Cancellation options
Plans change — VAKA's cancellation policy balances your right to change plans with compensation to the neighbor who listed the item for the time it was blocked. It's a single policy, the same for everyone.
Refund policy
The refund percentage depends on how long is left before the handover at the moment you cancel:
| When you cancel | Refund |
|---|---|
| Before the neighbor accepts | 100% |
| More than 48 h before the handover time | 95% |
| Between 24 h and 48 h before | 50% |
| Less than 24 h before, or if you don't show up | 0% |
The percentages apply to the rental cost. The 5% withheld when you cancel more than 48 hours ahead corresponds to the payment processing cost.
Hours are counted from the first handover time both neighbors agreed on; if they later agree on a later one, from that one. If they have not agreed on one yet, from the start of the rental day.
The deposit is not affected by a cancellation: it is only charged at the moment of the handover, so if you cancel beforehand, you are never charged (more detail in payments and deposits).
While the request is pending
If the neighbor hasn't accepted your request yet, you can cancel it at any time at no cost — you haven't been charged anything. Requests the neighbor doesn't respond to expire on their own after 24 hours, also at no cost to you.
How to cancel
- Go to My rentals.
- Open the booking you want to cancel.
- Tap Cancel booking and select the reason.
- Confirm. The refund is calculated automatically according to the table above and processed immediately. The money takes between 3 and 10 business days to show up on your card.
If the neighbor who listed the item cancels
When the neighbor who listed the item cancels a booking that was already accepted, you receive a 100% refund, no matter when it happens. The policy doesn't include additional compensation — but cancellations cost them where it matters most: they affect their history and their eligibility for the Top Neighbor program, which requires a cancellation rate below 5%.
Force majeure
Documented events outside the control of either party (illness with a medical certificate, natural disaster, critical family emergency) are reviewed case by case. Write to us at soporte@vakaland.com with the evidence and the booking number. If the situation is urgent, also check the emergency protocol.
See also
- How VAKA works — the complete cycle of a rental, step by step.
- Claims and disputes — what happens if something goes wrong after the handover.
- Terms of service — the platform's formal rules.
- Contact — if your case doesn't fit into any of these categories.