1. Introduction

This website is owned and operated by OIC Design Pty Ltd (ABN 89 645 958 247), trading as OIC Architects (“OIC Architects”, “OIC”, “we”, “our” or “us”).

By accessing or using this website (www.oicarchitects.com.au) or any of our associated pages, platforms or services (collectively, the “Website”), you agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions, which govern your use of the Website.

These Terms & Conditions operate in conjunction with our Privacy Policy, which sets out how we collect, use and protect your personal information. If you do not agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions, you must cease using the Website immediately.

OIC Architects provides architecture, interior design and property strategy services for homes and commercial fitouts in Sydney, together with related information and resources. While the Website includes general information about these services, nothing on the Website constitutes legal, financial or professional advice, and your use of the Website does not create a client relationship between you and OIC Architects.

By accessing, browsing, or otherwise using this Website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions, as well as our Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately cease accessing and using the Website.

3. Use of Website

You agree to use this Website for lawful purposes only and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use of this Website by, any third party. You must not:

Use the Website for any unlawful, fraudulent, or misleading purpose;
Upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any material that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, abusive, offensive or obscene; infringes the intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity; or contains viruses, malware, worms, or any other harmful or disruptive code;
Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any portion of the Website, or any systems or networks connected to the Website;
Use any automated system or software (including bots, crawlers, or scrapers) to extract data from the Website for any commercial purpose, without our prior written consent, other than search engines and AI services that access the Website in line with our robots.txt file;
Interfere with or disrupt the operation of the Website or the servers or networks used to make the Website available;
Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity.

OIC Architects reserves the right to suspend, restrict or terminate your access to the Website if we reasonably believe that you have breached any part of these Terms & Conditions.

4. Unauthorised Use of Business Information and Contact Details

You acknowledge that unauthorised third parties may use automated tools, bots, or data-scraping technologies to collect publicly available information from this Website or our associated social media channels.

OIC Architects does not approve, endorse, or have any involvement in these practices. We do not authorise the reproduction, compilation, or redistribution of any information from this Website, including team details, company descriptions, or branding, for the purpose of unsolicited contact or directory listings.

If you wish to contact OIC Architects, please use the enquiry form, booking calendar or contact details published on this Website, or email us at info@oicarchitects.com.au.

5. Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise indicated, OIC Architects owns or licenses all rights, title and interest (including copyright, trade marks, and other intellectual property rights) in the content and materials published on this Website. This includes, without limitation, all text, graphics, images, branding, project renders, architectural designs, feasibility tools, downloadable resources, videos, and layout design (collectively, “Content”).

Except as expressly authorised by us in writing, you must not:

Copy, reproduce, adapt, publish, republish, upload, post, transmit, distribute, or otherwise use any Content in any form;
Frame or embed any part of the Website on another website;
Use the OIC Architects name, logo, brand assets or project images for commercial purposes;
Create derivative works or exploit any Content, including for re-sale or inclusion in competing services.

This does not prevent search engines and AI services from accessing, indexing and quoting the Website in line with our robots.txt file.

Any material used from this Website with our permission must credit OIC Architects and be marked © OIC Architects.

The OIC Architects circle logo is a registered trade mark in Australia. Any unauthorised use of this trade mark is strictly prohibited and may result in legal action.

6. Financial Disclaimer

OIC Architects is not a licensed financial services provider and does not hold a financial services licence as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Nothing on this Website — or in any documents, communications or materials provided by us, including feasibility studies, cost estimates, fee guides or project scenarios — constitutes financial, investment, legal, accounting, or taxation advice.

Any information we provide is general in nature and is prepared without reference to your personal objectives, financial situation or specific needs. While we may share indicative figures such as construction cost ranges, fee estimates or what a site could accommodate, these are illustrative only and must not be relied upon as a recommendation or financial product.

Before making any financial decisions, entering into any agreement, or acting on any information provided by OIC Architects, you should obtain independent advice from a qualified financial adviser, accountant, or solicitor.

7. General Information, Not Professional Advice

7.1 General information only: The content on this Website, our social media, our videos (including YouTube) and our other public materials, including guides, checklists, ebooks, tools, case studies, cost figures and price ranges, is general information only. It is based on our experience and research at the time it was written, it does not take your property, budget or circumstances into account, and it may be incomplete, out of date or wrong. It is not legal, planning, building, engineering, design, financial or other professional advice.

7.2 Check before you act: Planning rules, approval pathways, building costs and consultant fees change over time and depend on the property. Before you rely on any information from this Website, or make decisions or commitments based on it, confirm it with a suitably qualified professional, your council or a registered certifier, or with us under a written agreement. Any reliance you place on information on this Website is at your own risk.

7.3 Cost figures and price ranges: Cost figures on this Website, such as building costs per square metre or what reports from other consultants may cost, are indicative only. They are drawn from published sources and our own experience, they vary with the project, the site and the market, and they change over time. They are not quotes. Obtain written quotes before you set a budget or commit to anything.

7.4 Our fees: Our fees shown on this Website are a guide only and exclude GST unless stated otherwise. They depend on the project and its scope, and we may change them at any time, including before this Website is updated. The fee for your project is the one set out in our written quote or proposal, which we confirm with you before any work starts.

7.5 Professional advice from us: We give professional advice, including design advice, only to clients who have engaged us under a written agreement, for example for a feasibility study, a lease check or a design stage. Using this Website, contacting us or having a free introductory call with us does not create a client relationship, and anything we say in a free introductory call is general in nature. Where you engage us, that agreement governs our services, and these Terms continue to apply to your use of the Website.

8. Third-Party Content and Links

This Website may contain links to websites, content or services operated by third parties (“Third-Party Sites”). These links are provided for convenience only and do not imply any endorsement, approval, or control by OIC Architects of the linked websites, their operators, or any associated information, products or services.

OIC Architects is not responsible for the content, accuracy, legality or availability of any Third-Party Sites. We accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by your use of or reliance on content, products or services available on or through any Third-Party Site.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by law, OIC Architects makes no representations or warranties about the accuracy, reliability, suitability, completeness, or timeliness of the content, tools, features or functionality provided on this Website.

This Website and all content provided through it are provided on an “as is”, “as available” basis, without any express or implied warranties of any kind.

Without limiting the generality of the above, we do not warrant that:

The Website will be available at all times or be free from interruptions, errors or omissions;
The Website or its content will be free from viruses, malware, or other harmful components;
Any defects will be corrected;
The content is up to date, complete or applicable to your specific circumstances;
The transmission of data to or from the Website is secure or free from interception.

10. Limitation of Liability

OIC Architects, its directors, officers, employees and contractors shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, losses, claims or expenses (including legal costs) whatsoever arising out of or in connection with your use of the Website or any content on it, including any action you take, or don't take, in reliance on general information, guides, cost figures or prices published on it.

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantees, rights or remedies under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot be excluded. To the extent permitted by law and where the Website, content or any services supplied via the Website are not of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal, domestic or household use, our liability for failure to comply with a consumer guarantee is limited to re-supplying the relevant services or paying the cost of re-supplying them.

11. Indemnity

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify OIC Architects, its directors, officers, employees and contractors against claims, losses, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal costs) to the extent they arise from:

Your breach of these Terms & Conditions;
Your unlawful use of the Website; or
Any content, data or information you submit through the Website that infringes the rights of another person.

12. Variation and Termination

We may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time. The current version is always available on this page, and changes take effect when they are published. If you continue to use the Website after a change is published, the updated Terms apply to that use. Changes do not affect any agreement you have already made with us for our services.

We may, at any time and without notice, do any of the following:

Modify, suspend or terminate the operation of, or access to, the Website (or any part of it);
Restrict access to some or all parts of the Website;
Refuse access to any user, for any reason;
Discontinue or modify any feature, content, or service provided via the Website.

13. Governing Law

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. By accessing and using this Website, you submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales and any courts entitled to hear appeals from those courts.

14. Dispute Resolution

a) If a dispute arises in connection with these Terms or any services supplied via the Website (a Dispute), either party may give the other a written notice describing the Dispute. Senior representatives must meet (in person or by video) within 14 days of the notice to try to resolve it in good faith.

b) If the Dispute is not resolved within 21 days after the notice, either party may refer it to mediation administered by the Resolution Institute under its Mediation Rules. The mediation will be held in Sydney, NSW (or by video conference). If the parties cannot agree on a mediator within 10 days, the Resolution Institute will appoint one. Each party will bear its own costs; the mediator’s fees will be shared equally.

c) If the Dispute is not resolved within 30 days after the mediator’s appointment (or such longer period agreed in writing), either party may commence proceedings in a court or tribunal of New South Wales, Australia.

d) Nothing in this Section prevents either party from seeking urgent interlocutory relief, recovering undisputed amounts, or enforcing intellectual property rights at any time.

e) All Dispute resolution communications are without prejudice and confidential, to the extent permitted by law.

15. Severability and Waiver

15.1 Severability: If any provision of these Terms is invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, that provision is severed to the extent of the invalidity, and the remaining provisions continue in full force.

15.2 Waiver: A failure or delay by OIC Architects to exercise a right, power or remedy does not operate as a waiver. A waiver must be in writing and signed by OIC Architects, and a waiver on one occasion does not prevent enforcement on another.

16. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these Terms & Conditions, the content on this Website, or how OIC Architects operates, you may contact us by email at info@oicarchitects.com.au.

17. Online Tools and Artificial Intelligence

17.1 How we use AI: We may use AI and machine learning technologies, including tools supplied by third parties, to support our internal workflows, for example to help draft emails, quotes and documents, and for research, analysis, transcription and translation. Our people review this work, and our architects remain responsible for the advice and designs we provide to our clients. We do not use client information to train AI models. How AI tools handle personal information is explained in our Privacy Policy.

17.2 Online tools, including the CDC Checker: The Website may offer online tools, such as our CDC Checker. Their results are produced automatically by a series of checks, some of them assisted by AI, applied to the information and documents you provide and to public planning information. A result is general guidance only. It is not a planning certificate, a complying development certificate (CDC), a development consent or professional advice, and it does not guarantee that a CDC or any other approval will be issued. Only a council or a registered certifier can issue a CDC. Results may be incomplete or wrong, for example where planning controls have changed or the information provided is incomplete, so check a result with your council, a registered certifier or us before relying on it.

17.3 Our methods: How our online tools work, including their checks, rules and data, is confidential and remains our intellectual property. You must not copy, reverse engineer or attempt to extract it.

17.4 What you provide: Only enter or upload information and documents that you are entitled to share, and do not provide personal information about other people unless you are authorised to do so.

17.5 Separate terms: An online tool may have its own terms of use. Where it does, those terms apply to that tool together with these Terms, and prevail if the two are inconsistent.

18. Language

a) We may provide translations of these Terms (for example, in Chinese) for convenience. If there is any inconsistency or ambiguity between a translated version and the English version, the English version governs.

b) All notices and Dispute Resolution under Section 14 will be in English, unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Terms & Conditions