This document governs what happens when a rental ends badly: a damaged, lost, incomplete or non-returned item. It defines who can claim, within what deadlines, with what evidence, how VAKA decides and where the money comes from. It is part of the Terms and Conditions and, in matters of claims, prevails over them.

1. Principles of the process

• Evidence rules. Claims are resolved by comparing the documented condition of the item at delivery against its documented condition at return. That is why photographic recording with location (GPS) is mandatory at both moments.
• VAKA decides within the platform; it is not a court. VAKA's resolution administers the security deposit and, if one exists, the charge to the Neighbor Backer. It does not replace the judges or authorities of your country, and it does not limit the legal rights of either party.
• VAKA is not an insurance company. VAKA does not cover the cost of damages, losses or theft with its own resources. The money in a resolution comes from the security deposit of the neighbor who rents and, if one exists, from the Neighbor Backer up to the amount they consented to. That is how the protection-by-process system works, VAKA Shield, which is not insurance or a policy.
• Impartiality. The team that resolves evaluates the evidence of both neighbors and may request additional information from either of them.

2. The mandatory evidence

On every rental, the platform requires photographic recording with location at two moments:

• Documented delivery: photos of the item at delivery, taken at the moment, with location. They set the initial condition: whatever is not shown damaged here is presumed delivered in good condition.
• Documented return: photos of the item at return, with location. They set the final condition and start the claim window.

Recommendations: photograph the delicate parts up close (lenses, screens, edges, connectors), include accessories and serial numbers, and keep the conversation within the platform — VAKA's messaging is also evidence. Conversations outside the platform cannot be verified and have little or no value in the process (Terms, dealing within the platform).

3. Who claims and within what deadline

• Only the neighbor who lists can open a claim, and does so from their reservation in the app.
• The deadline is the claim window: 48 hours counted from the documented return.
• If the window closes without a claim, the security deposit is automatically refunded to the neighbor who rented (Payments Terms) and the ability to claim for that rental within the platform closes. The legal rights of the parties outside the platform remain unaffected.
• If the item is not returned within the reservation period (and there is no approved extension), the neighbor who lists can open the claim from their reservation without waiting for a return that did not happen. Non-return is treated as a total loss, without prejudice to the legal actions that apply.

4. How to open a claim

From your reservation, the claim must include:

• a concrete description of what happened (what was damaged, what is missing, what did not come back);
• evidence: photos of the damage or missing part, comparable with the delivery evidence;
• the amount claimed, with the basis for estimating it (cost of repair or replacement).

The amount claimed cannot exceed the declared value of the item in the listing. An inflated or false declared value can fully or partially invalidate the claim. Exaggerating a damage or fabricating evidence is fraud (Anti-Fraud Policy) and gives rise to the measures in section 9.

5. The other neighbor's response

• When a claim is opened, the neighbor who rented receives the notification with the full content of the claim and has 72 hours to respond: accept, explain their version or provide their own evidence.
• If they do not respond within 72 hours, the claim is resolved with the available evidence. Silence does not prevent the resolution.
• While the claim is open, the security deposit is held and the payment to the neighbor who lists is paused until the resolution.

6. How it is evaluated and resolved

VAKA's team evaluates the claim based on:

• the comparison between documented delivery and documented return;
• the evidence and the responses of both neighbors;
• the description and declared value of the item in the listing;
• the distinction between normal wear from proper use (which is not a claimable damage) and damage, misuse or missing parts;
• the platform's records (messaging, dates, extensions, locations).

VAKA may request additional information from either of the two neighbors before resolving. There is no guaranteed resolution deadline: it depends on the complexity of the case and the available evidence. The outcome can be: claim upheld (in full or in part) or rejected, always with the detail of the amount and its distribution.

7. Where the money in a resolution comes from

When a claim is resolved in favor of the neighbor who lists, the amount is obtained in this order:

• First, the security deposit of the neighbor who rented, already charged at delivery (Payments Terms).If the resolved amount is less than the deposit, the surplus is refunded to the neighbor who rented.
• Then, the Neighbor Backer, if the reservation has one: the difference is automatically charged to their saved payment method when the claim is resolved — never beyond the exact amount they consented to (Neighbor Backer Agreement)).
• If even then the resolved amount is not completed, the difference remains a debt of the neighbor who rented toward the neighbor who lists. VAKA does not cover that difference with its own resources; the neighbor who lists retains the legal actions that apply in their country, and VAKA may apply account measures to the debtor (section 9).

The amount recovered in favor of the neighbor who lists enters their payment cycle in accordance with the Payments Terms.

8. Nature of the decision

VAKA's resolution is final within the platform: today there is no second internal instance of claim appeals. The decision administers the deposit, the charge to the Neighbor Backer and the pending payments of that reservation. It is not a judgment: either of the two neighbors retains their rights intact to go to the courts or competent authorities of their country (see annex by country), and nothing in this policy constitutes a waiver of those rights.

9. Fraud, non-compliance and account measures

• Fraudulent claims (invented damages, fabricated evidence, inflated amounts) and non-compliance with a resolution give rise to account measures in accordance with the Terms and the Anti-Fraud Policy, including suspension.
• Suspensions may be appealed within the 7 days following the notification; funds associated with the account may remain held for up to 30 days (Terms).
• Disputing with the bank a charge that results from a resolution in accordance with this policy is treated as an unjustified chargeback (Payments Terms).

10. Theft, emergencies and authorities

If an item was stolen during the rental, report it immediately on the platform. VAKA may request the report filed with the competent authority as part of the claim's evidence. The existence of a report does not change the order in section 7: recovery within the platform comes from the deposit and, if one exists, from the Neighbor Backer. In a situation of personal risk, prioritize your safety and use the channels at /support/emergency; prevention recommendations are at /safety.

11. What leaves a rental outside this process

The claims process only exists for rentals formalized on the platform. Excluded, without access to the deposit or this process:

• deals closed or paid outside VAKA (Terms);
• deliveries or returns made without the documented record the platform requires, to the extent that the evidence the process needs is missing;
• claims opened outside the 48-hour window.

12. Disputes that are not about damages

• Cancellations and refunds: /support/cancellation and Payments Terms.
• Conduct of another neighbor (harassment, discrimination, proposals to deal off-platform): /support/report.
• Any other problem: the Help Center or /contact.

13. Annex by country

The body of this policy is common to all countries where VAKA operates. The external legal avenues and the competent authorities of each country live in this annex.

Honduras

• Currency of claims: amounts may be expressed in lempiras (HNL); the reference currency for internal calculation is the US dollar (USD).
• Legal avenues: this policy does not limit the neighbors' right to go to the competent Honduran courts or the consumer protection authority. The exact regulatory references will be published in this annex when operations are enabled in the country.
• Reports: in cases of theft or crime, the report is filed with the competent Honduran authority; VAKA may request it as evidence for the claim.
• Operating entity, applicable law and jurisdiction: will be defined and published in this annex when operations are enabled in the country.