Account Ownership Policy
THE SHORT VERSION
Your business account belongs to your business — not to whoever happens to be logged in. This page says who controls an account, what happens when people leave, and what we'll do if there's a dispute. We won't referee your business.
1. "OWNER" IS A PERMISSION LEVEL — NOT LEGAL OWNERSHIP
"Owner" is the highest administrative permission level inside PetAppro. It does not determine or establish legal ownership of the business, its assets, records, or client relationships — whoever legally owns the business owns it, regardless of who holds the Owner permission in our app.
The person who creates a business account represents that they are authorized by that business to do so, and is assigned the Owner permission level. The Owner permission:
- controls the subscription and billing,
- invites staff and sets their permission levels (Staff · Manager · Admin),
- can transfer ownership to another Admin or Owner,
- and is responsible for what the business does in PetAppro.
Roles below Owner don't own the account. An Admin can see financial data and manage operations — but an Admin isn't the Owner and can't take the business over.
The business owns the business data — the client list, pets, bookings, notes, and invoices. Staff members don't take it with them when they go.
2. PERSONAL ACCOUNTS VS. THE BUSINESS
Your personal account (your identity, your login) is yours. The business account is the business's. Leaving a business — or having your access removed — doesn't delete your personal account, and deleting your personal account doesn't automatically delete the business. See §5.
If you work for more than one provider, you have one personal account with access to each of them.
3. ADDING AND REMOVING PEOPLE
- The Owner (and Admins, where permitted) can invite and remove staff at any time.
- Removing someone ends their access immediately. Their work history stays with the business — the report cards they wrote, the bookings they ran.
- Seats count against your plan. Removing someone frees a seat.
4. TRANSFERRING OWNERSHIP
An Owner can transfer ownership to another Owner or Admin on the account, from the portal. After transfer, the previous Owner keeps whatever role they're given — or none.
Do this before you need it. If you're a solo provider, adding a trusted second Admin now means your business isn't stranded if something happens to you.
5. WHEN AN OWNER LEAVES OR DELETES THEIR ACCOUNT
A business account holds records belonging to other people — clients, their pets, their booking history, and invoices. So we can't simply delete everything when an Owner leaves.
When an Owner deletes their personal account:
- If the business has another Owner or Admin: we ask you to transfer ownership to them first. The business continues; your personal account and personal information are deleted.
- If there's nobody to transfer to: the business is closed. Clients are notified that the business is no longer taking bookings. Personal information is deleted.
- Either way: a limited set of records may be retained where we are legally entitled or required to keep them for a disclosed purpose, minimized and disconnected from any live account. See Privacy §6–7.
- Active bookings and unpaid balances: deleting an account should never strand a client who has a booking in progress. In-app account deletion is always available; where a booking is still in flight, we notify the affected clients so no one is left waiting.
6. IF WE CAN'T REACH THE OWNER — OR SOMEONE DISPUTES WHO THE OWNER SHOULD BE
We will not hand control of an account to someone who simply says it should be theirs. We can't verify who really runs your company, and guessing wrong would do more damage than doing nothing.
If a dispute arises, we may temporarily restrict changes or access while we ask for documentation. We will transfer or restore the Owner permission only on one of the following:
- A binding court order. Always sufficient.
- Government business registration identifying who is authorized to act for the business (e.g. a Secretary of State filing naming the managing member or officer), matched to a verified identity.
- Verified written instruction from the business, signed by a person shown to be authorized.
We don't adjudicate ownership disputes. Sort it out between yourselves or through counsel; we'll follow a valid order.
7. DISPUTES BETWEEN PEOPLE AT A BUSINESS
We don't referee. If there's a disagreement about who controls a business account, sort it out between yourselves or through counsel. We'll follow a valid court order. Until then, the account stays as it is.
8. DECEASED OR INCAPACITATED OWNER
If an Owner dies or becomes unable to manage the account, we'll work with the authorized person — an executor, a successor, or someone with legal authority to act for the business — to transfer the account into the right hands, on appropriate documentation (such as a death certificate and evidence of authority).
This is exactly why we encourage every solo provider to add a trusted second Admin now (§4): it's the simplest way to make sure your business isn't stranded if something happens to you. If you need help here, email support@base509.com and we'll handle it with care.
9. IF WE SUSPEND OR TERMINATE AN ACCOUNT
If we suspend an account (non-payment, Terms violation), we'll tell the Owner why and what to do. We won't hold your data hostage — you'll have a reasonable window to export your records before anything is deleted. See Cancellation §7.