoicing between taxable persons, that invoice is issued in structured electronic form. The Professional Owner must be able to receive it through that channel.

22.5 Ranking of Listings

The parameters determining the ranking of Listings and their relative importance are described in Article 6.1. No payment made to Loutou can improve the ranking of a Listing, and neither the Owner's professional status nor the commission rate applied to them plays any part in that ranking.

22.6 Changes, restriction and termination

Any change to these Terms is notified to the Professional Owner at least fifteen days before it takes effect; they may terminate their account free of charge during that period. Any restriction or suspension of the service is motivated in writing on a durable medium. Termination of their account by Loutou is subject to thirty days' notice and a statement of reasons, save for a legal or regulatory obligation, a serious breach or repeated breaches of these Terms.

22.7 Access to data

The Professional Owner may access, from their account, the data relating to their Listings, Bookings, the Renters concerned and their income, and may export it. Loutou discloses that data to third parties only as necessary to provide the service, in particular to its payment provider and its electronic invoicing provider, or in performance of a legal obligation.

22.8 No retroactive effect

No change to the Terms or to the pricing conditions applies to Bookings already concluded.

22.9 LoutouCover guarantee

The LoutouCover guarantee provided for in article 14 does not apply to Professional Owners, who remain solely responsible for insuring their Items. The mediation service remains available under the conditions of article 15.

22.10 Security deposit at handover

The Professional Owner may request a security deposit for their Items. They state on the Listing its amount, between €1 and €1,000, and the payment methods they accept: cash, card or bank transfer. The Renter is informed of it on the Listing and before confirming their booking request.

The deposit applicable to a Booking is the one shown on the Listing when the request is made. A later change to the Listing has no effect on Bookings already requested.

The Renter hands the deposit over in person to the Professional Owner at the handover of the Item. Loutou does not hold, collect or keep the deposit: it is part neither of the rental price nor of the mandate provided for in article 23, and the Professional Owner is solely responsible for it. Its payment and its return are recorded in the item conditions provided for in article 11.

The Professional Owner returns the deposit to the Renter when the Item is returned. They may only withhold the part corresponding to damage, loss or a missing part found at the return, and must tell the Renter why. A Renter who disputes a deduction may open a claim under the conditions of article 15.

An Owner who is not a Professional Owner may not request a security deposit through the Platform.

23. Mandate to collect and to execute payments

The Owner mandates Loutou to collect from the Renter, in the Owner's name and on the Owner's behalf, the rental price, to retain the commission due to Loutou and to pay the balance to the Owner. The Owner also mandates Loutou to give the payment provider the instructions required to perform Bookings, in particular capturing the payment, holding the payout while a claim is being examined, refunding the Renter and paying out the amounts due. The rental contract remains concluded between the Owner and the Renter; Loutou is not a party to it and acquires no right over the rented Item.