Every booking depends on trust. This page explains, in plain language, what we check, who reviews it, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Identity verification
Hosts verify before a listing goes live, and guests verify before a first booking is confirmed. You upload a government-issued ID and take a selfie, and a person on our review team makes the final decision. You get an email either way. If we decline, we tell you what was unreadable or missing so you can resubmit.
ID documents are stored encrypted and used only for verification and fraud checks. Other guests and hosts never see your documents, only that you are verified.
Listing moderation
New listings are reviewed before they appear in search. We check that the photos, details, and safety information are complete and accurate.
Review moderation
Reviews come from completed bookings only. Reviews that break our guidelines are removed, and repeat offenders can be warned or suspended.
Fraud prevention
We review suspicious sign-ups, payments, and booking patterns, and block accounts that look fraudulent before they can affect anyone else.
Secure payments
Payments are handled by our payment provider. Card details are never stored on HelloHoliday servers.
Account security
Passwords are stored hashed, never in plain text, and two-step verification by email is available on every account.
Refunds, step by step
Open the booking, choose Cancel booking, and select a reason. You see the refund amount before you confirm it. The cancellation policy that applied when you booked is the one we use, and it never changes afterwards. If you are reporting a problem with the property, add photos and your messages to the host: both sides can respond before our team decides. Approved refunds go back to the payment method you used; how quickly the money lands depends on your bank or card issuer.
How hosts get paid
A payout is created once a booking is confirmed and paid, and scheduled for the checkout date of the stay. After the stay ends, our team releases it to the bank account on the host's profile, minus the platform fee shown on the booking. Bank transfers usually take a few business days. Nothing is held back without an open dispute, and if one exists we tell the host why.
Pricing you can check
Hosts set their nightly rate and we never change it. The total you see before paying is the whole total: nightly rate, cleaning, platform fee, and taxes are listed separately so you can see where each amount comes from. Prices can be converted to your currency for display, and the charge is taken in the listing currency at the rate shown at checkout.
What we publish
Our fees, cancellation rules, refund criteria, and review policy are written down on this site rather than decided case by case. When we change one, the page shows a new updated date, and existing bookings keep the terms they were made under.
Community reporting
Anyone can report a listing, review, or user. Every report goes to our support team for review.
Still need help?
Our support team replies to most enquiries within 24 hours.