1. Purpose and Scope
A guest decides to book a stay on the strength of what your listing says and shows. This policy sets the minimum standard for every listing on Pravaasa Stays so that what guests see is what they get. It applies to every stay type (homestays, villas, cottages, farmstays, resorts, boutique and heritage properties, apartments, guesthouses, hostels, houseboats, hotels, and similar), and to the people who create or edit those listings.
It should be read with the Host Terms, the Host Verification & KYC Standards, and the Prohibited Properties & Activities policy. A listing that breaks this policy may be sent back for changes, removed from search, or unlisted.
2. Who Can List and What You Can List
You may list a property only if you are the owner, or you have the owner's written authorisation to let it to guests, and the property can lawfully operate as guest accommodation. You must be 18 or older and have accepted the Host Agreement.
Choose the stay type that honestly describes the offering. A single room in a family home is a private room in a homestay, not an 'entire villa'. An apartment is not a resort. Choosing the wrong type to rank higher or to attract the wrong guests is misrepresentation.
One physical property should have one listing. If you have several rooms or units, list them as rooms or units inside the same listing, each with its own capacity and rate.
3. From Draft to Live: The Listing Lifecycle
3.1 Stages
Draft: every new listing starts as a draft. A draft is visible only to you and to our review team.
Pending review: once you have filled in the listing and the verification checklist, our team reviews it. The review is carried out by people, and listings are typically reviewed by our team in the order they are received.
Live: a listing becomes visible to guests and bookable only after an explicit, recorded approval. Pravaasa never publishes a property without this step.
Suspended or archived: a live listing may be paused (suspended) while we investigate, or removed (archived) if it is declined or if you leave the platform.
3.2 Review outcomes
For each reviewed listing our team can approve it, ask for changes, or decline it. A written reason is required for every decision, and every decision is logged. If we ask for changes, the listing stays a draft until you fix the issues and it is reviewed again. A declined listing is archived, and you can contact support if you think the decision was wrong.
A listing cannot be approved unless every publication readiness check in section 4 is met.
4. Publication Readiness Checks
Before a listing can go live, all of the following must be true:
- Your organisation account is active.
- The exact location is pinned on the map (latitude and longitude).
- At least three property photos are uploaded.
- At least three amenities or facilities are listed.
- A stay type is selected.
- Meal or dietary information is set (including a clear note that no meals are served, if that is the case).
- At least one active room or unit has a price and open dates that guests can book.
- All verification items for your property are verified and none has expired or is due for review (see Host Verification & KYC Standards).
The owner portal shows a Completeness Score with the weighted checks (address, exact location, amenities, meal information, photos, stay type, and a bookable priced unit) and lists the next steps in order of importance. Treat it as a guide for completing your listing, but note that a high score does not by itself approve a listing.
5. Titles, Descriptions, and Property Details
Every listing must state the property type, the real location, the capacity, the bedrooms, beds, and bathrooms, the check-in and check-out times, and the house rules. Titles must name the property in plain words. Do not use misleading superlatives, unrelated keywords, other towns' names, or claims you cannot support, such as 'beachfront' when the beach is a 20-minute drive away, or '5-star' without a recognised rating.
Descriptions may be up to 2,000 characters. Write in plain language and say what makes the property special and what guests should know before booking: steep roads, long walks from parking, limited mobile network, power cuts, seasonal water supply, or farm animals on site.
Do not include phone numbers, email addresses, social media handles, website links, or payment details in titles, descriptions, photos, or house rules. Guests and hosts communicate through the platform, and all bookings are paid through it.
6. Location and Map Pin
Pin the property on the map at its real position. The pin and address you give must match, and both must match the photos and the route guests will actually take. We use the pin for search, distance, directions, and 'near me' discovery, so a wrong pin damages guests' trips.
Do not pin a nearby town, a landmark, or another property to appear closer to a destination. Fictitious or intentionally inaccurate coordinates are treated as a serious violation. If your property is remote or hard to find, describe the last stretch of the route in the listing and the guidebook.
Our team compares the pin against the address and the photos and may ask you to correct it. See the Host Verification & KYC Standards for how the location check is done.
7. Photographs and Visual Content
7.1 Technical and content requirements
You need at least three photos to publish a listing. Photos must be uploaded as JPEG, PNG, or WebP, and each file must be 8 MB or less. The first photo is used as your cover image, so choose one that clearly shows your property.
Show the real place: the exterior and surroundings, each room type, the bathrooms, the common areas, and the key amenities you advertise, such as a pool, kitchen, or view. Photos should show the property as it looks now.
7.2 What is not allowed
- Photos of another property, stock photos, images copied from other sites or social media, or images you do not have the right to use.
- Computer-generated renders, heavily edited images, or AI-generated pictures that show something the property does not have.
- Photos taken long before major changes, or of rooms or facilities that guests will not actually get.
- Watermarks, logos of other platforms, promotional text overlays, phone numbers, and website addresses.
- Images of identifiable people, including guests and staff, without their consent.
- Photos that show nudity, violence, or anything that breaks the law.
Hosts retain ownership of their photos and descriptions, and give Pravaasa a licence to display and optimise them to market the listing, as stated in the Terms & Conditions.
8. Amenities, Facilities, and Meals
List only amenities that guests will actually have during their stay and that work. If a facility is shared, seasonal, available only for an extra charge, or subject to conditions (a pool open only in summer, hot water on a solar timer, Wi-Fi in common areas only), say so in the listing.
Set your meal offering honestly: no meals, breakfast only, all meals, or meals on request, together with dietary options you can serve (vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or vegan). Do not suggest a meal is included if it is an extra. Guests with allergies or dietary needs rely on this information.
Pet-friendliness, child suitability, accessibility, and smoking rules must also be stated clearly.
9. Rooms, Units, and Capacity
For each room or unit, list the name, the unit type, how many of that type you have, the maximum number of adults, the maximum number of children, the total maximum occupancy, the beds (type and number), the bathroom type and features, and the meal plan.
Capacity is a safety and legal limit. Never advertise capacity you cannot safely and lawfully accommodate, and never accept more guests than listed. If you allow an extra bed, state whether it is free or chargeable.
10. Pricing, Taxes, and Fees
Your rates are set by you. Guests pay no Pravaasa service fee, so the price a guest sees is your rate, together with applicable taxes (for example GST, where it applies) and any other charges that you list. Show every mandatory charge in the price breakdown before booking. Guests must never be asked for additional mandatory payments on arrival for things that were not disclosed.
Keep your rates consistent. Do not advertise a low price to attract bookings and then ask for a higher price by message, and do not change prices after a booking is confirmed. Do not offer a discount for paying outside the platform.
Choose a cancellation policy (Flexible, Moderate, or Strict) and apply it as shown. The policy is displayed to guests before they pay.
11. House Rules and Policies
Set clear and lawful house rules before you go live: check-in window, check-out time, quiet hours, children, extra beds, pets, smoking, parties and events, visitors, and whether a local ID is accepted. Guests agree to the rules shown when they book, so rules must not be changed in ways that disadvantage a guest after booking.
House rules must not discriminate. You may set rules based on safety, occupancy, and legitimate property use, but not on a guest's caste, religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
Disclose any cameras. Cameras at gates, driveways, or outer perimeters must be stated in the listing. Cameras are never allowed inside bedrooms, bathrooms, or changing areas.
12. Availability and Calendar Accuracy
Show real availability. Keep your calendar updated in the owner portal and, where you use it, through iCal synchronisation with your other calendars, so that guests cannot book dates you cannot honour. Open only the dates and the number of rooms you can actually provide.
If you have a double booking or must withdraw dates, act quickly, inform the guest, and contact support. Repeated calendar errors, or cancelling guests because of calendar mistakes, may lead to penalty fees and loss of ranking.
13. Prohibited Listing Practices
The following are not allowed and will lead to the listing being removed, and may lead to action on your account (see Prohibited Properties & Activities):
- Duplicate listings of the same property, or splitting one property into several listings to dominate search results.
- Fake, 'ghost', or non-existent properties; listing a property you do not own or manage; or using someone else's property name, photos, or reviews.
- False property type, false capacity, false location, false amenities, or false ratings or certifications.
- Bait-and-switch: advertising one price or property and offering another, or adding mandatory fees guests were not told about.
- Keyword stuffing and irrelevant tags to manipulate search.
- Including contact details or links to take guests off the platform, or asking for off-platform payments or deposits.
- Using the listing to collect personal data for any purpose other than hosting.
- Fake or manipulated reviews or ratings.
14. Quality Monitoring and Enforcement
We review listings before they go live and we respond to reports from guests, hosts, and the public. Guests can report a property from the Trust & Safety page (Report a Property or Report Fraud). We may also ask you to update a listing or re-verify details if we find an inconsistency, a guest reports a mismatch, or your documents expire.
A listing that violates this policy may be sent back for changes, hidden from search, unlisted pending investigation, or permanently removed. Serious or repeated violations may result in payout holds, account suspension or termination, and referral to authorities where required.
If a guest arrives and the property does not match the listing in a material way, the guest may be entitled to a refund or help in finding alternate accommodation, and the host may be held responsible.
15. Changes to Your Listing and Contact
Keep your listing accurate over time. If you renovate, change room types, remove an amenity, change the cancellation policy, or change anything else that matters to guests, update the listing promptly. Material changes may be reviewed again.
For help with a listing, or to question a review decision, contact support@pravaasastays.com or use the Support page.
Questions About This Policy?
Our customer support and legal compliance team is available to assist you.