Peace of mind.

Subcontractors are given proof that full payment is available upon completion, before they start working.  

Clients are guaranteed they will receive a quality job – payment is only released when the job meets all expectations.

No, you can break a job into smaller milestones in our app.

Each of these stages can be funded individually and payments released as the milestones are completed.

These are like progress payments for the job - tradies are paid as the project advances, rather than invoicing at the end of the month/job.

Yes, a client's deposit can be held securely in the trust account, without using escrow for the rest of the job.

This deposit can be released to the tradie whenever agreed - this could be once the work begins, upon completion of the job, or at any other specified time.  

Once funds for a job/milestone are deposited into the trust account they cannot be ‘withdrawn’ by a client.

Only if the tradesperson agrees will we release money back to the client  (i.e. if there is a negative variation, or if the work cannot be completed).

No. We are unable to release any amount to the tradie unless the client has approved it.

Only once the client confirms a milestone has been completed to their expectations will we release any payment to the tradesperson.

Our fees are paid by the tradie when they request the release of funds. These can be paid with a debit/credit card via our Stripe portal.

If a client wishes to pay these fees, simply adding a '2% Escrow Fee' to the bottom of the invoice is an easy way to pass this cost on.

If the job does not begin after a deposit has been paid into escrow, or a variation results in a lower cost (and both parties agree) we can refund any excess funds back to the client.*

We highly encourage both parties to find an acceptable resolution through clear communication. We will never release any amount of the funds held in escrow until both parties approve. We recommend communicating through our platform and uploading relevant documents to accurately record any disagreement and resolution.

If a resolution cannot be met, parties may advance their dispute to the appropriate tribunal, court, or independent adjudicator. We can only distribute the funds upon agreement from both parties or receiving a legally binding determination, order, or judgment.

All escrowed funds are held in ANZ trust accounts and can be released only upon clear approval by both parties.

All escrowed funds must remain exclusively in these trust accounts, as stipulated by our Bare Trust Deed and Terms & Conditions. Any transactions related to these trust accounts are subject to three-party authorisation and we are unable to access these funds for any other purposes.

A nominee company (Green Light Escrow Trustee Ltd) separates all funds held in trust accounts from the operations of Green Light Escrow Ltd.

If one party goes into liquidation all funds held in escrow will be returned in full to the other party, regardless of whether a portion of the work has been completed.

(Please see clause 17 of our Terms & Conditions).

We are a Registered Financial Service Provider (FSP) under the Financial Services Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008 - and a member of a Financial Ombudsmen and independent dispute resolution service, approved by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

Green Light Escrow Ltd also complies with the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 under supervision of the FMA (Financial Markets Authority).

Both tradies and their clients need to confirm their identity with us when using our service (this only needs to be done once). 

We do this simply and securely using AplyID – you just need a driver’s license or passport and smartphone – it takes a couple of minutes.

This is required to meet our obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009.

We are a member of an independent dispute resolution and Financial Ombudsmen scheme, approved by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, and operated by FSCL (Financial Services Complaints Limited).

If you wish to make a complaint regarding our service (after first contacting us to see if we can help), please contact the FSCL at 0800 347 257 or complaints@fscl.org.nz.