This Policy explains your responsibility as a guest for the property you book on Zuta Stays, when a host can submit a damage claim against you, how claims are reviewed, and how Zuta may charge for verified damage.
1. Guest Responsibility
By booking a stay you agree to:
- treat the property with reasonable care;
- comply with the host's house rules (e.g., maximum guests, no-smoking, pet rules, quiet hours) as published on the listing;
- not exceed the booked guest count without the host's written consent;
- not sublet, host third-party events, or use the property for any unlawful purpose;
- promptly inform the host of any damage that occurs, accidental or otherwise;
- leave the property in substantially the same condition as on check-in, ordinary wear-and-tear excepted.
You are responsible for the conduct of any additional guests you bring.
2. Authorization to Charge for Verified Damage
By booking, you authorize Zuta to charge — or to request payment for — verified post-stay amounts owed to the host (damage, missing items, unpaid fees, policy-violation penalties, additional cleaning beyond ordinary wear, late-checkout fees, or unauthorized guest-count fees) in accordance with this Policy and the Payment Authorization Policy. Zuta will not charge for damage without:
- a host claim filed within the host claim window (§3);
- evidence supporting the claim (§4);
- a guest notice and response window (§5);
- Zuta's administrative review and approval (§6).
3. Host Claim Window
A host may submit a damage claim within 72 hours of guest checkout. Claims submitted after the 72-hour window are generally rejected, except in cases of latent damage (damage not reasonably discoverable on a normal post-checkout walkthrough) which Zuta may review at its discretion.
4. Host Evidence
A claim must include:
- a description of what was damaged or what additional fee is being claimed;
- the amount being claimed in the booking currency;
- supporting evidence — typically photographs of the damage, repair invoices or quotes, replacement-cost references, or a contractor estimate.
Claims with insufficient evidence are returned to the host for completion or denied.
5. Guest Notice and Response Window
When a claim is submitted you are notified by push, email, and in-app message, and you have 48 hours to respond. You may:
- Accept the claim (in whole or in part) — the approved amount proceeds to charge per §7.
- Dispute the claim with your own evidence (photos, receipts, a written response).
- Ignore the notice — the claim moves to administrative review per §6.
6. Administrative Review
After the guest response window closes, a Zuta administrator reviews the claim, the host evidence, and the guest response (if any). The administrator may approve in full, partially approve, deny, or request more information before deciding. No charge is attempted without administrative approval. Approved amounts may be less than the host's original claim.
7. Charge Method
For approved amounts, Zuta will attempt to collect using the payment method you authorized at booking, in this order:
- Off-session charge to the same card or processor used for the booking, where the processor and the original consent permit it (typically Stripe).
- Payment request link sent to your registered email and in-app inbox, where off-session charge is unavailable or fails (e.g., MTN MoMo bookings, where Zuta does not currently hold an off-session capability — see Payment Authorization Policy §6 for details).
- Manual collection if both routes fail; Zuta may restrict your account from making new bookings until the balance is settled, and may pursue lawful collection options.
You will receive a receipt for any successful charge.
8. Disputes After Charge
If you believe a charge was made in error you may file a dispute through in-app support within 30 days of the charge. Zuta will reopen the claim, request additional evidence as needed, and either reverse the charge, partially reverse, or confirm. Filing a chargeback with your bank without going through this dispute path may delay resolution.
9. Insurance and Limits
This Policy does not constitute insurance. Where a host or Zuta carries insurance for property damage, the existence and scope of such cover is governed by the relevant insurance policy and is not a guarantee of coverage. The maximum amount Zuta will collect in a single damage claim is governed by the booking-currency cap published in our Help Center; amounts above the cap must be pursued by the host directly.
10. Repeated Claims and Abuse
Zuta may decline claims, suspend the booking privilege, or restrict the account when there is evidence of:
- inflated or fabricated damage claims by hosts;
- repeated bad-faith disputes by guests;
- coordinated fraud or chargeback abuse;
- false evidence on either side.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Policy. Material changes are versioned and may require re-acceptance before your next booking.