We are no longer accepting submissions. All entries are being compiled and winners will be selected at random and notified during the first week of February. Thank you to everyone who shared their story with us.
We know the shutdown is affecting government workers and contractors, and potentially their homes. Homesnap helps people find homes, and now we’re helping people stay in them, too.
If you’re a government worker or contractor who has been impacted by the shutdown, share your story with us. Homesnap will randomly select 10 entries from government workers and contractors and pay their mortgage or rent in February.
Here’s how to participate:
What does your home mean to you? Snap a photo, record a video, or tell us in a few words using #MyHomeMeans and #ShutdownStories on social media by January 31. Make sure to tag Homesnap too, so we can see your submission.
Not affected but want to help spread the word to others? Tap a button below to share this giveaway on social media.
Looking for relief resources to help those affected by the government shutdown? Homesnap is maintaining an up-to-date document with institutions providing financial relief during the shutdown.
Not on social media? No problem. You can still submit your story here:
We are no longer accepting submissions. Winners will be contacted during the first week of February 2019.
SPONSOR: Homesnap, Inc., 7200 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814 (“Sponsor”).
CAMPAIGN PERIOD: The Campaign begins at 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 31, 2019 (“Campaign Period”).
METHOD(S) OF ENTRY: During the Campaign Period:
(1) Share your Shutdown Story through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtag #MyHomeMeans and #ShutdownStories;
(2) Visit the homesnap.com/myhomemeans (“Website”) and submit your information via the entry form; or
(3) Mail an entry to Sponsor at the address listed above. No special form of entry is required, except that you must include your full name, your mailing address, and your email address (or phone number) in order to be eligible. The entry must be received by Sponsor during the Campaign Period.
PRIZE(S) TO BE AWARDED:
A prize equivalent to one month of your rent or mortgage payment, up to $2,500 (two thousand, five hundred dollars).
A total of ten (10) prizes, one prize awarded to ten (10) different Winners.
Total retail value of each prize depends on Winner’s monthly rent or mortgage amount, but will not exceed $2,500 per prize. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.
1. ELIGIBILITY: THE CAMPAIGN IS OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, EXCLUDING RESIDENTS OF FLORIDA, RHODE ISLAND, AND NEW YORK, WHO ARE UNPAID FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS AND ARE AT LEAST THE AGE OF 18 OR OLDER AT THE TIME OF ENTRY. Residents of Florida, New York, and Rhode Island are not eligible to enter and may not enter the Campaign. Employees, officers and directors of Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, advertising, promotion or production agencies, Web masters/suppliers (and their IRS dependents, immediate family members (spouse, parents, children, siblings) and individuals residing in their same household, whether or not related) are not eligible to participate. By participating, entrants agree to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding in all respects. The number of entries is limited to one entry per person, regardless of method of entry. To be eligible for a prize, the entrant must comply with all of Sponsor’s requests to determine eligibility, including providing all requested documents.
2. CAMPAIGN PERIOD: Campaign begins and ends at the times listed above. Sponsor’s computer is the official time keeping device for this Campaign.
3. TO ENTER: During the Campaign Period, enter as described above in the paragraph titled “Method(s) of Entry.” Any other attempted form of entry is void. Submissions become property of the Sponsor. Please see the Privacy Policy located at https://www.homesnap.com/legal/privacy for details of Sponsor’s policy regarding the use of personal information.
4. GENERAL CONDITIONS: All federal, state and local taxes, if any, on prizes and any other costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided are solely Winner’s responsibility. By participating in the Campaign you acknowledge and agree that Sponsor is not paying any Winner’s rent or mortgage directly, and that Sponsor is not responsible for delivering any prize on any specific schedule. Sponsor is not responsible for providing prizes before your rent or mortgage payments are due.
Except where legally prohibited, Winner(s) grant(s) (and agree(s) to confirm such grant in writing) permission to Sponsor and those acting under its authority the right to the use of their name, picture, likeness, voice, social media account name(s) and avatars, entry submissions (including text, photographs, videos and other items submitted as part of the entry), biographical information and statements, at any time or times, for advertising, trade, publicity and promotional purposes without additional compensation, in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide in perpetuity, and on the Internet and World Wide Web, without notice, review or approval, unless prohibited by law.
5. POTENTIAL WINNER SELECTION PROCESS: Sponsor will randomly select ten (10) entrants at the end of Campaign Period; each of these selected entrants is considered a “Potential Winner.” To receive a prize, a Potential Winner must meet all eligibility requirements to be deemed a Winner and receive a prize, including responding to Sponsor’s communications. Sponsor will contact Potential Winner(s) through the provided contact information, namely, a direct message to the social media account used to submit the entry or the e-mail address or phone number listed in the website or mailed entry form. If any prize or prize notification or attempted notification is returned as undeliverable, if a Potential Winner does not respond within forty-eight (48) hours, or if a Potential Winner is found to be ineligible or otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules, the Potential Winner is not eligible and the associated prize may be forfeited. In Sponsor’s sole discretion, Sponsor may identify an alternate Potential Winner.
In case of a dispute, the individual listed as the owner of the social media account used to enter the Campaign at the actual time of entry will be deemed to be the entrant, and must comply with these Official Rules.
6. VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY: In order to qualify as a winner, each Potential Winner must also provide (1) a signed Affidavit of Eligibility; (2) a copy of the relevant portion of Potential Winner’s lease or mortgage statement to verify Potential Winner’s monthly rent or mortgage amount; and (3) sufficient documentation, as determined by Sponsor in Sponsor’s sole discretion, to verify Potential Winner’s status as an unpaid federal employee or government contractor; and (4) any other documents Sponsor may request in order to evaluate and verify each Potential Winner’s eligibility (collectively, the “Required Documents”). Upon verification of a Potential Winner’s eligibility and Required Documents, the Potential Winner shall be deemed a Winner.
By accepting a prize, each Winner acknowledges they are in compliance with these Official Rules and agrees to work with Sponsor to provide all information necessary to award the prize. The name(s) of the Winner(s) will be posted at homesnap.com/myhomemeans within ten (10) days of verification of the eligibility of the Potential Winners.
7. PRIZES / ODDS: The Prize(s) is/are listed above in the paragraph titled “Prize.” The Prize will be provided in the form of a check written out to the Winner. Each entrant understands and agrees (a) if their monthly rent or mortgage amount is greater than $2,500, the Prize shall not exceed $2,500; and (b) if their monthly rent or mortgage amount is less than $2,500, the Prize shall be the amount of the monthly rent or mortgage and a Winner is not entitled to receive the difference between this amount and the $2,500 limit. If a Winner cannot accept a prize as stated for any reason including, but not limited, not responding to Sponsor’s communications, such Prize will be forfeited and may be awarded to an alternate winner in Sponsor’s sole discretion. No substitution, cash redemption or transfer of prize permitted. However, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute the advertised prize with a prize of equal or greater value. Any difference between stated value and actual value will not be awarded. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. If you are selected and eligible as a winner, your information may also be included in a publicly available winner’s list.
8. RELEASE AND LIABILITY LIMITATIONS: By submitting an entry, each participant (i) releases Sponsor, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and each of their parents, subsidiaries and affiliated companies, advertising and promotion agencies, and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) and agrees that the Released Parties shall have no liability whatsoever for, and shall be held harmless by participants against any liability (A) for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind to person(s), including death, or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in this Campaign or any Campaign-related activities, (B) resulting from claims by third parties relating to the posting of their likeness by a participant, (C) resulting from claims that participant’s entry violates or otherwise infringes the rights of a third party, and (D) a participant’s failure to comply with these rules.
IN NO EVENT WILL RELEASED PARTIES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ENTRANT’S PARTICIPATION IN THE CAMPAIGN OR USE OF A PRIZE. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO EVERY PARTICIPANT. CHECK LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.
9. TAMPERING AND TECHNOLOGY ISSUES: (a) Released Parties are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or non-delivered entries; or for interrupted or unavailable satellite, network, server, Internet Service Provider, unavailable or inaccessible websites, telephone or other connections, availability or accessibility, or miscommunications, or failed computer, telephone, or other technical failure, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, or other errors of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic or network or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information or the failure to capture, or loss of, any such information; (b) persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of this Campaign or otherwise attempt to undermine the legitimate operation of the Campaign by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or Sponsor’s representatives, as solely determined by the Sponsor, will be disqualified; (c) any use of robotic, automatic, macro, programmed or like entry methods will void all such entries by such methods, and disqualify any entrant using such methods; (d) should any portion of the Campaign be, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, technical failures or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of entries, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Campaign, and randomly select the winners from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor; (e) Released Parties are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by Website users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Campaign, and assume no responsibility for any error, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation, or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction, or unauthorized use of any Website.
10. GOVERNING LAW & JURISDICTION: These Official Rules and the Campaign are subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of the Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Campaign, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Maryland, without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof, and any matters or proceedings shall take place in the State of Maryland in Montgomery County.
11. DISCLAIMER OF AFFILIATION. This Campaign is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to Sponsor and not to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding this Campaign shall be directed to Sponsor and not to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. FACEBOOK is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. TWITTER is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc. INSTAGRAM is a registered trademark of Instagram LLC.