Guidelines for Posts with Financial Compensation

nebenan.de thrives on neighborhood help and private offers to support each other. For this reason, it is important to us that private users nebenan.de are not used to systematically earn money through their private profile. 

As a private individual, you may only offer services on nebenan.de that promote neighborhood and private exchange and where no financial motive is the primary focus. 

PLEASE NOTE: The wording must clearly indicate that you are acting as a private person on a voluntary/non-commercial basis. Prices that cover incurred costs must be transparently listed. 

We ask for your understanding that we will delete posts that violate these guidelines without warning and reserve the right to permanently block profiles in cases of repeated violations or false information. 

For commercial content, there are business profiles on nebenan.de. These are the right way for locally based businesses, shops, self-employed persons, freelancers, artists, and service providers to present themselves on nebenan.de and inform neighbors about offers. To create a business profile on nebenan.de, no business license is required.

Rule of thumb: All posts with profit-making or recurring intent are only permitted on nebenan.de with a business profile. We define regularity as promotional posts shared more than 3 times within 6 months. 

As a private user, you may only offer services on nebenan.de that are not classified by law as subject to tax or commercial registration or if they are not regular paid offers.

Allowed via private profiles are:

• irregular or one-time favors that are not subject to registration by law and where the motive of neighborhood help is primary. Note: (financial) compensation must not be expected. If compensation is agreed upon, it is determined by the person seeking help. Compensation can be a small gift or a reasonable amount of money. 
• Events organized by private individuals for social leisure or knowledge sharing. Charging admission is only possible if it is used solely to cover incurred costs (e.g., materials, room rental). The cost structure must therefore be visible in the post. This also applies to donation-based admission.
• On the marketplace at nebenan.de: strictly sales from private to private; only occasional sales from private ownership without system.
• altruistic recommendations of shops, service providers, freelancers, or events and the search for such recommendations.
• Recruitment of volunteers/participants within one’s own training, provided no payment is requested (e.g., for study work, hairdressing or coaching training).
• Privately organized babysitting, pet care, and tutoring by students for payment is allowed. Note: Income must be officially reported to the tax office.
• Irregular sale of small quantities of self-made products, e.g., hobby beekeeping with seasonal/irregular sale of small amounts of honey, small quantities of knitted socks, handmade jewelry or jams, etc.

 Examples for better understanding: 

• Retired or hobby craftsman offers help irregularly on call without explicitly asking for money. 
• A person needs help moving and offers neighbors €10 as a thank you for carrying boxes.
• Teenager/student offers babysitting or pet care for pocket money. 
• Neighbors form carpool groups and share gas money. 
• Neighbor offers their own apartment for subletting during vacation for a few days.
• Neighbor seeks new tenants for the apartment upon moving out.
• Neighbor offers own car/cargo bike for occasional shared use without explicitly naming a rental price.
• Student seeks study participants for thesis and offers expense allowance.
• Hairdressing apprentice seeks models for free haircuts.
• Systemic coach in training offers free coaching sessions for practice purposes.
• Neighbors invite to a private living room concert and ask for donations for drinks.
• Neighbors organize a “Supper Club” where they cook for other neighbors and charge a fee to cover expenses. 
• Neighbors sell sorted-out baby clothes on the marketplace.
• Neighbors seek recommendations for wedding venues or a good hairdresser/craftsman/gardener.
• Neighbor recommends a newly opened local restaurant where they are not the owner or otherwise involved.

Not allowed via private profiles are:

• Regular activities or registration-required employment relationships where the motive is earning money and the compensation is negotiated based on market prices. 
• Free offers from businesses, freelancers, service providers, etc. with the intention of gaining customers or (later) making a profit. This also includes trial lessons, free trial appointments, donation-based seminars, or open studios.
• On the marketplace at nebenan.de: sales by commercial/professional providers; commercial trade or purchase for resale.
• Recommendation/advertisement of own services, events or offers; detailed advertising including price information as a comment on a private request or as a private message; this also applies to the profile picture in the private profile. Self-serving, regularly recurring recommendations for the same business or offer.
• Multi-level marketing/referral marketing/pyramid schemes and posts by sales partners with profit-making and customer acquisition intent.
• Publication of job advertisements for one’s own business/company/organization or for one’s employer.
• Regular rentals e.g., of holiday apartments, garage spaces, and houses. 
• Advertising the nebenan.de business profile via the nebenan.de private profile.

Examples for better understanding:

• Cleaning help offers to regularly clean neighbors' homes for €15/hour. 
• Neighbor offers professional music lessons at market prices. 
• Neighbor regularly and systematically rents out apartment/holiday home/shared office.
• Owner of a café seeks service staff. 
• Neighbor invites to an open house at their own yoga studio/coaching center.
• Neighbor sells new baby clothes from their own label on the marketplace.
• Restaurant owner recommends the daily specials or posts the menu.
• Neighbor recommends the website of their own studio. 
• Singer publishes an event for a donation-based concert in which they perform.
• Neighbor recommends a paid adult education course where they are the instructor. 
• Sales partner invites to events clearly aimed at promoting and/or selling products.
• Third parties (relatives, partners, friends, acquaintances, etc.) systematically recommend a person’s business, e.g., “my father is looking for customers.”
• User shares an external link or promotes a website without neighborhood relevance to gain a friend discount or similar through customer recruitment.
• Neighbor promotes their own book, YouTube channel, podcast to eventually earn profits through subscriptions.  
• Neighbor regularly sells self-painted pictures / renovated furniture / knitted socks / handmade jewelry / jams / honey from own production. 

Same Rules for Everyone

The same rules apply to everyone on nebenan.de – so be fair and use our business profile if you are a business owner, self-employed, freelancer, artist, or service provider. 

Your advantage: With an official business profile, you increase your credibility and acceptance among your neighbors. You can better present your offers, be recommended with one click, and be listed as a “local partner” in the business directory. 

Create a Business Profile Now