Who bears the expense of installing and maintaining an intercept message on the Listings for Belocal?
Belocal Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Upon termination or expiration of the Franchise Agreement, Franchisor will have the right and is hereby empowered to effectuate the assignment of the Listings to itself or to any third party it designates.
In the event Franchisor exercises its assignment rights, Franchisee will have no further right, title, or interest in or to the Listings; provided, however, Franchisee shall be obligated to pay all amounts owed in connection with the Listings, including all sums owed to Franchisor, Franchisor's affiliates, or Franchisor's approved suppliers under existing contracts for the Listings, and Franchisee shall immediately, at the Franchisor's request, (i) take any other action as may be necessary to transfer the Listings to the Franchisor or Franchisor's designated agent; (ii) install and maintain on any or all of the Listings, at Franchisee's sole expense, an intercept message, in a form and manner acceptable to Franchisor; (iii) disconnect, cancel, delete, remove, or discontinue the Listings; (iv) relist any Listing in a different location or with a new provider, whether published or online; (v) modify any Listing and any content in such Listing; (vi) provide all login or other access credentials to the Listings; and/or (vii) cooperate with Franchisor or its designated agent in undertaking any or all of the foregoing.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD page 71)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Belocal's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisee is responsible for the expense of installing and maintaining an intercept message on any or all of the Listings. This obligation arises if the Franchisor exercises its assignment rights upon termination or expiration of the Franchise Agreement.
Specifically, the franchisee must install and maintain the intercept message at their sole expense, ensuring the form and manner are acceptable to Belocal. This intercept message would be placed on any or all of the Listings, as directed by Belocal.
In addition to installing and maintaining the intercept message, the franchisee is also obligated to take other actions at Belocal's request, such as transferring the Listings, disconnecting or canceling them, relisting them, modifying their content, and providing login credentials. The franchisee must also cooperate with Belocal in undertaking any of these actions.