Trust and safety

How villas are verified

Hosts can verify ownership of their villa by adding a verification token to their Airbnb (or other OTA) calendar feed. Bukavilla checks for the token and marks the villa as verified when it's found. Verified villas display a verification mark on their listing.

Verification is optional during the pre-launch period. Not every villa is verified yet — but the absence of a mark doesn't mean a villa is suspicious, just unverified.

Reviews

After your stay, you can leave a review on the booking page. Reviews are:

• One per booking (you can review once per stay)
• Rated 1–5 stars with an optional written comment
• Public on the villa's listing
• Open to a public reply from the host

Bukavilla shows direct reviews (from Bukavilla bookings) and Airbnb-imported reviews side by side on a villa's page, so you can read both before booking.

House rules

Each villa sets its own rules. The most common configurable rules are:

• Pets — allowed or not (check with host even if allowed; size and breed may matter)
• Smoking — allowed or not
• Events / parties — allowed or not
• Quiet hours — start and end times
• Maximum guests
• Free-text rules — anything else the host wants to specify

These are visible on every listing before you book. By booking, you agree to them. Repeated or serious violations can be grounds for early termination at the host's discretion.

Safety concerns

If you feel unsafe at a property, your priority is to leave and contact local emergency services if needed. After you're safe:

• Document the situation with photos and notes
• Notify the host through the booking thread
• Contact Bukavilla support — we can help with documentation and follow-up

Bukavilla support is a platform-mediation channel. It is not a substitute for police, fire, or medical emergency services.

Bukavilla's role and your responsibility

Bukavilla is a platform that connects guests with hosts. It doesn't hold your money, process payments, or guarantee transactions or stays. The relationship is between you and the host: you book and pay them; they host you. If something goes wrong with the payment or the stay, Bukavilla can help with platform-related issues (messaging access, listing accuracy, host conduct) but can't reverse a transaction or compel a refund.

This means a few things in practice:

• Self-arranged payments are legitimate. Some hosts prefer to share their payment details through the booking message thread and have you transfer directly. This is a real, supported option — but treat it like any private transaction: confirm the recipient, document the amount, keep records. Bukavilla isn't tracking it on your behalf.
• Use your judgment with new or unfamiliar listings. A listing with no reviews, generic stock photos, and a price well below comparable villas isn't necessarily a problem, but warrants extra care — message the host, ask specific questions, and trust your instincts.
• Pressure to pay quickly is a yellow flag. Legitimate hosts don't usually rush guests. Take the time you need.
• Documentation requests should fit the context. Some destinations require legal stay registration with passport details — that's normal. Anything beyond that, ask why.

If something feels off, message Bukavilla support and we'll look at the conversation and help where the platform can.