Mboka 1. Information before booking
Before confirming, the guest can review the accommodation offered, the identity and status of the host, the dates, the total price, the currency, any mandatory fees, the accepted payment methods and the cancellation terms.
Depending on the listing, the booking is either instant or subject to the host’s approval. With option B (direct payment), it is always subject to the host’s approval. The host replies within 24 hours, and at the latest before the expected arrival; without a reply, the request expires and nothing is owed. With option A, the advance is only paid once the host has approved, within the following 24 hours; otherwise the booking is cancelled. A refusal by the host costs the guest nothing.
The chosen payment option appears on the confirmation. The host cannot later impose a different payment option or any extra charge that was not agreed.
Photos, videos, amenities and descriptions must match the accommodation actually provided.
2. Two payment options
Option A — 20% booking advance through Mboka
The guest pays 20% of the price of the stay through Mboka’s payment process. This advance is part of the total price: it is neither an extra charge nor Mboka’s commission.
The payment is processed by the provider identified before confirmation. Funds intended for the host are not paid out before the accommodation has been accepted or any dispute resolved.
On arrival, the guest checks the accommodation. If they accept it, they pay the remaining 80% directly to the host, using the agreed method: cash, bank card or any other method expressly offered.
Once acceptance and payment of the balance have been confirmed, the payout of the host’s share of the 20% is triggered, less the applicable commission. The time it takes to arrive depends on the provider and is shown in the booking tracking.
Option B — Full payment directly to the host
The guest pays no advance to Mboka. After checking and accepting the accommodation on arrival, they pay 100% of the price directly to the host using the agreed method.
The host provides a receipt and records the payment in the booking. The host bears the costs of collecting the payment and of any refunds they have to make, without adding them to the agreed price.
As Mboka does not hold this payment, any refund owed to the guest must be made by the host. The guest can still report a problem to Mboka.
This payment option does not release the host from following the platform’s rules and their commitments to the guest.
3. Mboka’s commission
The commission is paid by the host:
- 10% for a host on the Free plan;
- 5% for a Premium or Pro host.
The applicable rate is that of the host’s plan when the booking is confirmed. The amount and the basis of calculation are shown before the host commits.
The commission applies to the accommodation price actually kept by the host, excluding any security deposit and taxes shown separately. It is not added to the price paid by the guest.
With option A, it is deducted from the 20% collected through Mboka; the rest goes to the host.
With option B, the host pays the commission within seven calendar days of receiving the price of the stay.
A booking that is fully refunded gives rise to no commission. In the event of a partial refund, the commission is recalculated on the accommodation price kept. Mboka takes no commission on the cancellation compensation described below.
Unpaid commission may, after a reminder and a review of the situation, lead to new bookings being suspended. Bookings already confirmed are still handled.
4. Cancellation by the guest
Time limits are calculated using the local time of the accommodation and the expected arrival time shown in the confirmation.
With option A:
- at least 48 hours before the expected arrival: the 20% is refunded in full. Mboka bears the payment and refund costs;
- less than 48 hours before arrival: compensation may be awarded to the host, limited to the lower of the price of the first night and 20% of the stay. The rest of the advance is refunded to the guest. Nothing further is charged on the 80% for this compensation.
With option B, cancellation carries no financial penalty under this offer. The host accepts this rule by offering this booking option.
The guest must cancel as soon as they know they cannot come. Exceptional situations and applicable mandatory rights are reviewed separately.
5. No-show and late arrival
The latest arrival time must be stated before booking. The guest lets the host know about any delay, where possible through the messaging linked to the booking.
Being late is not, by itself, enough to establish a no-show. The messages and information provided by both parties are reviewed before any disputed decision.
If a no-show is established, the rules for cancellations less than 48 hours before arrival apply: capped compensation with option A, no financial penalty with option B.
6. Cancellation by the host or accommodation unavailable
If the host cancels or cannot provide the booked accommodation:
- with option A, the 20% is refunded to the guest in full, with no deduction. Mboka bears the payment and refund costs;
- with option B, any amount already received by the host must be refunded in full by the host, at their own cost.
No commission is owed to Mboka for this cancelled booking.
Other accommodation cannot be imposed on the guest. Any alternative and its possible price require the guest’s agreement.
Repeated cancellations or listings for unavailable accommodation may lead to restrictions after review. These rules do not limit the guest’s other rights under applicable law.
7. Accommodation not as described or a problem on arrival
The guest can report accommodation that is substantially different from the listing, inaccessible or has a problem that justifies refusing the stay.
Where possible, they provide photos, videos, messages or other useful information. Mboka also collects the host’s comments and sends both parties its reasoned decision.
With option A, if the refusal is justified, the 20% is refunded in full. Mboka bears the payment and refund costs. The remaining 80% is not owed for the refused stay.
With option B, no payment is requested before the accommodation is accepted. If the host has already received an amount whose refund is justified, the host makes that refund and bears the related costs.
Simply changing one’s mind about accommodation that matches the listing is not enough to trigger this refund.
A minor problem may be fixed or settled through an arrangement expressly accepted by the guest. The guest is not required to stay in dangerous accommodation while their report is being handled.
8. Accepting the accommodation and no response
Acceptance of the accommodation is recorded through an explicit action by the guest.
No response triggers a reminder and then, if necessary, a manual review. Silence does not count as acceptance and never automatically triggers a payout to the host.
Initial acceptance does not remove the right to report a problem discovered later. How it is handled then depends on the problem, the information available and the part of the stay actually completed.
9. Tracking and refunds
Both parties can see the amounts paid, the amounts still owed, the commissions and the status of refunds in the booking tracking.
A payment declared by one party is only treated as verified once the other party has confirmed it or Mboka has reviewed it.
A refund made through Mboka’s process is sent to the original payment method where possible. The guest is told when it is issued and the estimated time given by the provider.
Decisions can be challenged with support from the booking. These procedures remove neither legal remedies nor Mboka’s liability for its own failings.
10. Relationship with the terms of use
These terms supplement the Mboka Connect terms of use, in particular section 8. Their version is shown and accepted before each booking is confirmed.
A later change does not retroactively alter the terms of a booking that has already been confirmed.
Contact: contact@mbokaconnect.app