Terms of use

These terms apply to the use of the Erbelo platform, operated by Tom Hoppen (“Erbelo”, “we”). Users' own terms do not apply.

Erbelo is a platform where owners of small and medium-sized businesses receive an indicative valuation and handover readiness, publish anonymous teasers and meet potential successors. A deal room supports both sides with steps, a calculator, documents and messages.

Erbelo is not a party to contracts between users, does not act as broker or agent, does not negotiate for users and provides no legal, tax, investment or financing advice. Valuations, scores and calculations are non-binding estimates for orientation and not a business valuation under IDW S1 or comparable standards.

• Erbelo may be used by persons of full age with full legal capacity.
• Your information must be true. Owners may only list businesses they are entitled to sell.
• Keep your password secret. Tell us immediately if you suspect misuse.
• We review listings before they go live and may reject them if they breach these terms or the law.

Anyone who accepts the confidentiality agreement in the deal room undertakes to keep all information about the business and the owner (in particular name, documents, figures, employees and customers) strictly confidential, to use it only to assess the takeover and not to pass it on to third parties, except to advisers and financiers bound by confidentiality. This obligation continues after talks end.

• No contacting outside Erbelo to circumvent the staged disclosure.
• No content infringing third-party rights; no malware; no automated scraping.
• Upload documents only where you are entitled to; limit third parties' personal data to what is necessary.

During the launch phase, valuation, publishing, contact requests and the deal room are free for owners and successors. If we introduce paid plans, we will announce them in advance; they apply only if you expressly book them.

Success fee: owners who agreed to the fee before publishing pay a fee if they transfer their business (in full or for the most part, as a share or asset sale) to a successor they met through Erbelo. This applies if the purchase agreement is signed within 24 months of the first contact through Erbelo. Amount: the percentage of the purchase price shown when agreeing, at least the minimum shown, plus applicable VAT/sales tax. The purchase price is the total price agreed in the purchase agreement, including liabilities taken over by the buyer and any seller note. It is due when the purchase agreement is signed; Erbelo issues an invoice. If no transfer takes place, no fee is due. Erbelo acts as a platform and introducer, not as an agent of either side, and does not negotiate on your behalf.

We are liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, for injury to life, body or health and under the Product Liability Act. For slight negligence we are liable only for breach of essential contractual obligations and limited to the typical, foreseeable damage. We are not liable for the accuracy of other users' information or for decisions users make based on non-binding estimates.

You can delete your account yourself at any time in the dashboard. We may suspend or terminate accounts for serious breaches.

German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods; mandatory consumer protection rules of the country of residence remain unaffected. The place of jurisdiction for merchants is the provider's registered seat. The German version is binding.