Terms of Service

Last updated 17 September 2026

These terms apply when you use Shelter on shelterstays.app or in the Shelter app. By creating an account, booking a stay or listing a home, you agree to them. If you don't agree, please don't use Shelter.

1. Who we are

Shelter (“Shelter”, “we”, “us”) runs an online marketplace where people can book budget places to stay and buy or sell container homes, caravans, prefabs and cottages. You can contact us at hello@shelterstays.app.

2. What Shelter does — and doesn't do

• Stays are provided by hosts, not by Shelter. When you book, you make an agreement with the host; Shelter takes the payment and passes the host's share on to them.
• Homes for sale are sold by their owners. Buyers and sellers deal with each other directly. Shelter does not own, inspect, survey, value or guarantee any home for sale, and is not a party to the sale.
• Listings are written by members. We review new listings and act on reports, but we can't guarantee every detail is accurate. Hosts declare water, power, heat, bathroom, signal and access; if a stay is materially different from its listing, tell us (see section 5).

3. Your account

• You must be 18 or over to use Shelter.
• You sign in with Apple, Google or your phone number. Keep access to that account secure; you're responsible for what happens under your Shelter account.
• Give accurate information and keep it up to date.
• You can delete your account at any time under Account › Delete my account, or by emailing us. See our Privacy Policy for what we keep.

4. Booking and paying for a stay

• The price is the price. A stay's nightly price includes everything the host charges. No stay can be listed above US$100 a night. Your total is the nightly price × the number of nights, with no cleaning or service fee added.
• Prices are set in US dollars. We may show an estimate in another currency for convenience; you are charged in US dollars, and your card provider may apply its own exchange rate or fees.
• Payment is taken by card through our payment provider, Stripe, when you book. Your booking is confirmed once payment succeeds and appears under Account › Your stays.
• Treat the place with care, follow the host's reasonable house rules, and leave when your stay ends.

5. Cancellations, problems and refunds

• To cancel or ask for a refund, email hello@shelterstays.app with your booking details as early as possible.
• If a host cancels, the stay is unavailable when you arrive, or it is materially different from its listing (for example, a declared utility is missing), tell us promptly — ideally on your first night — and we will refund the affected nights in full.
• Other cancellation requests are considered case by case, taking into account how close to the stay you cancel.
• Refunds go back to the card you paid with. Nothing in these terms affects your rights under consumer law.

6. Hosting a stay

• You must have the right to offer the place, and follow the laws, permissions and safety rules that apply to it.
• Your listing must be accurate, including the utilities declaration and photos, and the nightly price must include everything you charge.
• Shelter keeps a 12% commission from each booking. The guest never pays more than the listed price; your payout is the booking total minus the commission.
• If you cancel a confirmed booking, the guest is refunded in full and we may limit or remove your listings.

7. Selling a home

• Listing a home for sale is free. You must own it or be authorised to sell it, and describe it honestly.
• The phone number you add is shown to people viewing your listing so buyers can contact you.
• If you sell a home to a buyer who found it on Shelter, you agree to pay Shelter a commission of 3% of the final sale price. We'll contact you to arrange this when you mark the home as sold or we learn of the sale.
• Buyers should view a home in person and check its condition and paperwork before paying anything. Never pay a deposit to someone you haven't met or through a method you can't trace.

8. What's not allowed

Don't use Shelter to: list something you don't have the right to offer; mislead people about price, condition or safety; ask for payment outside Shelter for a stay; post offensive, discriminatory or illegal content; harass anyone; or interfere with the service. We may remove content, hide listings, cancel bookings or close accounts that break these rules. Anyone can report a listing using the Report button.

9. AI assistants

Some answers on Shelter — including the website chat and some email replies — are written by AI assistants and are labelled as such. They can make mistakes. They can't change bookings, issue refunds or make promises on our behalf; a person handles those.

10. Our responsibility to you

We work to keep Shelter available, accurate and safe, but we can't guarantee it will always be uninterrupted or error-free. To the extent the law allows, we are not responsible for what hosts, guests, buyers or sellers do, or for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable. We don't limit our liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud.

11. Changes

We may update these terms. If a change is significant, we'll tell you on the site or by email before it takes effect. Bookings already confirmed stay under the terms that applied when you booked.

12. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. If you live elsewhere in the UK or in the EU, you keep the protection of the mandatory consumer laws where you live, and you can bring a claim in your local courts. Please contact us first — most problems can be sorted out quickly.

13. Contact

Email hello@shelterstays.app. For a problem during a stay, email maintenance@shelterstays.app. If anyone is in danger, call the local emergency number first.