Host Terms

These Host Terms apply to every person or business that lists, manages, or operates a stay, trek, or other offering on Pravaasa Stays, whether you are the owner, a co-owner, an authorised manager, or an operator. They work together with the Host Agreement you accept in the owner portal, our Terms & Conditions, Property Listing Policy, Host Verification & KYC Standards, Prohibited Properties & Activities policy, Cancellation Policy, and Payment & Billing Policy.

You are an independent host. When a guest books your property, the accommodation contract is directly between you and the guest. Pravaasa is a technology platform and marketplace intermediary: we help travellers discover you, take payment securely, hold it in escrow, verify listings, and support both sides if something goes wrong. You keep your direct relationship with your guests, set your own rates and house rules, and run your property in your own way, within the rules in these Host Terms.

You must be at least 18 years old to host. You register through the owner portal, sign in with a verified email or mobile number, and accept the Pravaasa Stays Host Agreement before you can list a property. We record your acceptance, including the version you accepted and when, and we keep that record.

If we make material changes to the commercial terms, you will be asked to accept the updated Host Agreement again. Bookings that were already confirmed continue on the commission rate in force when they were made.

You are responsible for everything done through your account. Keep your sign-in secure, do not share your magic link or OTP, and make sure anyone who works on your behalf (a manager, caretaker, or staff member) follows these terms.

By publishing a listing you confirm that you are the lawful owner of the property, or that you hold valid written authorisation from the owner to let it to guests. You also confirm that nothing else (a lease, a housing society or building rule, a court order, a mortgage condition, or a co-owner's objection) prevents you from doing so.

You may not list a property you rent or lease unless your landlord has expressly allowed short-term guest stays. Sub-letting someone else's property without the owner's consent, occupying a property without right, or listing a property that is under a court order or legal dispute is prohibited and will be treated as a serious violation.

If you are a manager or representative, say so during registration or claim. We may ask for written authorisation from the owner before your listing goes live, and we may ask again at any time.

A new property starts as a draft. It is reviewed by our team and only becomes visible to guests (LIVE) after an explicit, recorded approval. We may approve it, ask you for changes, or decline it. A listing cannot be approved until it meets our publication checks, including an accurate map location, at least three photos, at least three amenities, a stay type, meal information, active priced inventory, and completed verification items.

Our verification checklist, how items are reviewed, and how verification badges are earned and lost are set out in the Host Verification & KYC Standards. By hosting with us you agree to provide accurate verification information, to keep it current, and to respond when we ask you to re-verify.

Approval is a platform check, not a legal certification. It does not replace licences, registrations, or permissions you need under the law. You remain solely responsible for those.

Your listing must truthfully describe the property, the location, the photos, the amenities, the capacity, the meals, the house rules, and the price. Follow the Property Listing Policy. In particular: use real, current photos of your own property; pin the true location; list only facilities that guests can actually use; and do not exaggerate.

Your rates are set by you. You must honour the price and the inclusions shown when a guest booked. You must not add surcharges, 'service' charges, or extra payments on arrival for anything advertised as included, and you must show any mandatory charges (such as taxes or specific fees) in the price breakdown before booking. Advertising a low price and then asking for more on arrival (bait-and-switch) is prohibited.

You choose one of the cancellation policies offered (Flexible, Moderate, or Strict) and you must apply it fairly and consistently.

Bookings that originate on Pravaasa must be paid for and settled through Pravaasa. You must not ask a guest to pay, or accept payment from a guest, outside the platform for a booking that originated here, whether by direct UPI or bank transfer, cash, cheque, or a payment link. You must not ask for an advance, a deposit, or a 'booking confirmation' amount outside the platform, and you must not suggest that the guest will get a better price if they pay you directly.

These rules protect guests from deposit fraud and protect you from payment disputes. Off-platform payment pressure is one of the most serious violations of these terms and may result in unlisting, payout hold, and account termination.

You remain free to talk to your guests directly through platform messages and the WhatsApp host chat, and to welcome returning guests. The restriction is on diverting payment for bookings that came through Pravaasa.

Keep your availability and rates up to date, using the calendar tools in the owner portal or two-way iCal calendar synchronisation as described in the Host Agreement. Double-booking, leaving blocked dates open, or accepting a booking you cannot honour causes real harm to guests.

A confirmed booking, including an InstantMatch request that you have accepted, is a binding commitment. If you cancel a confirmed booking, the guest receives a full refund and may be offered an alternative stay. Cancelling without a genuine emergency may lead to calendar blocks, penalty fees, loss of search ranking, and, for repeated cases, suspension. In some cases we may charge re-allocation costs, as set out in the Host Agreement.

If you truly cannot host (for example, an emergency, a safety issue, or a force majeure event), tell the guest and Pravaasa immediately so we can help the guest find an alternative.

Deliver the stay that you advertised. Keep it clean and in good repair, provide fresh linen, working plumbing, safe drinking water, and working locks, and make sure electrical, gas, and cooking installations are safe. Provide fire safety equipment, such as smoke detectors and extinguishers where appropriate, and mark emergency exits.

Warn guests about known hazards, such as steep paths, uneven steps, water bodies, wildlife, or limited mobile coverage. Where you offer meals, make sure they are prepared safely, and describe them truthfully, including dietary options.

You must never install cameras or recording devices inside private guest areas such as bedrooms, bathrooms, or changing areas. Cameras on outer perimeters, gates, or common outdoor areas are allowed only if you disclose them in your listing. See the Host Safety guide and Prohibited Properties & Activities policy.

You are solely responsible for complying with all laws that apply to your property and your business. This may include local trade or tourism registrations, municipal and zoning permissions, fire safety requirements, police and guest registration duties, food safety licences (such as FSSAI) if you prepare and serve food to guests, and tax registrations including GST where it applies to you.

You must register guests as required by law. This normally means checking each adult guest's government photo ID, keeping a guest register, and reporting foreign nationals to the local police or Foreigners Regional Registration Office within the legal time limit.

Pravaasa's verification checklist captures reference details (for example, PAN, GSTIN where registered, and bank proof) as described in the Host Verification & KYC Standards. We do not give legal advice. If you are unsure which rules apply to your property, take advice from a local professional.

You will receive guest names, contact details, and ID information only so you can host the stay and meet your legal duties. You may use this information only for those purposes. You must keep it secure, must not share it with third parties except where the law requires it, must not use it for marketing without consent, and must delete it when you no longer need it.

Do not publish a guest's personal details, photos, or ID anywhere. Our Privacy Policy explains how Pravaasa handles personal data.

You must treat every guest with courtesy, dignity, and fairness. You must not refuse a booking, cancel a booking, charge a different price, or treat a guest differently because of their caste, religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected identity. Applying consistent, lawful house rules (such as occupancy limits, quiet hours, ID checks, and safety rules) is not discrimination. Using those rules as a cover for discrimination is.

Harassment, intimidation, unwanted entry into guest areas, or pressuring guests in any way is prohibited. Complaints of discrimination or harassment are treated as serious and may lead to removal of your listing and account.

Guests who complete a verified stay can review your property. You must not write, buy, trade, or encourage fake reviews, review your own property, offer incentives for positive reviews, or retaliate against a guest for a review or a complaint.

You can review guests after a verified stay through the Guest Reviews area of the owner portal. Your review must be fair, factual, and free of discriminatory content. Our system blocks guest reviews that refer to race, religion, nationality, gender, or other protected characteristics, and flags low ratings left after the guest raised a dispute, so that our team can check for retaliation. See the Review & Rating Policy.

Pravaasa ranks stays on trust signals from verified stays, not on payment. You cannot buy placement.

The following are strictly prohibited. Many of them also break the law.

- Fake, ghost, duplicate, or impersonated listings, or listings that use photos, locations, or descriptions of a property that is not yours.

- Taking money outside the platform, demanding deposits or advances elsewhere, pressuring guests to pay off-platform, or misusing guest payment details.

- Bait-and-switch pricing, hidden fees, or changing the property or room without the guest's consent.

- Fake, paid, or incentivised reviews, and review retaliation or extortion.

- Hidden cameras or recording devices in private spaces.

- Discrimination, harassment, or abuse of guests, staff, or neighbours.

- Operating without the legal permissions you need, or in a way that puts guests in danger.

- Illegal activity of any kind on the property, including trafficking, exploitation of minors, drug distribution, illegal gambling, or commercial adult entertainment.

- Providing false verification information, or tampering with another person's account or data.

We act in proportion to the seriousness of the breach and the history of the account. Depending on the case, we may ask you to make changes, remove content, unlist a property, block calendar dates, hold or forfeit payouts, suspend your account, or terminate it. In the most serious cases we may suspend straight away, before investigating, to protect guests. We may report suspected crimes to the police or other authorities where the law requires or allows.

If you believe we have made a mistake, email support@pravaasastays.com or use the Support page with your property name and a short explanation. Where a decision was wrong, we will correct it. Appeals do not delay urgent safety actions.

You may stop hosting at any time, but you must honour confirmed bookings or cancel them with the guest's agreement and the cancellation rules. Pravaasa may suspend or end your hosting access if you breach these terms, if you stop meeting verification requirements, or if the law requires it. When an account ends, we will still process escrow for completed stays that were properly honoured, subject to any holds described in section 6.3, and we retain records as required by law.

Questions about these Host Terms can be sent to support@pravaasastays.com or through the Support page.