1. Our Zero-Tolerance Principle
Pravaasa Stays exists so that travellers can trust the stays they book and hosts can trust the guests they welcome. We do not tolerate listings, conduct, or payments that put people at risk, break the law, or deceive others. Pravaasa does not encourage, ignore, or profit from scams, fake listings, fake reviews, off-platform payment pressure, deposit fraud, bait-and-switch, or discrimination, and anyone who does these things is not welcome on the platform.
This policy applies to every host, guest, organiser, manager, and visitor. It covers what you may not list, what you may not do at or through a property, and what you may not do to other users on the platform.
2. How This Policy Works
The categories below are the minimum. Where something is not listed here but is clearly unlawful, unsafe, deceptive, or abusive, we may treat it in the same way. Each category has a severity: critical (for example, fraud or exploitation, which may lead to immediate suspension), high (serious safety or legal issues), or moderate (breaches that can usually be fixed, but get worse if repeated).
We may update the categories over time. The version number and effective date at the top of this page show which version applies.
3. Unlawful or Unregistered Accommodation (Critical)
You may not list a property that cannot lawfully be used as guest accommodation, or that you have no right to let. This includes:
- Properties that operate without the municipal, zoning, tourism, or statutory permissions that apply to them, or that violate local zoning or building rules.
- Properties barred or sealed by a court or a government order, or under a legal dispute that stops them from being let.
- Sub-letting or commercial leasing of a property without the owner's consent.
- Properties occupied without right, such as squatted premises.
- Properties where the host cannot show, when we ask, that they own the property or are authorised by the owner to let it.
4. Fake, Fraudulent, and Impersonated Listings (Critical)
A listing must be a real property, offered by someone with the right to offer it, and must be shown honestly. The following are banned:
- 'Ghost' stays: listings for a property that does not exist or is not available, often illustrated with stock or copied photos.
- Listings that use another property's photos, name, reviews, or location, or that claim to be a property owned by someone else.
- Fictitious or deliberately inaccurate map pins and addresses.
- Listings created to collect advance payments, 'token' amounts, or deposits outside the platform.
- Duplicate listings made to manipulate search ranking.
- False identity, false business details, or forged ownership or licence information given during verification.
Our Property Listing Policy and Host Verification & KYC Standards explain how we check listings. Providing false verification information is itself a violation, whether or not any guest was harmed.
5. Scams, Payment Fraud, and Off-Platform Payment Pressure (Critical)
5.1 Payments outside Pravaasa
Bookings that come through Pravaasa must be paid for through Pravaasa, where payments are processed through Razorpay and held in escrow until 24 hours after check-in. It is prohibited to ask for, offer, or accept payment for a Pravaasa booking by direct UPI, bank transfer, cash, cheque, wallet link, gift card, or any other route outside the platform. It is also prohibited to ask a guest to move a conversation to another app in order to arrange payment, or to offer a discount for paying outside the platform.
Payments made outside the platform lose the protection of our escrow, refund, and dispute processes, and are a common route for scams.
5.2 Deposit and advance fraud
Asking guests for a deposit, 'security amount', 'booking confirmation fee', advance, or balance outside the platform, taking money for a stay that you cannot or do not intend to provide, or refusing to return money that is owed, is fraud. It will be treated as a critical violation.
5.3 Bait-and-switch and hidden charges
You may not advertise one property, room, price, or inclusion and provide another. This includes moving guests to a different or lower-quality property without their agreement, adding mandatory charges that were not shown before booking, charging extra for things that were advertised as included, or telling guests that their booking cannot be honoured unless they pay more.
5.4 Impersonation, phishing, and forged proof
Pretending to be Pravaasa, a Pravaasa employee, a host, a guest, a bank, or a payment provider is prohibited. So is sending links or messages designed to steal OTPs, card or UPI PINs, passwords, or ID documents, and showing forged payment screenshots, receipts, or transfer confirmations. Pravaasa will never ask you for an OTP, a card PIN, or a UPI PIN.
5.5 Fake reviews and ranking manipulation
Fake, paid, incentivised, or retaliatory reviews, review swaps, multiple accounts, and attempts to manipulate trust scores are prohibited. See the Review & Rating Policy.
6. Hazardous and Structurally Unsafe Conditions (High)
Guests must not be placed at serious, avoidable risk. You may not list or operate premises with known hazards that you have not fixed or clearly guarded, including:
- Exposed or faulty high-voltage wiring in guest areas, or unsafe gas installations and leaks.
- Missing, locked, or blocked emergency exits and fire escapes, or no practical way out in a fire.
- Unprotected cliff-edge balconies, open water bodies, steep stairs, or roofs without railings.
- Structurally unsound buildings, or properties in the middle of construction work that makes them unsafe.
- Dangerous wildlife exposure with no safety measures, such as a leopard-prone trail without warnings or barriers.
- Unsafe drinking water or unsanitary conditions that could make guests ill.
If a hazard exists and cannot be removed, it must be disclosed clearly in the listing and communicated to guests, and the property may still be refused if the risk is too high.
7. Hidden Cameras and Privacy Violations (Critical)
Cameras, microphones, or any recording devices in bedrooms, bathrooms, changing areas, or any private part of a stay are strictly banned, whether or not they are switched on. Hidden or undisclosed devices anywhere on the property are also banned. Outdoor perimeter cameras at gates, driveways, or common outdoor areas may be used only if they are disclosed in the listing and do not film private areas.
Secretly recording guests, hosts, or staff, or sharing recordings or images of them without consent, may be a criminal offence. We will remove the listing and the account and may refer the matter to the police.
8. Exploitative, Illegal, and Nuisance Activities (Critical)
You may not use a stay, or the platform, for:
- Human trafficking, exploitation or abuse of minors or vulnerable people, or forced labour.
- Sale, supply, or distribution of illegal drugs, or hosting drug dens.
- Illegal gambling, or commercial adult entertainment.
- Storing or selling illegal weapons, explosives, or unlicensed fireworks.
- Commercial party houses, large unauthorised gatherings, or events that disturb neighbours in residential or rural communities, unless the property is clearly listed for events and has the permissions it needs.
- Money laundering, or any other criminal activity.
We will cooperate with the police and other authorities in these cases.
9. Illegal Wildlife and Environmental Offences (High)
Stays, treks, safaris, and events may not promote or take part in poaching, illegal hunting, trade or possession of protected wildlife, or the harassment and feeding of wild animals. Operators may not run unlicensed safaris or camps in restricted or core forest and reserve areas, or conduct activities that need permits that they do not have.
Illegal sand mining, riverbed encroachment, unauthorised felling, or dumping of waste in sensitive areas by a stay or its operators is also banned.
10. Discrimination, Harassment, and Abuse (Critical)
You may not refuse, cancel, penalise, or treat anyone differently because of their caste, religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected identity. Consistent, lawful house rules based on safety, occupancy, and legitimate use are allowed. Using rules as a pretext for discrimination is not.
Harassment, threats, intimidation, stalking, sexual misconduct, and violence against hosts, guests, staff, neighbours, or Pravaasa personnel are prohibited, whether they happen in person, in messages, in reviews, or elsewhere. Hosts may not enter a guest's private space without notice or consent, other than in an emergency.
11. Other Prohibited Guest and Host Conduct (Moderate to High)
- Exceeding confirmed occupancy, bringing unregistered guests, or sub-letting a stay.
- Using the property for commercial filming, events, or activities that the host has not agreed to.
- Smoking, open fires, or fireworks where they are not allowed.
- Intentional damage, theft, or false damage or refund claims.
- Refusing to follow lawful ID and registration requirements, or giving a false identity.
- Taking personal data from the platform and using it for purposes other than hosting or staying.
- Misusing platform features, including creating multiple accounts to avoid enforcement.
12. How We Find Violations
We find violations through reports from guests, hosts, and the public, and through our own review. New listings are reviewed by a person before they go live, and our team checks listings, locations, photos, and verification details. Duplicate and suspicious listings, disputes, payment problems, and review patterns are also examined. Where facts are unclear, we may ask you for evidence, and we may pause a listing, a payout, or an account while we look into it.
You can report a property, a guest, or suspected fraud through Trust & Safety. Reports are reviewed by our team.
13. Consequences and Enforcement
We act in proportion to the severity, harm, and history of the violation. Depending on the case, actions may include:
- Asking you to correct or remove content, or sending the listing back to draft.
- Hiding or unlisting a property, or blocking calendar dates.
- Removing reviews or other content, and adjusting trust scores.
- Holding payouts while we investigate, and forfeiting payouts where a violation is confirmed, with affected guests refunded where appropriate.
- Cancelling affected bookings and helping guests find alternative stays.
- Suspending, or permanently terminating, accounts and preventing a person from opening new ones.
- Referring the matter to the police, regulators, or other authorities where the law requires or allows it, and cooperating with their investigations.
Critical violations may lead to immediate suspension and termination without prior warning. Moderate violations may start with a warning or a request for changes, but repeated violations will escalate.
14. Reporting a Violation and Appealing a Decision
To report a violation, use Report a Property, Report a Guest, or Report Fraud on the Trust & Safety page, or email support@pravaasastays.com. Include the property name or link, dates, what happened, and any screenshots or evidence. If someone is in immediate danger, call local emergency services (112 in India) first.
If you believe that an action against your listing or account was a mistake, contact support@pravaasastays.com with the details and any evidence. We will reconsider the decision, and correct it if we find it was wrong. Appeals do not suspend urgent safety actions.
Questions About This Policy?
Our customer support and legal compliance team is available to assist you.