These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Kovaus platform operated by Kovaus Technologies Ltd ([TODO RC number], [TODO registered address]). By creating an account or using Kovaus you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.
1. What Kovaus is
Kovaus is an online marketplace that connects people who want to rent or book accommodation (“Guests”) with people who offer accommodation (“Hosts”). Kovaus itself does not own, control, manage, or inspect any listed property. Hosts and Guests contract with each other directly. Kovaus facilitates discovery, communication, payments, and dispute resolution between them.
2. Eligibility and accounts
- You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter a binding contract.
- You must provide accurate information when registering, and keep it up to date.
- You are responsible for the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity under your account. Notify us immediately at support@kovaus.com if you suspect unauthorised access.
- One person, one account. Multiple accounts to evade limits or sanctions are prohibited.
3. Bookings
- A booking request is an offer to the Host. The booking is confirmed only when the Host accepts within the platform's request window, after which the agreed nightly rate, fees, and dates form a binding contract between the Guest and the Host.
- If the Host does not respond before the window expires, the request is automatically declined and any pre-authorised charge is released.
- If another Guest's overlapping request is accepted first, your pending request is automatically declined.
- Guests are responsible for reading the listing details, house rules, and cancellation policy before booking.
4. Payments, fees, and host payouts
- Payments are processed by Paystack. Kovaus does not store full card details.
- Kovaus charges a platform service fee on each completed booking. The fee is set in the platform's Commission configuration and is displayed to Hosts when they price a listing. The current default booking service fee is 10% of the booking value, deducted from the Host's payout.
- Guest funds are held in escrow and released to the Host's Kovaus balance 48 hours after check-in, less the platform fee. The Host may request payout to a linked Nigerian bank account at any time.
- All amounts are in Nigerian Naira (NGN) unless stated otherwise.
- Kovaus may withhold or reverse a payout if a chargeback, fraud signal, or unresolved dispute is open against the booking.
5. Cancellations and refunds
- Each listing specifies a cancellation policy. The Guest agrees to that policy at the point of booking.
- If a Host cancels a confirmed booking, the Guest is refunded in full and Kovaus may charge the Host a cancellation penalty.
- If a Guest is unable to access the property as described, contact Kovaus support within 24 hours of the scheduled check-in. We may issue a partial or full refund at our discretion.
- Refunds are returned via the original payment channel and may take up to 10 business days to settle.
6. Host responsibilities
- Provide accurate listing information, including address, photos, amenities, capacity, and house rules.
- Maintain the property in the condition advertised, and meet any applicable health, safety, and licensing requirements.
- Honour confirmed bookings and provide access at the agreed check-in time.
- Comply with local zoning, short-let, and tax obligations. Kovaus does not provide tax advice; you are responsible for your own returns.
- Do not solicit off-platform bookings or payments to circumvent the platform fee. Doing so is grounds for suspension and forfeiture of pending payouts.
7. Guest responsibilities
- Treat the property with care, follow house rules, and respect neighbours.
- Be honest about who is staying, including the number of guests.
- You are responsible for damage caused by you, your guests, or anyone you grant access to.
- Do not use the property for illegal purposes or in any way that breaches local law.
8. Content and reviews
- You retain ownership of content you upload (photos, descriptions, reviews) and grant Kovaus a worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce, and adapt it for the purpose of running and promoting the platform.
- You warrant you have the rights to any content you upload and that it does not infringe a third party's intellectual property.
- Reviews must reflect your genuine experience. We reserve the right to remove reviews that are abusive, false, or violate our content guidelines.
9. Prohibited conduct
You may not use Kovaus to:
- Harass, threaten, defraud, or discriminate against another user.
- Post false, misleading, or unlawful content.
- Scrape, crawl, or reverse-engineer the platform, or otherwise interfere with normal operation.
- Submit fake bookings or reviews, or manipulate ranking.
- Circumvent payment, ID verification, commission, or any access control.
- Use Kovaus to launder funds or finance any illegal activity.
10. Suspension and termination
We may suspend or terminate your account, withhold pending payouts, or remove a listing if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, harmed another user, or exposed Kovaus to legal or financial risk. You may close your account at any time from your profile settings; ongoing bookings and obligations survive closure.
11. Disclaimers
Kovaus is a marketplace, not a hospitality provider. We do not own, manage, or guarantee the quality, safety, or legal compliance of any listing. The platform is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.
12. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by Nigerian law, Kovaus is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for property damage, personal injury, or loss caused by Hosts, Guests, or any third party. Our aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of these Terms or your use of Kovaus is limited to the platform fees we collected from your account in the 12 months immediately before the claim arose.
13. Indemnity
You will indemnify and hold Kovaus harmless from any claim, loss, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your content, your conduct, or your use of the platform.
14. Dispute resolution and governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Any dispute that cannot be resolved amicably will be referred to arbitration in Lagos under the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023, with proceedings in English. Either party may apply to a Lagos court for urgent interim relief.
15. Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms. Material changes will be notified by email or in-app at least 14 days before they take effect. Continuing to use Kovaus after the effective date constitutes acceptance.