Terms of Service

1. About Roomly

Roomly is an online marketplace that connects guests seeking short-term holiday accommodation with hosts offering properties in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Roomly is operated by Roomly (Pty) Ltd (“Roomly”, “we”, “us”).

By creating an account or making a booking you agree to these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use Roomly. By using the platform you represent that you are 18 or older and that you have the legal capacity to enter into binding agreements.

3. The Roomly platform

Roomly is a marketplace. We are not a party to the accommodation agreement between hosts and guests. Hosts are independent third parties responsible for their listings, pricing, house rules, and the condition of their properties. Roomly does not own, manage, or inspect any listed properties.

4. Accounts

• You must provide accurate, complete, and up-to-date information when registering.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password.
• You must notify us immediately of any unauthorised access to your account.
• You may not create multiple accounts or impersonate another person.

5. Booking and payment

5.1 Guest bookings

When you submit a booking request you are making an offer to rent the property at the listed price for the specified dates. For Instant Book listings, acceptance is automatic. For Request to Book listings, the host must manually approve within 24 hours; if they do not respond, the request expires.

5.2 Pricing

Prices displayed are per night in South African Rand (ZAR) and include all applicable fees. Roomly does not charge guests a service fee. The price shown at checkout is the total you pay.

5.3 Roomly host fee

Hosts pay Roomly a platform fee of 8% of the booking total. This fee is deducted from the payout before it is transferred to the host.

5.4 Payouts

Host payouts are processed after the guest's check-in date. Exact payout timelines depend on the payment provider and the host's banking details.

6. Cancellation policy

Each listing has a cancellation policy set by the host (Flexible, Moderate, or Strict). The applicable policy is shown on the listing page and confirmed at checkout.

• Flexible: Full refund if cancelled at least 24 hours before check-in.
• Moderate: Full refund if cancelled at least 5 days before check-in.
• Strict: 50% refund if cancelled at least 7 days before check-in; no refund within 7 days.

Refunds are returned to the original payment method. Roomly's platform fee is non-refundable once a booking is confirmed.

In extenuating circumstances (death, serious illness, natural disaster) Roomly may override the standard policy at its discretion. Contact support@roomly.co.za.

7. Host responsibilities

As a host you agree to:

• Ensure your listing description, photos, and amenities are accurate and up to date.
• Maintain the property in a safe, clean, and habitable condition.
• Comply with all applicable South African laws, municipal by-laws, and short-term rental regulations.
• Not discriminate against guests on the basis of race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected ground under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act.
• Pay all applicable taxes on rental income.
• Hold appropriate insurance for short-term letting.

8. Guest responsibilities

As a guest you agree to:

• Respect the host's house rules.
• Not exceed the maximum guest capacity stated in the listing.
• Leave the property in the condition in which you found it.
• Report any damage to the host promptly and accept liability for damage you cause.
• Not use the property for commercial events, parties, or any illegal activity.

9. Reviews

After checkout, both guests and hosts may leave reviews of each other. Reviews are governed by a double-blind system: a review is not published until the other party has also submitted their review, or 14 days have passed, whichever comes first.

Reviews must be honest, accurate, and comply with our Community Standards. Roomly may remove reviews that are defamatory, contain personal information, or violate these Terms. Reviews cannot be edited once published.

10. Prohibited conduct

You must not:

• Use the platform for any unlawful purpose.
• Circumvent the platform by completing bookings or payments outside Roomly.
• Post false, misleading, or fraudulent listings or reviews.
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users.
• Scrape, crawl, or automate access to the platform without our written permission.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems or another user's account.

Violation of these prohibitions may result in immediate account suspension and legal action.

11. Intellectual property

You retain ownership of content you submit (photos, descriptions, reviews). By submitting content, you grant Roomly a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, display, and distribute that content for the purposes of operating the platform.

All other content on the platform — including the Roomly brand, logo, software, and design — is the property of Roomly (Pty) Ltd and may not be used without our written consent.

12. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law, Roomly shall not be liable for:

• The condition, safety, or legality of any listed property.
• Any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from your use of the platform.
• Any loss resulting from a host cancelling a booking.
• Personal injury, property damage, or theft at a listed property.

Roomly's total liability for any claim shall not exceed the platform fee paid in connection with the booking that gave rise to the claim.

13. Dispute resolution

If a dispute arises between a guest and host, we encourage both parties to resolve it directly. If you cannot reach resolution, contact support@roomly.co.za and we will attempt to mediate in good faith. Roomly's decision in any mediated dispute is final and binding on both parties.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any unresolved disputes shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Eastern Cape Division.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. We will notify registered users by email of material changes. Continued use of Roomly after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15. Contact

Email: support@roomly.co.za
Website: www.roomly.co.za