1. Purpose and Principles
Travellers book on Pravaasa Stays because they expect the host to be real, the property to exist, the photos to be honest, and their money to reach the right person. Hosts list on Pravaasa because they expect guests to be able to tell them apart from impostors. Verification is how we earn that trust on both sides. It helps us keep out fake and ghost listings, impersonation, deposit fraud, and unlawful operators, and it makes sure that payouts go to the right people.
These standards explain what we check, what we ask you for, how we review it, how we handle what you give us, and what happens if something is wrong. They apply to every host, owner, manager, and organisation that lists on Pravaasa, and they should be read with the Host Terms, the Property Listing Policy, the Prohibited Properties & Activities policy, and our Privacy Policy.
Four principles guide our approach. We ask only for what we need. People review every new property before it can go live. Every decision is written down with a reason. Verification badges are earned and can be lost, and they can never be bought.
Please note that our verification is a platform check. It is not a legal certificate or a guarantee that a property complies with every law, and it does not replace the licences, registrations, and permissions that you need under the law. Those remain your responsibility.
2. Verification at a Glance
We verify seven things before a property can be shown to guests:
- Host account and identity: a verified sign-in, and an accepted Host Agreement.
- Mobile number: a one-time password sent to your phone by SMS or WhatsApp.
- Ownership or authorisation: that you own the property or are authorised by the owner to let it.
- Owner KYC checklist: reference details such as your PAN, your GSTIN where you are registered, and proof of your bank account (these are the items in the India checklist), plus a short-term rental licence number where it applies.
- Precise location: a pin on the map at the property's real position, which matches its address.
- Photos and listing information: at least three real photos, at least three amenities, a stay type, meal information, and at least one active, priced room or unit.
- Payout details: a bank account or UPI ID that belongs to you or your registered business.
The sections below explain each one. The order in which you do them does not matter. Our team approves a property when all of them are in place, and not before.
3. Host Identity and Account
Every host account is tied to a verified contact. In the owner portal you sign in through a one-time link sent to your email, and registering a host account creates your organisation, your first property in draft, and your owner membership. If an email address already belongs to an existing account, registering with it does not give anyone a session for that account.
Before you can list a property, you must review and accept the Pravaasa Stays Host Agreement. We store an acceptance record that includes which version you accepted, when, how you were authenticated, and details such as your IP address and browser, so that we can show what was agreed. If the Host Agreement changes materially, you will be asked to accept it again.
Why we do this: it ties every listing to an accountable person or business, makes impersonation harder, and gives guests and hosts a clear record if there is a dispute.
You must give your real name and your real business details. Using another person's identity, or a false business identity, is a serious violation (see section 16).
4. Mobile Number and WhatsApp Verification
We verify your mobile number with a one-time password (OTP), sent by SMS or WhatsApp, which you enter to prove that you control the phone. This is done, for example, when you claim a listing that we prepared for you, and when a number is used to submit information that we will treat as verified. A number is treated as verified only when the OTP has been confirmed.
Why we do this: guests and our team need to be able to reach a real person, and an OTP shows that the person who registered controls the number. Your verified number is also the one we use for booking coordination, host chat, and urgent safety messages.
Never share an OTP with anyone. Pravaasa will never ask you for your OTP, card PIN, or UPI PIN, in a call, a chat, or an email. Anyone who does is attempting fraud, and you should report it.
6. Precise Location (Google Maps Pin)
Every property needs an exact location pinned on the map (latitude and longitude). The pin must match the address you gave, the photos, and the route a guest would really take. We use it for search, 'near me' discovery, distances, and directions.
Our team compares the pin to the address and the photos, and may check it against other sources. Pravaasa's trust information calls this the 'Property Location Checked' badge. Where we need more assurance, we may ask for a photo or a short description of the route and landmarks, or use physical, photographic, or community location verification, as described in the Host Agreement.
Why we do this: a wrong or invented pin is a common sign of a ghost listing, and it directly harms travellers who end up in the wrong place after dark. Entering fictitious or deliberately inaccurate coordinates is prohibited.
7. Photos and Listing Information
A property needs at least three photos before it can be published. Photos must be JPEG, PNG, or WebP files of up to 8 MB each. When you upload a photo, we check that it is a genuine image file, and we create optimised versions for display. The first photo is your cover. Photos must be real, current, and of your property. Stock images, pictures of other properties, renders, watermarks, and contact details in images are not allowed.
A property also needs at least three amenities, a stay type, meal information (including a clear statement if no meals are served), and at least one active room or unit with a price and open dates. Our team reviews photos, the description, and the amenities against our listing standards. This corresponds to the 'Property Information Reviewed' badge. See the Property Listing Policy for the full standards.
Why we do this: photos and details are the main way guests judge a stay, and false ones are the most common cause of disappointed travellers.
8. Licences, Registrations, and Tax Details
8.1 What our checklist captures
The verification checklist in the owner portal is built from the rules for your property's country. For properties in India, it asks you for:
- PAN card: the PAN of the owner or business receiving payouts.
- GSTIN, where registered: your GST registration number, if you are registered for GST.
- Cancelled cheque or bank statement: proof of the bank account into which payouts will be made.
In addition, a short-term rental licence number is added to the checklist for any property in a country or region where such a licence is required. In India, licensing requirements differ by state and municipality, so we do not treat a single licence as universal at the platform level. If a local rule applies to you, you are still responsible for holding the licence, and we may ask you for the number.
The checklist collects a reference value (for example, the number) for each item, which our team reviews. It is not a document upload. When the reviewer records a decision, they can also record how the item was verified, when the underlying document expires, and when it should next be reviewed.
8.2 Your own legal obligations
Whatever the checklist asks for, you remain solely responsible for complying with the law that applies to your property and your business. Depending on where you are and what you offer, this may include:
- Municipal, zoning, tourism, or trade registrations and licences.
- Fire safety and building safety requirements.
- Police and guest registration duties. In India this normally means checking guests' government ID, keeping a guest register, and reporting guests, including foreign nationals, to the local police or the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, usually within 24 hours.
- Food safety licensing (FSSAI) if you prepare and serve food or run a kitchen for guests.
- GST registration and filing where it applies to you. For India our tax configuration uses an annual turnover of INR 20 lakh as the general GST registration threshold, though other limits can apply, so please take advice from a tax professional.
We do not check these with the issuing authorities and we do not give legal advice. We may ask you for them, and we may act if we learn that you are operating without a licence that you need.
9. Payout Details: PAN, Bank, and UPI
Payments are held in escrow and released to you 24 hours after the guest checks in, net of the 10% commission, and they are paid only to the bank account or UPI ID you have given us. So that money reaches the right person, we ask for your PAN, proof of your bank account (a cancelled cheque or a bank statement), and, where you use it, your UPI ID.
The payout account should belong to you or to the business that owns the listing. We may hold a payout and ask for more information if the details do not match, if they change shortly before a payout, or if something looks wrong. Do not give payout details of a third party that you do not control.
10. The Owner Portal Checklist, Step by Step
In the Stay Owner Portal (/dashboard), open the Pravaasa Backed tab in the Property group of the sidebar. The page is titled 'KYC, Photos & Readiness'. It has these parts:
- Property completeness score: a percentage built from weighted checks: address details (10), exact location pinned (15), at least three amenities (15), meal or dietary information (10), at least three photos (25), a stay type (10), and at least one active, priced unit (15). Below the score, it lists what is still missing, starting with the most important item.
- Property photos and verified facilities: where you upload photos and confirm facilities. At least three photos and three facilities are needed for publication.
- Verification checklist: one row for each requirement, with its status. Type in the reference (for example, your PAN or GSTIN, or your account details) and select Submit.
- Meals offering, guidebook, and property QR poster.
When you submit a checklist item, its status changes to Submitted and it enters review. If a reviewer rejects an item, the row shows their reason. You can correct the information and submit it again, and the item goes back to Submitted for another review. A verified item is locked and no longer shows an input box.
If you register through the self-serve listing form and provide your PAN, GSTIN, or payout details there, they are entered into the checklist as submitted items, ready for review.
11. Review Stages and Statuses
11.1 Property stages: draft, pending review, live
Draft: a new property begins as a draft. Only you and our team can see it.
Pending review: when you have completed the listing and submitted your checklist items, the property waits in our review queue. People on our team review properties, and the queue is generally handled oldest first. We do not state a fixed turnaround time: listings are typically reviewed by our team, and the time can vary with volume and with how complete your submission is.
Live: a property goes live only after an explicit approval. Our system will not approve a property that does not meet all the publication readiness checks in section 12.
Suspended: a live property can be suspended while we investigate a concern, or if we find a serious problem.
Archived: a property that is declined, or that is no longer offered, is archived.
11.2 What reviewers can decide
Approve: moves the property to Live, only if every readiness check is met.
Request changes: leaves the property in Draft, with a reason, until you fix the issue.
Reject: archives the property, with a reason.
Every property decision needs a written reason and is recorded in an audit log, along with who made it and when.
11.3 Checklist item statuses
Pending: you have not submitted anything for this requirement yet.
Submitted: you have provided a reference and it is waiting for review.
Verified: a reviewer has checked it and accepted it.
Rejected: a reviewer could not accept it and has given a reason. You can resubmit.
A reviewer can only decide on an item that has been submitted, and every decision, whether to verify or reject, requires a written reason.
12. Publication Readiness Checks
Before our team can approve a property, all of the following must be true. If any are missing, approval is blocked, and the missing items are listed as blockers:
- Your organisation account is active.
- The exact location is pinned.
- At least three photos are uploaded.
- At least three amenities are listed.
- A stay type is selected.
- Meal information is set.
- There is at least one active, priced unit with open dates.
- Every verification item for your country is verified, and none is expired or due for review.
A verification item that has passed its expiry date shows as expired, and one that has passed its review date shows as review due. Both block approval until you resubmit and we verify it again.
13. Verification Badges: How They Are Earned and Lost
13.1 Pravaasa Backed
Guests can open the Pravaasa Backed details on a property page. The listing is shown as Pravaasa Backed when three checks are in place:
- Host Identity Checked: Pravaasa has verified control of the host account using our identity and mobile contact verification process.
- Property Location Checked: the submitted coordinates and access route passed our location requirements.
- Property Information Reviewed: photos, description, and listed amenities were reviewed against our listing quality standards.
Two further indicators are shown alongside: Booking Support Available (the property is eligible for Pravaasa booking support, direct guest chat, and escrow payouts) and Protect Eligible (the property qualifies for optional Pravaasa Protect booking support and recovery assistance, which is not insurance).
13.2 How you earn them
Our team marks each check as passed after reviewing the evidence described in this document: your mobile and KYC items for identity, your pin for location, and your photos and listing details for information. You earn the badge by completing and maintaining these checks. Badges cannot be bought, and they are not affected by advertising spend or commission.
13.3 How you can lose them
A check can be withdrawn if the information is found to be inaccurate, if a document expires or a re-verification is not completed, if a pin or photos no longer match the property, if there is a substantiated complaint, or if you breach our rules. When one of the three checks is withdrawn, the listing no longer shows as fully Pravaasa Backed, and it is shown as partially verified or as needing review, until the issue is fixed. Booking support and Protect eligibility can also be withdrawn. A suspended or archived property is not visible to guests at all.
14. Documents, Storage, and Privacy
14.1 What we collect and why
We collect only what is needed to verify you and pay you: your name and contact details; your PAN, GSTIN (where registered), licence numbers where they apply; your bank account details or UPI ID; your property's address, coordinates, and photos; and, where we ask for it, evidence of ownership or authorisation. The checklist collects reference values, not scanned files. If we ask for a document as evidence, we will tell you what we need and why, and we will ask you to submit it only through official Pravaasa channels.
We use this information to verify your identity and property, to pay you, to prevent fraud, to meet tax and legal obligations, and to resolve disputes. We do not use it for advertising and we never sell it.
14.2 Who can see it
Your verification records are kept against your organisation and property, and are not visible to other hosts. Only authorised Pravaasa reviewers can see them for review, and the tools they use require them to state a reason for access, and their actions are logged. Guests never see your PAN, GSTIN, bank details, or licence numbers. They see only the badges and the listing.
We may share information with payment and payout partners where this is needed to pay you, and with authorities where the law requires, as described in our Privacy Policy.
14.3 Retention and your rights
We keep verification records for as long as your account is active and for as long as needed afterwards to meet tax, accounting, and legal duties and to resolve disputes. Our Privacy Policy explains your rights over your personal data, including access, correction, and deletion, and how to exercise them. Some records cannot be deleted while the law requires us to keep them.
To correct or update information, resubmit it in the owner portal. For privacy requests, contact support@pravaasastays.com.
14.4 Protect yourself
Submit verification information only through your owner portal. Do not send your PAN, bank details, or ID in a chat message or an email to anyone, even if they say they are from Pravaasa. Do not share your sign-in link or OTP. If someone asks for your details in this way, do not respond, and report it at /trust-and-safety?action=report-fraud.
15. Re-Verification and Expiry
Verification is not a one-off. Each checklist item can carry the date on which the underlying document expires, the date it was last checked, and the date it is next due for review. When an item expires or becomes due for review, it no longer counts as complete, and it must be resubmitted and verified again.
We may also ask you to re-verify at other times, for example when you change your payout account, your business details, or your property's ownership or management; when your licence is renewed; when your location or photos change in a significant way; after a substantiated complaint or a safety report; or when we find that our records are inconsistent.
We will tell you what we need. If a re-verification request is left unanswered, we may restrict new bookings, remove your badge, or suspend your listing until it is dealt with. Bookings that are already confirmed will be handled so that guests are protected.
16. Rejection, Suspension, and Termination
16.1 Common reasons for rejection
- A reference that cannot be accepted, or that does not match the name of the host, the business, or the bank account.
- A pin or address that does not match the property.
- Photos that are not of the property, are stock images, or are misleading.
- Missing information that is required for publication.
- An expired licence or registration, or a lapsed re-verification.
- No evidence that the host owns or is authorised to let the property.
- A property that cannot lawfully operate as guest accommodation.
Most of these can be fixed. A rejected item shows the reason, and you can correct the information and resubmit it.
16.2 Serious violations
The following will normally lead to rejection or removal, and may lead to immediate suspension, a hold or forfeiture of payouts, termination of the account, and referral to the police or other authorities where the law requires:
- False, forged, or stolen identity, ownership, licence, or payout information.
- Fake, ghost, duplicate, or impersonated listings.
- Off-platform payment demands, deposit fraud, or bait-and-switch.
- Hidden cameras or recording devices in private spaces.
- Discrimination, harassment, or abuse of guests.
- Unsafe conditions that are not fixed after notice, or illegal activity at the property.
- Fake or paid reviews, or manipulation of ratings.
- Repeated cancellation of confirmed bookings without good reason.
- Evasion of enforcement, such as opening new accounts after a ban.
See Prohibited Properties & Activities for the full list.
16.3 Consequences
Depending on the seriousness and the history, we may request changes, reject an item or a property, remove a badge, hide or unlist a property, suspend the property or your organisation, hold or forfeit payouts, cancel affected bookings and refund guests, or end your hosting access. An organisation can be active, suspended, or in offboarding, and a suspended organisation cannot publish properties. We will honour or properly unwind existing bookings so that guests are protected.
17. Corrections and Appeals
Start with the reviewer's note. If an item is rejected or a property needs changes, the owner portal shows the reason. Fix the problem and resubmit. In most cases this is the fastest route.
If you think a decision was wrong, or you cannot see what to fix, email support@pravaasastays.com or use the Support page, and include your property name, the item or decision you are disputing, and any evidence that helps, such as a corrected document reference or a clearer photo. We will review your appeal and tell you the outcome. If a decision was a mistake, we will correct it, and the correction will be recorded. We aim to respond to support emails within one business day, though a full review may take longer, and we do not promise a fixed time.
An appeal does not delay urgent safety actions. A property or account suspended for a safety or fraud concern stays suspended while the concern is looked into.
18. How Guests Can Check and Report a Listing
Guests can see which checks a property has passed by opening the Pravaasa Backed details on the property page. Guests should also read the reviews from verified stays, compare the photos and the map pin, and pay only through Pravaasa.
If a guest believes that a listing is fake, inaccurate, or unsafe, or that a host asked for money outside the platform, they can report it at /trust-and-safety?action=report-property (for a property) or /trust-and-safety?action=report-fraud (for suspected fraud), or email support@pravaasastays.com. Reports are reviewed by our team, and where a report is substantiated, we may re-verify, suspend, or remove the listing and may refer serious cases to the authorities.
19. Your Responsibilities, Changes, and Contact
You must provide information that is true, complete, and up to date; keep it current by updating the owner portal when anything changes; respond when we ask for more information or re-verification; not share your account; and not try to get around verification.
We may update these standards as our product and the law change. The version number and effective date at the top of the page show which version applies. For questions about verification, 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.